Primary Device
Juniper Networks EX4100
★ 3.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 164 Gbps unidirectional / 328 Gbps bidirectional (EX4100-24P); 188 Gbps unidirectional / 376 Gbps bidirectional (EX4100-48P)
- Forwarding Rate: 244 Mpps (EX4100-24P); 279 Mpps (EX4100-48P), 64-byte packets
- Ports: 24x 1GbE PoE+ RJ-45 + 4x 10GbE/25GbE SFP28 uplink/Virtual Chassis ports (EX4100-24P); 48x 1GbE PoE+ RJ-45 + 4x 10GbE/25GbE SFP28 uplink/Virtual Chassis ports (EX4100-48P)
- PoE Budget: Up to 1440 W with dual power supplies (standard 24P/48P models)
- Layer: L2/L3
- Stacking support: Juniper Virtual Chassis, up to 10 units, using 4x SFP28 Virtual Chassis ports per switch
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Full 1GbE PoE+ access on every port with 10GbE/25GbE uplinks; Junos OS CLI and feature set familiar to existing Juniper operators; Virtual Chassis supports up to 10 units managed as one logical switch; Strong bidirectional backplane figures for a 1U access switch; Available with Juniper Mist cloud management
- ✘ Cons: Base 24P/48P models have no 2.5GbE/5GbE multigigabit access ports; Advanced Layer 3 features require additional Junos software licensing; Street pricing varies widely between resellers, from about $2,300 to over $10,000; Higher cost per port than many competing access switches; Fanless and compact-form-factor options are separate EX4100-F models with different PoE budgets and uplinks
- Est. Price: $2,315 - $10,211
Compare Against
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