Meraki MS350-24X-HW | Meraki MS350 24-Port mGig UPoE Switch, 740W, 4x 10G SFP+

Q: What is the difference between the standard Gigabit ports and multigigabit ports on this switch?
A: The MS350-24X-HW features 16 standard Gigabit Ethernet ports (10/100/1000) and 8 multigigabit NBASE-T ports that auto-negotiate at 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G speeds. The multigigabit ports support UPoE (up to 60W per port) and are ideal for connecting high-performance Wi-Fi 6/6E access points, surveillance cameras, and other bandwidth-intensive devices. For optimal multigigabit performance at 5G and 10G speeds, Cat6a cabling is recommended to mitigate crosstalk.

Q: Can this switch be physically stacked, and what are the benefits?
A: Yes, the MS350-24X supports physical stacking of up to 8 units using dedicated 40G stacking cables (sold separately: MA-CBL-40G-50CM, MA-CBL-40G-1M, MA-CBL-40G-3M), providing 160 Gbps of stacking bandwidth. Physical stacking delivers enhanced resiliency, unified management, and increased throughput for high-density environments. The switch also supports virtual stacking, allowing thousands of ports across multiple sites to be managed as a single logical entity through the Meraki Dashboard.

Q: What PoE standards does the MS350-24X-HW support and how is power allocated?
A: The MS350-24X-HW supports 802.3af PoE (15.4W), 802.3at PoE+ (30W), and UPoE (60W per port) across all 24 ports with a total budget of 740W using a single power supply or 1440W with dual power supplies in combined power mode. Power allocation is intelligent and based on device advertisement via LLDP, ensuring efficient distribution. The multigigabit ports support the full 60W UPoE specification, making them perfect for powering high-performance access points and PTZ cameras.

Q: Does this switch require a license to operate, and what management features are included?
A: Yes, a Meraki Enterprise License is required to access the cloud-based Meraki Dashboard and enable full functionality. The license provides centralized cloud management, zero-touch provisioning, real-time monitoring and alerts, remote troubleshooting tools including cable testing and packet capture, per-port and per-client usage statistics, automated firmware updates, and Layer 3 routing capabilities. The intuitive browser-based dashboard enables network-wide visibility and configuration from anywhere.

Q: What Layer 3 routing capabilities does the MS350-24X offer?
A: The MS350-24X provides full Layer 3 functionality including static routing, OSPF dynamic routing, DHCP server and relay, VRRP for redundancy, and support for both IPv4 and IPv6. It can handle inter-VLAN routing, reducing the need for external routers in many campus and enterprise deployments. With 512,000 MAC address table entries and non-blocking 272 Gbps switching capacity, the switch delivers wire-speed performance for converged voice, video, and data traffic.