Cisco C9350 Series brings 10G multigigabit, 90W PoE and Meraki management to campus networks

Cisco’s C9350 Series Smart Switches are enterprise access switches built for high-density campus, branch and smart-building networks, with models ranging from conventional 1Gbps Ethernet to 10Gbps multigigabit copper and 25Gbps fibre.

The series uses Cisco Silicon One A100/L switching silicon and supports up to 90W UPOE+ per copper port on selected models. Cisco also provides modular uplinks reaching 100Gbps, StackWise-1.6T stacking and a choice between cloud management through the Meraki Dashboard and more traditional IOS XE-based administration.

Cisco lists the C9350 Series as an available-order campus LAN access platform, with the series release dated 10 June 2025. Its scope has expanded since launch, and Cisco’s June 2026 data sheet now includes copper multigigabit, 1Gbps copper and fibre configurations.

TechnologyBlog.co.za has not deployed or independently tested the C9350 Series. This article therefore examines its verified architecture, management options and specifications rather than assessing real-world throughput or reliability.

Cisco’s “Smart Switch” label means more than basic web management

The terminology deserves clarification.

In smaller-business networking, a “smart switch” often describes a product positioned between an unmanaged switch and a fully managed enterprise switch. That is not what Cisco means with the C9350.

The C9350 is an enterprise Layer 2 and Layer 3 platform supporting technologies including IP routing, multicast routing, IPv6, Software-Defined Access, Flexible NetFlow and programmability. Cisco positions it primarily at the campus access layer, although some configurations can also operate in distribution or collapsed-core roles.

Cisco’s wider C9000 Smart Switching strategy instead refers to bringing hardware, IOS XE, licensing and cloud or on-premises management into a more unified platform.

That makes the C9350 closer to an evolution of Cisco’s enterprise Catalyst switching approach than a conventional small-business “smart managed” switch. Cisco itself describes the C9350 as the evolution of its enterprise-class stackable fixed access switches.

Silicon One moves into the enterprise access layer

A major architectural change is Cisco’s use of Silicon One A100/L ASICs.

Cisco developed Silicon One as a common networking silicon architecture that can span different networking roles. Within the C9350, the A100/L handles hardware forwarding at the enterprise access layer.

Cisco’s current data sheet lists up to 1.3Tbps of throughput and forwarding performance reaching 3 billion packets per second on configurations using two ASICs. The platform carries 16GB of DRAM and 18GB of flash, with support for SSD capacity up to 240GB.

Those figures should not be interpreted as the throughput available from every individual C9350 SKU. The family includes different port counts, ASIC configurations and uplink capabilities.

The architecture also uses virtual output queuing. Rather than allowing congestion on one outgoing interface to unnecessarily interfere with unrelated traffic, the forwarding design maintains queues associated with individual destinations. Cisco describes this approach as a way to improve traffic handling when particular egress ports become congested.

C9350 reaches 10Gbps over copper

At the higher end of the access range, Cisco offers C9350 models with 10Gbps multigigabit Ethernet.

The C9350-24HX provides 24 copper ports capable of operating at 10Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps or 10Gbps. The C9350-48HX expands that configuration to 48 multigigabit ports.

This matters increasingly for Wi-Fi infrastructure.

A modern Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 access point can require more than a single gigabit of wired backhaul capacity. A multigigabit switch lets organisations provide 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps or 10Gbps connectivity through compatible copper cabling without automatically moving every access point connection to fibre.

The C9350-48HXN takes a tiered approach. Cisco equips it with 36 ports supporting speeds up to 5Gbps and 12 ports capable of reaching 10Gbps.

Another model, the C9350-48HM, provides 48 multigigabit ports reaching 2.5Gbps. Cisco targets it at deployments such as Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 access points where more than 1Gbps is needed but 10Gbps on every port would be unnecessary.

Up to 90W PoE can power more demanding edge equipment

Networking capacity is only half the equation in modern access switches. Increasingly, the Ethernet cable must also supply power.

The HX and selected HM models support Cisco UPOE+ with up to 90W per port, based on IEEE 802.3bt Type 4.

That power ceiling supports equipment whose requirements can extend beyond conventional IP phones or basic wireless access points.

Potential workloads include high-performance wireless access points, surveillance equipment, building automation hardware and other IT or operational-technology endpoints.

Cisco lists a total PoE budget of 2,160W for the C9350-24HX and as much as 4,320W for the C9350-48HX and C9350-48HXN, depending on power-supply configuration.

