IE-3400H-24FT-E Cisco Catalyst IE3400 24-Port M12 Wall Mountable Switch

Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E Managed Network Switch Overview

The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E is a robust industrial-grade managed network switch, designed for high-performance connectivity in demanding environments. This wall-mountable switch provides 24 Fast Ethernet ports with M12 connectors, ensuring reliable network operation for industrial and enterprise applications.

Key Specifications

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Model: IE-3400H-24FT-E
• Device Type: Managed Switch
• Ports: 24 x 10/100 Fast Ethernet
• Form Factor: Wall-mountable

Performance & Capacity

• MAC Address Table: 8K entries for extensive network device support
• VLAN IDs Supported: 256 for flexible network segmentation
• Spanning Tree Instances: 128 | Queues: 8 | IGMP Groups: 1000
• Access Control Lists (ACLs): 1500 for enhanced security

Routing & Protocol Support

• IGMPv2, IGMPv3, and standard IGMP for multicast management
• STP, RSTP, MSTP for network loop prevention and redundancy
• Support for DHCP, BOOTP, ARP, and advanced network routing protocols

Remote Management Capabilities

• SNMP v1, v2, v3 for monitoring and management
• Telnet, SSH, SCP, HTTP, TFTP for versatile administration
• NTP support for precise network time synchronization

Advanced Features

• Quality of Service (QoS) for traffic prioritization
• DHCP server and relay, DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI)
• Spanning Tree Protocol variations: PVST+, STP
• Uni-Directional Link Detection (UDLD) and Resilient Ethernet Protocol (REP)
• Storm Control: Broadcast, Multicast, and Unicast
• Security: 802.1x authentication, Port Security, IP Source Guard
• Multicast Management: IGMP Snooping, Querier, Filtering
• VLAN Support: Voice VLAN, Guest VLAN, VTP v2 & v3
• Additional Protocols: LLDP, LACP, CIP Sync, ICMP, UDP
• Fanless design for quiet operation in industrial environments

Compliance & Standards

• IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3z, 802.3ab, 802.3x, 802.3ad (LACP)
• IEEE 802.1D, 802.1Q, 802.1p, 802.1w, 802.1s, 802.1x, 802.1ab (LLDP)
• IEEE 1588v2 (Precision Time Protocol)
• Industrial networking standards compliance ensures interoperability

Physical Dimensions & Weight

• Dimensions: 7.9 in (W) x 3.1 in (D) x 9.6 in (H)
• Weight: 8.44 lbs – compact and easy to install on walls

Industrial Ethernet Switch Category Overview and Positioning

The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E Catalyst IE3400 24-Port M12 Interface Wall Mountable Managed Network Switch belongs to the advanced category of industrial Ethernet switches designed for harsh, mission-critical environments. This category focuses on delivering highly reliable, secure, and deterministic network connectivity for industrial automation, transportation systems, utilities, energy infrastructure, and smart city deployments. Unlike conventional enterprise switches, industrial Ethernet switches in this category are engineered to operate under extreme temperatures, vibration, humidity, dust, and electrical noise while maintaining consistent performance and network stability. The IE-3400H series reflects Cisco’s commitment to converged IT and OT networking, allowing industrial operators to deploy scalable Ethernet architectures that support real-time data, control traffic, and enterprise-level applications on a unified network platform.

This category emphasizes ruggedized hardware construction, long lifecycle support, and comprehensive management features that meet industrial compliance standards. The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E model is particularly aligned with environments that require sealed M12 connectors, wall-mountable form factors, and fiber connectivity for extended distances and electromagnetic immunity. As part of the Catalyst industrial switching portfolio, this category integrates seamlessly with Cisco IOS XE software, enabling consistent configuration, monitoring, and security policies across both enterprise and industrial networks.

Industrial-Grade Hardware Architecture and Design Philosophy

Industrial Ethernet switches within this category are built around a hardened hardware architecture that prioritizes durability, reliability, and long-term operational continuity. The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E exemplifies this approach through its robust metal enclosure, fanless thermal design, and wall-mountable form factor optimized for industrial cabinets, control panels, and roadside enclosures. This category is designed to withstand extreme operating temperatures, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor industrial deployments where environmental control may be limited or nonexistent.

The use of M12 connectors is a defining characteristic of this subcategory, addressing the need for vibration-resistant, sealed connections in transportation, manufacturing, and utility environments. Fiber-based M12 interfaces further enhance resilience by providing immunity to electromagnetic interference and supporting long-distance communication between distributed industrial assets. The overall design philosophy prioritizes predictable performance and minimal maintenance, ensuring continuous network availability for industrial processes that cannot tolerate downtime.

Wall-Mountable Form Factor for Space-Constrained Installations

The wall-mountable design featured in this category enables flexible installation in space-constrained industrial settings. Unlike rack-mounted enterprise switches, wall-mounted industrial switches can be installed closer to field devices, reducing cabling complexity and signal degradation. This design supports decentralized network architectures commonly used in factory floors, substations, traffic control cabinets, and remote industrial enclosures.

