PoE Budget: 437W (Default with 715W PSU); Up to 1440W (Maximum with dual 1100W PSUs)
Layer: Layer 2, Layer 3
Stacking support: StackWise-480 (480 Gbps bandwidth; up to 8 units in a stack)
Curation Review
✔ Pros:Industry-leading StackWise-480 stacking bandwidth for high scalability; Innovative StackPower technology for power redundancy across the stack; Advanced security including AES-256 MACsec and Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA); x86 CPU architecture allows hosting of third-party containers and apps
✘ Cons:Complex and mandatory Cisco DNA Smart Licensing model; Higher total cost of ownership (TCO) than the Catalyst 9200 series; Significant heat and fan noise when under full PoE load; Historical hardware reliability issues with specific DRAM/DIMM batches
Est. Price:
$3,200 - $4,800
Compare Against
Fortinet FortiSwitch 124G (FS-124G)
★ 3.7 Value Score
Technical Specifications
Switching Capacity: 240 Gbps
Forwarding Rate: 355 Mpps
Ports: 24 x 100/1000/2500 Mbps RJ45, 6 x 10 Gbps SFP+
PoE Budget: 0W (Non-PoE)
Layer: Layer 2 with Static Routing
Stacking support: FortiLink (Management Stacking)
Form Factor: 1 RU, Fanless
Curation Review
✔ Pros:High-speed 2.5G multi-gigabit ports ideal for Wi-Fi 6/7 access points; generous 6x 10G SFP+ uplinks for high backhaul capacity; fanless design ensures completely silent operation; seamless integration with FortiGate firewalls via FortiLink for centralized security management.
✘ Cons:Lacks Power over Ethernet (PoE) support, requiring injectors or a separate power source for connected devices; fanless design leads to high operating temperatures (often exceeding 50°C); limited Layer 3 features compared to enterprise core switches.