Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6100 Switch vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200: Specs & Price Comparison

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6100 Switch

★ 3.4 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 68 Gbps (12G, reseller listing); 128 Gbps (24G, reseller listing); 176 Gbps (48G, HPE comparison table and reseller listings)
Forwarding Rate: 98.6 Mpps (48G models, HPE comparison table); 12G and 24G forwarding rates not confirmed in sources
Ports (breakdown): 12G: 12 x 10/100/1000BASE-T + 2 x SFP + 2 x SFP+ (JL679A, exact uplink mix unverified); 24G: 24 x 10/100/1000BASE-T + 4 x SFP+ (JL678A no PoE, JL677A PoE); 48G: 48 x 10/100/1000BASE-T + 4 x SFP+ (JL676A no PoE, JL675A PoE, R9Y04A PoE)
PoE Budget: 139W (12G PoE, JL679A); 370W (24G PoE JL677A, 48G PoE JL675A); 740W (48G PoE R9Y04A); no PoE on JL676A/JL678A. PoE standards: IEEE 802.3af/802.3at (Class 4)
Layer: Layer 2 (managed); static routing and IPv6 listed by some resellers; some listings label models 'Managed L3', so L3 capability is unclear and should be verified against HPE's datasheet
Stacking support: Yes, VSF (Virtual Switching Framework); up to 6 members per HPE specification (some resellers list 8)
Form Factor: 1U rack-mount

✔ Pros: Low-cost managed switch with 1G access and 10G SFP+ uplinks; PoE models available at 139W, 370W, and 740W budgets for AP and camera deployments; Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) stacking for simplified multi-switch management; Aruba CX NetEdge OS with REST API and automation support; Wide SKU range covering 12, 24, and 48-port variants with and without PoE
✘ Cons: Mostly Layer 2 with unclear Layer 3 feature support, which limits routing use cases; Uplinks are 1G/10G only, with no 25G or 100G options; Per-SKU specs and pricing are inconsistent across resellers and HPE's official datasheet was not verified; Stacking limit differs between sources (6 vs 8 members); Older generation compared with the newer CX 6200/6300 series
Est. Price: $1,959 - $5,419

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200

★ 4.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port models); 176 Gbps (48-port models)
Forwarding Rate: 95.2 Mpps (24-port models); 130.9 Mpps (48-port models)
Ports (breakdown): 24x or 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T (PoE+ on PoE SKUs) + 4x SFP/SFP+ uplinks (1GbE/10GbE); 6200M models add 4x SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: 370W Class 4 (24G and 48G 370W SKUs); 740W Class 4 (48-port 6200F PoE SKU); up to 1440W Class 6 (60W per port) on 6200M PoE SKUs. Varies by SKU
Layer: L2/L3 (Layer 3 static routing; dynamic routing depends on software license)
Stacking support: Yes, VSF virtual stacking up to 8 members (single logical device); VSX redundancy also supported

✔ Pros: Fixed-port, Layer 2/3 managed access switch in a compact 1U form factor; Wide range of PoE and non-PoE SKUs (370W, 740W, and 1440W class 6 PoE options) for IP phones, cameras, and APs; VSF stacking of up to 8 members simplifies management as one logical device; Full Aruba CX OS features with REST API, network analytics, and automation support via Aruba Central; Solid mid-range pricing compared with enterprise-class core switches; 10GbE SFP+ uplinks support aggregation and campus backbone links
✘ Cons: Model and SKU naming (6200F vs 6200M, 24G vs 48G, PoE vs non-PoE) is confusing and specs differ significantly between variants; Public spec sources conflict on some figures (for example, 6200F throughput and uplink types), so exact datasheet values should be verified per SKU; Dynamic routing and advanced L3 features require additional licensing; Power budget is limited on 370W and 740W SKUs, so high-draw PoE devices may not all be supported at full load; Pricing is in USD only for 6200F SKUs. European 6200M pricing was found only in EUR and GBP, and no official HPE list price was confirmed
Est. Price: $4,261 - $8,663

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