The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E aligns with this requirement by offering a compact yet powerful platform that integrates high port density with rugged construction. This approach allows organizations to extend Ethernet connectivity directly to the edge of industrial operations, supporting real-time data acquisition, control systems, and edge computing applications.

Managed Switching Capabilities for Industrial Networks

This category of managed industrial Ethernet switches provides advanced Layer 2 and Layer 3 features essential for building scalable and resilient industrial networks. The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E supports sophisticated traffic management, segmentation, and redundancy mechanisms that ensure deterministic communication for industrial protocols. Managed switching capabilities allow network administrators to configure VLANs, prioritize critical traffic, and implement redundancy protocols that minimize network convergence time during failures.

Industrial networks often carry a mix of real-time control traffic, video streams, sensor data, and enterprise communications. This category is designed to handle such diverse workloads by enabling granular Quality of Service policies and traffic classification. The integration of Cisco IOS XE software ensures consistent feature parity with enterprise Catalyst switches while incorporating industrial-specific enhancements.

Layer 2 and Layer 3 Feature Integration

Switches in this category support comprehensive Layer 2 features such as advanced VLAN tagging, spanning tree enhancements, and link aggregation, which are essential for industrial network segmentation and redundancy. Layer 3 capabilities further enable routing between industrial cells, zones, and enterprise networks, reducing the need for external routing devices and simplifying network architectures.

The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E is designed to support these capabilities in a way that aligns with industrial deployment models. This allows organizations to implement hierarchical network designs that scale from individual machines to entire plants and geographically distributed sites, all while maintaining consistent policy enforcement and operational visibility.

Security-Centric Design for Industrial Environments

Security is a foundational element of this category, as industrial networks increasingly face cyber threats that can disrupt critical infrastructure and operational processes. Industrial Ethernet switches such as the Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E are designed with built-in security features that protect network integrity, device access, and data flows. This category emphasizes defense-in-depth strategies, enabling secure segmentation, authentication, and monitoring directly at the network edge.

By integrating with Cisco’s broader security ecosystem, these switches allow industrial operators to extend enterprise-grade security policies into OT environments. This convergence helps reduce risk, improve compliance, and simplify security management across heterogeneous networks.

Secure Segmentation and Access Control

Secure segmentation is a critical capability within this category, allowing organizations to isolate industrial devices, applications, and user groups. This approach minimizes the attack surface and limits the lateral movement of threats within the network. Managed industrial switches enable granular access control policies that ensure only authorized devices and users can communicate across defined network segments.

The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E supports these principles by offering robust access control mechanisms and integration with centralized authentication services. This ensures that industrial networks can meet modern cybersecurity requirements without compromising operational performance or reliability.

High Availability and Network Resilience Features

Industrial operations demand continuous network availability, making high availability a core requirement of this category. Industrial Ethernet switches are designed to support rapid failover, redundancy, and self-healing network topologies. The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E supports advanced resiliency features that help maintain connectivity even in the presence of link failures, power disruptions, or device faults.

This category emphasizes fast convergence times and deterministic behavior, ensuring that critical industrial traffic continues to flow with minimal disruption. Such capabilities are essential for applications such as process automation, transportation signaling, and energy distribution, where network interruptions can have significant safety and financial implications.

Redundancy Protocols and Deterministic Performance

Redundancy mechanisms such as enhanced spanning tree technologies and industrial ring protocols are central to this category. These features enable network topologies that can automatically reroute traffic around failures within milliseconds, preserving operational continuity. Deterministic performance ensures that latency and jitter remain within acceptable bounds for time-sensitive industrial applications.

The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E is designed to support these requirements through its robust switching architecture and software capabilities. This allows industrial networks to achieve carrier-grade reliability while maintaining the flexibility of Ethernet-based communication.

Integration with Industrial Protocols and Applications

Industrial Ethernet switches in this category are optimized to support a wide range of industrial protocols and applications. From manufacturing automation to intelligent transportation systems, these switches provide the bandwidth, reliability, and prioritization required for modern industrial communication. The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E is well suited for environments where industrial protocols coexist with IP-based applications, enabling seamless data exchange between operational systems and enterprise platforms.

This category supports the convergence of operational technology and information technology, allowing organizations to leverage real-time operational data for analytics, optimization, and predictive maintenance. The ability to handle both legacy and modern communication requirements makes this category a cornerstone of digital transformation initiatives in industrial sectors.

Support for Time-Sensitive and Mission-Critical Traffic

Time-sensitive networking requirements are increasingly important in industrial environments where precise synchronization and low latency are essential. Switches in this category are designed to prioritize mission-critical traffic and ensure predictable delivery. This capability supports applications such as motion control, video surveillance, and safety systems that rely on consistent network performance.

The Cisco IE-3400H-24FT-E aligns with these requirements by offering advanced traffic management features that ensure critical data is delivered reliably, even under heavy network load. This makes the category suitable for high-performance industrial deployments that demand both scalability and precision.