Organisations should therefore consider the entire power design rather than looking only at the maximum wattage of one port. Power-supply selection, redundancy and the number of simultaneously powered endpoints determine how much PoE the switch can actually deliver across a deployment.

30W and 60W models cover less demanding networks

Not every campus port needs 90W or multigigabit Ethernet.

Cisco therefore offers C9350-24P and C9350-48P variants with conventional 1Gbps copper and up to 30W PoE per port. The 24-port model provides a maximum 720W PoE budget, while the 48-port model reaches 1,440W.

The C9350-24U and C9350-48U move to 60W UPOE. Cisco lists maximum total PoE budgets of 1,440W and 2,880W respectively.

C9350-24T and C9350-48T variants omit PoE and focus on standard 1Gbps wired connectivity.

This spread matters when designing a large network. Installing 90W multigigabit ports everywhere can add cost and power requirements where many desks or fixed devices only need ordinary Gigabit Ethernet.

Fibre models take C9350 beyond copper access

Cisco has also expanded C9350 into fibre configurations.

The C9350-12Y provides 12 SFP28 ports supporting 1Gbps, 10Gbps and 25Gbps connections. Cisco positions it for uses including compact aggregation and connections to servers, storage or wireless controllers.

The C9350-24Y doubles this to 24 multirate SFP28 ports and supports up to 400Gbps of modular uplink capacity with the appropriate module. Cisco lists campus distribution, server aggregation and high-bandwidth edge workloads among its potential uses.

For conventional 1Gbps fibre access, C9350-24S and C9350-48S models provide 24 or 48 SFP ports respectively.

This makes the C9350 increasingly a family rather than one narrowly defined access-switch configuration.

Modular uplinks can reach 100Gbps

The front-panel access ports are only part of a switch’s capacity.

Cisco uses field-replaceable network modules for C9350 uplinks. Depending on the switch and module, the platform supports interfaces operating at 1Gbps, 10Gbps, 25Gbps, 40Gbps, 50Gbps or 100Gbps.

The higher-end C9350 configurations can provide up to four 100Gbps uplinks.

That gives network architects considerably more upstream capacity than would be practical with a single fixed uplink configuration, especially when dozens of multigigabit access ports feed the same switch.

There is an important procurement detail: the base switch does not include the uplink network module. Cisco says organisations select the appropriate module separately according to their required connectivity.

Anyone specifying a C9350 deployment should therefore include the uplink module, optics, cables and power supplies in the bill of materials rather than budgeting only for the switch chassis.

StackWise-1.6T links as many as eight switches

Cisco supports StackWise-1.6T, providing up to 1.6Tbps of stacking bandwidth.

As many as eight switches can operate as a stack. On supported high-density configurations, Cisco says this can scale to as many as 448 multigigabit ports and 384 UPOE+ ports under a single logical system.

Stacking can simplify administration because several physical chassis can behave as one switching system.

The rear of the platform also includes StackPower connections for power sharing, while the chassis supports field-replaceable power supplies and three modular fan units. Cisco uses N+1 fan redundancy so cooling can continue after one fan failure.

These features matter for enterprise access networks where replacing an entire switch simply because one cooling component failed would create avoidable downtime.

Meraki Dashboard and Catalyst Center are both part of the strategy

Management flexibility is one of the C9350’s most important differences from older Cisco product divisions.

The switch runs Cisco IOS XE, but organisations can manage supported configurations through the Cisco Meraki Dashboard. Cisco also supports on-premises administration through Catalyst Center.

The Meraki option has two concepts that should not be confused.

With cloud configuration, the Meraki cloud becomes the authoritative configuration source. Administrators configure and manage the switch primarily through Dashboard, with cloud-based CLI access available for supported troubleshooting functions.

With device configuration, IOS XE remains locally configurable while the Meraki Dashboard supplies central visibility, monitoring and troubleshooting. Cisco expanded C9350 support for this model in March 2026.

That distinction gives organisations more choice than treating “Catalyst” and “Meraki” as completely separate hardware worlds.

A team comfortable with IOS XE can retain device-driven configuration, while another deployment may favour a more cloud-centric Dashboard workflow.

Licensing still needs careful planning

Unified hardware does not mean licensing has disappeared.

Cisco’s C9350 ordering documentation provides Essentials and Advantage licensing levels. It also distinguishes Cisco Networking Subscription licensing from Meraki Classic licensing for relevant deployment models.

The exact subscription and feature requirements can therefore depend on how the organisation plans to manage the switch and which advanced capabilities it needs.

