Three Catalyst 9000 switch families cover most campus designs, and the choice between them is usually settled by where the switch sits in the network rather than by port count. This page compares the 9200, 9300 and 9500 on the points that decide a purchase: stacking bandwidth, uplink options, PoE availability and licensing.
Everything below describes platform capability as published in Cisco’s data sheets. It is not a description of any particular unit. A used switch has whatever supplies, modules, licences and software a previous owner left on it, and what is actually available is confirmed when we quote — see what a quote confirms.
Where each family sits
| Catalyst 9200 / 9200L | Access layer. Wiring closets and branch sites where the job is to get endpoints onto the network and power them. |
|---|---|
| Catalyst 9300 / 9300X / 9300L | Access and aggregation. The same access role, but with more stacking bandwidth, modular uplinks and higher PoE ceilings. |
| Catalyst 9500 / 9500X | Aggregation and core. Fixed-configuration 10/25/40/100G (and 200/400G on the 9500X) with redundant supplies and fans. |
Stacking — the clearest dividing line
Stacking bandwidth is where the families separate most sharply. Cisco publishes the following, with a maximum of eight members in every case:
- Catalyst 9200L — StackWise-80, 80 Gbps.
- Catalyst 9200 — StackWise-160, 160 Gbps.
- Catalyst 9300L — StackWise-320, 320 Gbps.
- Catalyst 9300 — StackWise-480, 480 Gbps.
- Catalyst 9300X — StackWise-1T, 1 Tbps.
The 9500 does not stack in the same sense. It uses StackWise Virtual, which pairs two chassis so they behave as one logical device — a redundancy and simplification mechanism rather than a way to add ports.
Stacking on a used switch depends on modules and cables that are frequently missing from a decommissioned unit. Tell us the stack size you need and we will confirm what the quoted units include.
Uplinks
The 9200L and 9300L have fixed uplinks; the 9200 and 9300 take field-replaceable network modules. That distinction matters more than it looks, because a fixed-uplink switch cannot be upgraded later.
- Catalyst 9200L — 4x 1G or 4x 1/10G fixed uplinks, depending on SKU.
- Catalyst 9300L — 4x 10G/1G fixed uplinks.
- Catalyst 9300 and 9300X modules — Cisco lists C9300X-NM-8Y (8x 25G/10G/1G), C9300X-NM-2C (2x 100G/40G) and C9300-NM-2Q (2x 40G), among others.
- Catalyst 9500 — uplinks are part of the fixed configuration: for example C9500-24Y4C at 24x 1/10/25G plus 4x 40/100G, and C9500-48Y4C at 48 ports plus 4x 40/100G.
Uplink modules and the transceivers that go in them are separate items, and both are commonly absent from used stock. Uplinks and optics covers how to specify them.
PoE
The 9200 and 9300 families carry PoE; the Catalyst 9500 data sheet does not list PoE at all, which is the point most often missed when someone tries to use a 9500 as a do-everything switch.
Published examples of available PoE power: the C9200-48P offers 740 W with the primary supply alone and 1440 W with a secondary supply fitted; the C9300-48H offers 1172 W and 1537 W depending on the secondary supply. The compact C9200CX models are listed at 240 W maximum.
The available budget therefore depends on which power supplies are fitted, not on the switch model alone — which is exactly the kind of thing that varies on a used unit. PoE on Cisco switches goes through PoE, PoE+, UPOE and UPOE+ and how to size a budget.
Licensing
Cisco publishes perpetual Network Essentials and Network Advantage tiers alongside subscription Cisco DNA Essentials and Cisco DNA Advantage (offered on 3-, 5- and 7-year terms), with newer data sheets also naming unified Cisco Switching Essentials and Cisco Switching Advantage.
Licences are not hardware. A used switch may arrive running software at a tier nobody holds an entitlement for. We do not represent that any licence, subscription or support contract transfers with a quoted unit. TekBoost supplies the hardware. Cisco software licences and subscriptions are not included and are not sold by TekBoost, and must be obtained separately from Cisco or an authorised Cisco partner where a design requires them. We can report the software version present on a quoted unit; we cannot supply the entitlement to run it.
Lifecycle — check before you specify
Cisco publishes end-of-life milestones per product. The two that matter when buying used are End of Sale, after which the product “is no longer offered for sale”, and Last Date of Support, “the last date to receive support as entitled by active service contracts”. Cisco’s policy sets replacement parts and hardware TAC support at five years from End of Sale.
A platform past its Last Date of Support cannot be covered by a Cisco contract at any price. That is a design decision, not a price one, and it is worth checking against Cisco’s own end-of-life notices before you settle on a model. TekBoost’s own warranty is separate from all of this — see below.
What a quote confirms
Individual networking products are not listed on this site. Availability of any particular model is confirmed by quote rather than published here, so the fastest route is to request a quote. Our sales engineers will confirm, for the specific units offered: the exact SKU, the supplies and modules fitted, the PoE budget those supplies allow, the uplink module and whether transceivers are included, stacking hardware, the software version present, and condition.
What to tell us
- Model or part number — the exact SKU if you have it, or the layer and port count you need.
- Port count and speed — 24 or 48 ports, 1G, multigigabit or 25G.
- PoE — PoE, PoE+, UPOE or UPOE+, and the total power budget if known.
- Uplinks and optics — module type, and whether transceivers are needed.
- Stacking — how many units, and whether cables and modules are required.
- Licensing — which software tier your design needs, so the quote is not built around one you do not have. TekBoost supplies the hardware only — see below.
- Quantity — and whether it is a one-off or a repeat requirement.
- Compatibility — what this has to work alongside.
Put the technical detail in the Quote Details field and the volume in Estimated Quantity.
See all ranges on the networking hub, or the Catalyst 9000 Series overview. Networking equipment bought through a TekBoost quote carries our standard 3-year warranty — buying by quote rather than from an online listing makes no difference to cover — subject to the terms, exclusions and conditions on that page. Manufacturer warranty, software licensing and support entitlements are separate and are not included.