PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series
Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series
★ 3.2 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port C9200-24T/24P/24PXG); 288 Gbps with StackWise-160 stacking. 9200L fixed-uplink models: up to 392 Gbps (e.g., C9200L-48PXG-4X)
  • Forwarding Rate: 95.23 Mpps (24-port standalone); 214 Mpps with stacking. 9200L 48-port fixed models: up to 291.66 Mpps
  • Ports (breakdown): C9200: 24 or 48 x 1G RJ-45 downlinks (T = data, P = PoE+/UPOE, PXG = PoE+ with mGig), plus a modular uplink slot for 4x1G or 4x10G network modules. C9200L: 24 or 48 x 1G/mGig downlinks with fixed 4x10G SFP+ uplinks (some models 2x25G). C9200CX (compact): 8-port and 12-port variants with mGig and 10G SFP+ uplinks
  • PoE Budget: C9200 24-port P models: up to 740W with dual power supplies (370W on default single PSU). C9200 48-port P models: 740W with one PSU, 1440W with two. C9200L: up to 740W (24-port) and 1440W (48-port). PoE+ power allocation is dynamic
  • Layer: L2 with Network Essentials; L3 (static routing, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, PIM, with Network Advantage)
  • Stacking Support: Yes. C9200 uses StackWise-160 (160 Gbps stack ring, up to 8 units with the same license level). C9200L uses StackWise-80 (80 Gbps). C9200 and C9200L cannot be stacked together

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-160 stacking gives a single logical management domain and up to 288 Gbps of stack capacity on the modular C9200; Modular uplink slot on the C9200 lets you choose 4x1G or 4x10G uplinks; Wide PoE range from data-only to UPOE and mGig, which suits Wi-Fi 6/6E access points and IP phones; Network Essentials (L2) and Network Advantage (L3) licensing lets you buy the feature level you need; Compact fanless 9200CX models fit small branch and IoT deployments; Supported by Cisco DNA Center and Catalyst management tools with Cisco IOS XE
  • ✘ Cons: Stacking is incompatible between the 9200 and 9200L families, which limits mixed-fleet growth; Network Advantage licensing adds significant per-switch cost over Essentials; Full PoE budget on 48-port models needs a second power supply (1440W), which raises the price; Uplink module choice on the modular C9200 is limited to 1G or 10G with no 25G or 40G option; Forwarding rates of 95 Mpps are modest for dense 10G aggregation compared with Catalyst 9300 models; Public spec sheets from resellers conflict on forwarding rate and PoE budget, so confirm the exact PID against Cisco's datasheet before purchase
  • Est. Price: $2,796 - $7,286

Compare Against

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L
Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L
★ 4.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (24P-4G) to 128 Gbps (24-port 4x10G) and 104 Gbps (48P-4G) to 176 Gbps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
  • Forwarding Rate: 83.33 Mpps (24P-4G) to 190.4 Mpps (24P-4X); 154.76 Mpps (48P-4G) to 261.9 Mpps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
  • Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 downlink ports (PoE+ on P models, non-PoE on T models; some 48-port PXG variants add mGig ports) plus 4 fixed uplinks: 4 x 1G SFP (-4G) or 4 x 10G SFP+ (-4X)
  • PoE Budget: 24P models: about 370 W default, up to about 740 W with redundant PSU; 48P models: about 740 W default, up to about 1440 W with two PSUs (sources conflict, e.g. 600 W and 1 kW PSU options quoted)
  • Layer: L2/L3: Network Essentials provides L2 switching with basic L3 features; Network Advantage adds full dynamic L3 routing
  • Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 switches (requires stacking module/kit)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-80 stacking of up to 8 units with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth; 4x10G SFP+ uplink option for higher-bandwidth aggregation; Full PoE+ (802.3at) on P models with budgets up to roughly 1440 W with redundant power; Two licensing tiers (Network Essentials and Network Advantage) let buyers pay only for needed L3 features; Lower price point than Catalyst 9300 for standard campus access deployments
  • ✘ Cons: Uplinks are fixed with no modular expansion slots, which limits future upgrade paths; Full dynamic L3 routing requires the more expensive Network Advantage license; Stacking needs a separate stacking module and is capped at 8 units; Switching capacity and PoE budgets differ widely between SKUs, making spec comparison and sizing confusing; Lower forwarding performance and feature depth than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation or core roles
  • Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604

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