PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200
Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (C9200L-24T-4G) to 400 Gbps (C9200-48PXG); up to 580 Gbps with stacking. C9200CX: 20 to 128 Gbps (no stacking)
  • Forwarding Rate: 41.67 Mpps (C9200L-24T-4G) to 297.61 Mpps (C9200-48PXG); up to 431 Mpps with stacking. C9200CX: 14.88 to 95.23 Mpps
  • Ports (breakdown): C9200 (modular): 24 or 48 downlink ports (T/P/PB/PL/PXG); PXG models add 8 mGig ports plus 16 or 40 1G ports; uplinks via field-replaceable modules (2x25G, 2x40G, 4x1G, 4x10G). C9200L (fixed): 24 or 48 downlink ports; uplinks 4x1G, 4x1/10G, or 2x1/10/25G; PXG models have 8 or 12 mGig ports plus 1G ports. C9200CX (fixed): 8 or 12 downlink ports, mostly 2x10G SFP+ uplinks (2X2G variants add 2x1G copper; 8UXG models have 8 UPOE ports, 4 mGig and 4 at 1G)
  • PoE Budget: PoE+ 30W per port. C9200 and C9200L: up to 1440W on 48-port models (dual 1KW PSUs), 740W on 24-port models (dual 600W PSUs). C9200CX: 240W per switch
  • Layer: L2/L3. Network Essentials: static routing, RIPv1/v2, RIPng, routed-access OSPF. Network Advantage: full OSPF, EIGRP, IS-IS, OSPFv3, EIGRPv6, PIM SM/SSM. C9200CX: same routing features plus basic BGP from IOS-XE 17.13.1
  • Stacking support: C9200: StackWise-160 (160 Gbps), up to 8 members. C9200L: StackWise-80 (80 Gbps), up to 8 members. C9200CX: not supported. Members must share a license level; mixed-family stacking is not supported
  • Total MAC Addresses: 32,000 (C9200, C9200CX); 16,000 (C9200L)
  • IPv4 Routing Entries: 4,000 (C9200, C9200CX); 3,000 (C9200L)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Broad portfolio: fixed (L and CX) and modular (C9200) models across 24-port, 48-port and compact 8/12-port options; Full PoE+ on 48-port models up to 1440W with dual 1KW PSUs; Stacking with up to 8 members (StackWise-160 on C9200, StackWise-80 on C9200L) simplifies scaling; mGig ports on PXG and UPOE options support multi-gigabit APs; Network Advantage licensing adds full dynamic routing (OSPF, EIGRP, IS-IS, PIM) in hardware; Compact CX models add 240W PoE in a small chassis for branch and edge deployments; Large MAC and routing scale on C9200 and CX (32,000 MACs, 14,000 IPv4 routes)
  • ✘ Cons: C9200CX models cannot be stacked, which limits scaling; Stacking is not allowed across families (C9200, C9200L, CX), which constrains mixed deployments; 24-port models top out at 740W PoE, below 48-port models; C9200L has a lower MAC and routing scale (16,000 MACs, 3,000 IPv4 routing entries) than the modular C9200; Advanced routing (full OSPF, EIGRP, IS-IS, PIM) requires the Network Advantage license, which adds to total cost; Price range spans reseller and list figures, so Cisco's current official USD pricing should be confirmed with an authorized partner
  • Est. Price: $2,045 - $15,196

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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