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

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200
Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200
★ 4.2 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • 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

Curation Review

  • ✔ 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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