C1300-48P-4X Cisco Catalyst 1300-48P-4X 10 Gigabit SFP+ 48 Ports Managed Switch

Core Architecture and Hardware Feature

At its physical core, the Cisco Catalyst C1300-48P-4X is built for density and performance in a 1RU rack-mountable form factor. Its hardware design prioritizes durability, efficient heat dissipation, and serviceability, making it suitable for deployment in wiring closets, server rooms, and branch offices.

Port Configuration and Capabilities

The port configuration of this switch is its defining characteristic, engineered to maximize connectivity options for diverse devices.

48 Copper Gigabit Ethernet Ports with PoE+

The forty-eight 10/100/1000BASE-T ports provide ubiquitous connectivity for a vast array of devices, from desktop computers and IP phones to wireless access points and surveillance cameras. The inclusion of full PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at) support on all 48 ports is a transformative feature. With a total PoE budget of 740 watts, the switch can deliver up to 30 watts per port, powering devices like advanced Cisco Aironet access points, multi-line video phones, and pan-tilt-zoom cameras directly over the Ethernet cable. This eliminates the need for separate power supplies at endpoint locations, simplifying installation, reducing costs, and enhancing deployment flexibility.

4 x 1G SFP Uplink Ports

Beyond the copper interfaces, the switch is equipped with four 1 Gigabit Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) uplink ports. These fiber-optic capable ports are crucial for creating high-speed, low-latency, and long-distance connections to network aggregation or core switches. They prevent uplink bottlenecks that can occur when aggregating traffic from 48 high-speed devices. Network administrators can choose from a wide variety of Cisco SFP modules (e.g., 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX, 1000BASE-T) to tailor the uplink media—whether multi-mode fiber, single-mode fiber, or copper—to the specific distance and cabling requirements of their network topology.

Performance and Switching Capacity

The C1300-48P-4X is built on a non-blocking switching architecture. It offers a forwarding rate of up to 101 Mpps (million packets per second) and a switching capacity of 104 Gbps. This ensures that even under full load across all ports, the switch can handle traffic without internal congestion, maintaining wire-speed performance for data-intensive applications, real-time communications, and multicast video streams. The hardware is optimized for low latency, which is essential for latency-sensitive applications like voice over IP (VoIP) and interactive video conferencing.

Advanced Managed Switching Features and Network Control

As a fully managed Layer 3 switch, the Catalyst C1300-48P-4X provides granular control over network traffic, performance, and policies, far exceeding the capabilities of unmanaged or smart switches.

Layer 3 Routing Capabilities

This switch supports static routing and RIP (Routing Information Protocol), enabling basic inter-VLAN routing. This means it can route traffic between different IP subnets and VLANs directly at the access layer, offloading this task from core routers and improving local network efficiency. For example, traffic between the "Guest" VLAN and the "Corporate" VLAN can be securely controlled and routed on the switch itself, reducing network hops and improving performance for local communications.

Quality of Service (QoS) for Traffic Prioritization

In a converged network carrying data, voice, and video, QoS is paramount. The C1300-48P-4X offers sophisticated QoS features, including classification, marking, policing, and queuing based on IEEE 802.1p (CoS) and DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) values. Administrators can guarantee bandwidth for critical applications, ensuring that VoIP calls remain crystal clear and video conferences are smooth, even when the network is congested with large file transfers or backups.

Virtual LAN (VLAN) Support and Management

The switch supports IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging and can handle up to 1005 VLANs. VLANs are essential for segmenting network traffic logically, enhancing security by isolating sensitive departments (e.g., Finance, HR), and improving performance by containing broadcast domains. Features like Voice VLAN allow for the automatic configuration and prioritization of IP phone traffic, simplifying deployment and management of unified communications systems.

Comprehensive Security and Threat Mitigation

Network security is multi-layered, and the Catalyst C1300-48P-4X provides a strong first line of defense at the access edge, where devices connect to the network.

Port Security and Access Control

The switch offers robust port security features, including the ability to limit the number of learned MAC addresses per port and specify static secure MAC addresses. This helps prevent unauthorized devices from connecting to the network. When integrated with Cisco Identity-Based Networking Services (IBNS) and 802.1X authentication, it enables dynamic, policy-based access control. Devices and users must authenticate before being granted network access, and they can be automatically placed into appropriate VLANs with specific access policies.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Storm Control

Standard and extended IP ACLs allow administrators to filter traffic based on source/destination IP address, protocol, and port number, providing fine-grained control over what traffic is permitted or denied. Storm control features protect the switch from being overwhelmed by broadcast, multicast, or unicast traffic storms that can arise from misconfigurations or malicious attacks, ensuring network stability.

Device Hardening and Management Security

The switch supports secure management protocols like SSH (v2) and SNMPv3, which encrypt credentials and data during administrative sessions. Features like DHCP snooping help prevent rogue DHCP server attacks, while IP Source Guard helps prevent IP address spoofing. These layered security measures ensure both the control plane and data plane of the switch are protected.

Simplified Management and Automation

Cisco understands that manageability is key for IT teams with limited resources. The C1300-48P-4X offers multiple intuitive pathways for deployment, monitoring, and maintenance.

Cisco DNA Center and Network Plug and Play

The switch is fully compatible with Cisco DNA Center, Cisco's intent-based networking controller. Through DNA Center, this switch can be provisioned, configured, and monitored as part of a holistic network policy across thousands of devices. For simpler deployments, Cisco Network Plug and Play allows for zero-touch provisioning; the switch can automatically connect to Cisco DNA Center or a designated server to download its configuration upon being connected to the network, dramatically reducing deployment time for multiple sites.

Web UI and CLI Management

For day-to-day management, administrators can choose between a user-friendly web-based graphical interface (GUI) or the powerful command-line interface (CLI). The GUI provides visual dashboards for health monitoring, port status, PoE allocation, and easy configuration wizards. The Cisco IOS CLI offers deep, scriptable control for experienced network engineers, enabling precise configuration and automation through templates and scripts.

Ideal Deployment Scenarios and Use Cases

The specific combination of 48 PoE+ ports and 4 SFP uplinks makes the Cisco Catalyst C1300-48P-4X exceptionally versatile, fitting perfectly into several common and demanding network environments.

Medium-Sized Business Core and Enterprise Branch Offices

For medium-sized businesses, this switch can serve as the core network switch, connecting all end-user devices, servers, and uplinks to the internet or WAN. In larger enterprise branch offices, it acts as the high-density access layer switch, providing connectivity for dozens of employees while using its fiber uplinks to connect back to the corporate data center or headquarters.

High-Density Wireless and IoT Deployments

The substantial PoE budget makes it an ideal choice for powering a dense deployment of wireless access points (e.g., in offices, schools, or hospitals) to ensure blanket Wi-Fi coverage. Simultaneously, it can power a multitude of IoT devices such as security cameras, access control systems, digital signage, and building management sensors, converging data and power onto a single, manageable infrastructure.

Unified Communications and Collaboration Hubs

In environments heavily reliant on Cisco Unified Communications or other VoIP and video collaboration solutions, this switch provides the necessary PoE for IP phones and video units, while its advanced QoS guarantees prioritize real-time voice and video traffic, ensuring high-quality, jitter-free communications.