Cisco WS-C3850-48U-E | Catalyst 3850 48-Port Gigabit UPOE Switch, 800W, IP Services

Q: What network modules are compatible with the WS-C3850-48U-E?
A: The WS-C3850-48U-E supports three modular uplink options: C3850-NM-4-1G (4x 1G SFP), C3850-NM-2-10G (2x 10G SFP+ / 4x 1G SFP), and C3850-NM-4-10G (4x 10G SFP+). The network module slot allows flexible uplink configuration based on deployment requirements. Modules are sold separately and are hot-swappable.

Q: What is the difference between UPOE and standard PoE+?
A: UPOE (Universal Power over Ethernet) delivers up to 60W per port using all four pairs of the Ethernet cable, compared to PoE+ which provides up to 30W. This enables the WS-C3850-48U-E to power high-performance devices such as PTZ cameras, video conferencing endpoints, and 802.11ac Wave 2 access points that require more than 30W.

Q: Does the IP Services license come pre-installed on this model?
A: Yes, the WS-C3850-48U-E includes the IP Services feature set pre-installed, providing advanced Layer 3 capabilities including VRF-Lite, Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), full IPv6 routing, Policy-Based Routing (PBR), and wireless controller functionality. No additional license purchase is required.

Q: Can this switch be stacked with other Catalyst 3850 models?
A: Yes, the WS-C3850-48U-E supports StackWise-480 technology and can be stacked with other Catalyst 3850 Series switches. Up to 9 switches can be stacked together with 480 Gbps of stack bandwidth, managed as a single logical unit. StackWise cables are sold separately.

Q: How many wireless access points can this switch support?
A: Each WS-C3850-48U-E switch can support up to 100 access points and 2,000 wireless clients when operating as a wireless controller (in either Mobility Agent or Mobility Controller mode). The switch provides 40 Gbps of wireless throughput capacity, and this scales with additional stack members.