C1300-24P-4G Cisco Catalyst 24-Port Managed Rack-Mountable Network Switch

Product Category Overview

The **Catalyst C1300-24P-4G** sits in the Cisco Catalyst 1300 family, a line engineered for **branch offices and small-to-medium business networks** where cost, simplicity, and enterprise-grade features must coexist. These switches provide a balance of **performance, security, and cloud-enabled management**, making them suitable as access-layer devices in small racks or wiring closets.

Key Hardware Characteristics

Port Configuration and Uplinks

This model offers **24 Gigabit Ethernet ports with PoE+ capability** and **4 SFP Gigabit uplink ports**, enabling flexible fiber or copper uplink choices and straightforward integration into existing aggregation layers.

Power over Ethernet Budget

With a **PoE budget of approximately 195W**, the C1300-24P-4G supports powering IP phones, wireless access points, and other edge devices without separate power injectors, simplifying deployments and cabling in branch environments.

Form Factor and Deployment

Rack Mount and Physical Design

The switch is **rack-mountable** and compact, designed to fit standard 19-inch racks in branch offices. Its chassis and cooling are optimized for continuous operation in small network closets while keeping noise and power consumption reasonable for office environments.

Target Use Cases

Common deployments include **branch office access layer**, **small campus edge**, **retail and hospitality networks**, and **managed service provider edge** installations where centralized management and PoE are required for endpoint devices.

Software and Management

Management Options

The Catalyst 1300 series is manageable through **Cisco Business Dashboard** and the **Cisco Business mobile app**, offering simplified provisioning, monitoring, and firmware management for IT teams with limited on-site resources.

Layer 2 and Layer 3 Features

As a managed switch, the C1300 supports essential **Layer 2 features** such as VLANs, link aggregation, STP variants, and QoS, plus **basic Layer 3 routing** capabilities suitable for small networks that require inter-VLAN routing and static or limited dynamic routing.

Security and Access Control

Built-in security features include **802.1X authentication**, **ACLs**, and port-level controls to segment traffic and protect sensitive resources at the access layer. These features help enforce policy and reduce lateral movement risks in branch environments.

Performance and Reliability

Throughput and Switching Capacity

While optimized for branch use rather than high-density data center switching, the C1300 provides **wire-speed forwarding on all ports** for typical SMB traffic patterns, with hardware acceleration for common switching tasks and QoS handling for voice and video traffic.

Redundancy and Resilience

Resilience features include **redundant uplink options via SFP**, rapid spanning tree support, and link aggregation to maintain connectivity during single-link failures. These capabilities reduce downtime and support predictable failover behavior in small networks.

Integration and Ecosystem

Compatibility with Cisco Solutions

The C1300 integrates with Cisco’s broader portfolio, enabling **centralized visibility and policy enforcement** when used alongside Cisco access points, routers, and cloud management tools. This makes it a practical choice for organizations standardizing on Cisco technologies.

Third-Party and Migration Considerations

For organizations migrating from other vendors, the C1300’s standard protocols and SFP uplinks ease interoperability. Planning should include PoE budget calculations, VLAN and IP addressing alignment, and firmware compatibility checks to ensure a smooth transition.