This is an area where IT teams should finalise their management architecture before ordering hardware.

Moving between cloud and locally managed models is technologically possible, but licensing, supported IOS XE releases and feature availability remain part of that decision.

Security extends to post-quantum cryptography

Cisco places considerable emphasis on security in the C9350 architecture.

The platform includes support for post-quantum cryptography algorithms, hardware-rooted trust, Secure Boot, image signing and runtime integrity mechanisms. Cisco is positioning those capabilities as preparation for future cryptographic threats rather than claiming that quantum attacks are an everyday threat to current campus switches.

Cisco also lists support for technologies including MACsec-256, IPsec and WAN-MACsec within the broader C9350 platform capabilities.

Security still depends on configuration and operations.

Buying hardware that supports zero-trust networking, encryption or policy enforcement does not automatically create a zero-trust network. Identity infrastructure, segmentation policies, software maintenance and operational controls remain necessary.

C9350 can host applications on the switch

Another enterprise feature is local application hosting.

Cisco lists up to 8GB of DRAM and four virtual CPU cores for app-hosting workloads, alongside SSD storage reaching 240GB.

IOS XE also supports model-driven programmability using technologies including YANG, NETCONF and RESTCONF, together with streaming telemetry.

This gives organisations the option to run selected network applications closer to the edge instead of treating the switch purely as a device that forwards Ethernet frames.

That capability will matter more to network engineering and automation teams than to organisations deploying a straightforward access network.

Cisco C9350 Series model guide

Model family	Access connectivity	PoE	Typical role
C9350-24HX	24 × up to 10G multigigabit copper	Up to 90W UPOE+	High-performance access
C9350-48HX	48 × up to 10G multigigabit copper	Up to 90W UPOE+	Dense Wi-Fi 7 / campus access
C9350-48HXN	36 × up to 5G + 12 × up to 10G	Up to 90W UPOE+	Tiered high-density access
C9350-48HM	48 × up to 2.5G multigigabit	Up to 90W UPOE+	Wireless and smart-building access
C9350-24P / 48P	24 or 48 × 1G copper	Up to 30W PoE+	Conventional PoE access
C9350-24U / 48U	24 or 48 × 1G copper	Up to 60W UPOE	Higher-power 1G access
C9350-24T / 48T	24 or 48 × 1G copper	No	Wired access without PoE
C9350-48TX	48 × up to 10G multigigabit	No	High-speed data-only access
C9350-12Y / 24Y	12 or 24 × up to 25G SFP28	No copper PoE	Fibre aggregation / distribution
C9350-24S / 48S	24 or 48 × 1G SFP	No copper PoE	Fibre access

Cisco’s current data sheet contains additional configuration detail, so buyers should match the exact PID to their port, power and uplink requirements rather than treating “C9350” as one specification.

Who are Cisco C9350 Series switches for?

The strongest use case is a medium-to-large enterprise campus that expects its wired access network to carry increasingly demanding wireless, security, building and computing workloads.

The 10Gbps multigigabit models make particular sense where Wi-Fi 7 access points or other high-throughput endpoints can exceed conventional Gigabit Ethernet.

High-power PoE variants also suit buildings where Ethernet supplies both connectivity and power to access points, cameras, sensors and automation systems.

Meanwhile, the 1Gbps models allow an organisation to remain on the same broader platform without paying for multigigabit connectivity at every desk.

C9350 is less appropriate for a small office simply looking for a basic managed 24-port switch. Its stacking, modular uplinks, advanced routing, enterprise security, licensing and management architecture target substantially more complex networks.

What businesses should check before specifying C9350

The first decision should be the exact model, not simply whether to purchase a C9350.

A network architect needs to determine how many endpoints require 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps or 10Gbps connectivity. PoE requirements should then be calculated per device and across the entire switch.

The uplink module is another separate decision. A 48-port high-speed access switch can become constrained if its upstream design cannot handle the aggregated traffic.

Management also needs to be planned in advance. Meraki Dashboard cloud configuration, device-driven IOS XE management and Catalyst Center represent different operational approaches even though Cisco is increasingly placing them on common hardware.

Finally, organisations should verify the required licence tier and current IOS XE feature support. Cisco continues to expand C9350 capabilities through software releases, which means the feature available on a current switch can depend on its firmware and selected management mode.

The C9350 Series is therefore notable less because of any single 10Gbps or PoE specification and more because Cisco has combined Silicon One hardware, Catalyst-class IOS XE capabilities and Meraki-style cloud management within the same enterprise switching family.