Cisco WS-C3850-48P-L | Catalyst 3850 48-Port Gigabit PoE+ Switch, 435W, LAN Base

Q: What is the PoE power budget for the WS-C3850-48P-L?
A: The WS-C3850-48P-L provides 435W PoE+ budget with the default 715W AC power supply. This can be expanded to 1535W total PoE capacity by adding an optional 1100W secondary power supply for high-density PoE deployments.

Q: Which network modules are compatible with this switch?
A: The WS-C3850-48P-L supports three optional network modules: C3850-NM-4-1G (4x 1G SFP), C3850-NM-2-10G (2x 1G SFP + 2x 10G SFP+), and C3850-NM-4-10G (4x 10G SFP+). The switch ships without a network module and requires either a module or blank panel installed.

Q: What is the difference between LAN Base and IP Services feature sets?
A: LAN Base provides Layer 2 switching, basic Layer 3 routing (static routes and RIP), VLANs, QoS, security ACLs, and SPAN capabilities suitable for most enterprise access deployments. IP Services adds advanced routing protocols (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP), VRF-lite, and multicast routing. Upgrades require a Cisco Smart Net contract and appropriate licensing.

Q: Can the WS-C3850-48P-L be stacked with other Catalyst 3850 switches?
A: Yes, up to 9 Catalyst 3850 switches can be stacked using StackWise-480 technology, providing 480 Gbps of stack bandwidth and a single management plane. StackWise-480 cables must be purchased separately. StackPower technology also enables power redundancy across stack members.

Q: Does this switch support wireless controller functionality?
A: Yes, the Catalyst 3850 series features an integrated wireless controller supporting up to 100 access points and 2,000 wireless clients per switching entity or stack. This provides seamless wired and wireless convergence with unified policy enforcement through the Unified Access Data Plane ASIC.