Cisco Catalyst C9300-48U-A — 48× 1G UPOE (60W/port) access with modular uplinks (Network Advantage)

What it is: A stackable, enterprise Layer-3 Catalyst 9300 with 48 × 10/100/1000 RJ-45 access ports delivering Cisco UPOE up to 60W per port, plus a modular uplink bay so you can choose uplink speeds now and swap later. Runs IOS-XE and ships with the Network Advantage (-A) license for advanced routing/segmentation. Dual hot-swap PSUs and field-replaceable fans make it a serious, service-friendly access switch.

Why buyers pick C9300-48U-A (plain English)

• Power-hungry edge devices, handled: UPOE (60W/port) supports Wi-Fi 6/6E APs, PTZ cameras with heaters, thin clients, building/IoT gear, and digital signage.

• Uplink freedom without forklift upgrades: pick the network module you need today (1G/10G/25G/40G options) and upgrade later.

• Stacks like a beast: StackWise-480 lets up to 8 switches act like one with fast failover.

• Advanced campus features included: Network Advantage gives richer L3 routing, policy, and SD-Access readiness.

• Closet uptime: hot-swap PSUs/fans plus Perpetual/Fast PoE keep endpoints alive through reloads.

60-second spec box (C9300-48U-A)

Access ports

• 48 × 10/100/1000 RJ-45

• Cisco UPOE up to 60W/port (backward compatible with PoE/PoE+ devices)

Uplinks (modular bay — order one network module)
Common choices in the 9300 ecosystem:

• 4 × 1G SFP module

• 4 × 10G SFP+ module

• 8 × 10G SFP+ module

• 2 × 40G QSFP module
  (Other module variants exist depending on region/bundle.)

Power / PoE

• Two PSU bays, supports 1+1 redundancy

• System PoE budget scales with PSU choice; typical max available PoE is ~800W-class when properly powered

• Perpetual/Fast PoE supported

Stacking / HA

• StackWise-480 (up to 480 Gbps stack bandwidth)

• Up to 8 members per stack

• StackPower for pooled/redistributed power across stack members

Switching / performance (model typical)

• Switching capacity ~256 Gbps

• Forwarding rate ~190 Mpps

Software / features (Network Advantage)

• Advanced L3: OSPF/EIGRP/BGP use cases, PBR, VRF-lite

• Security/segmentation: 802.1X/MAB, TrustSec hooks/SGTs, DHCP snooping, DAI, ACLs, MACsec support where equipped

• Ops/telemetry: WebUI/CLI, model-driven telemetry, NetFlow/Flexible NetFlow, Catalyst Center ready

Hardware serviceability

• Hot-swap PSUs (AC/DC options by region)

• Hot-swap/FRU fans

Form factor

• 1U rack-mount, wiring-closet friendly acoustics

What to order with it (common adds)

• Uplink module that matches your core (4G / 4X / 8X / 2Q, etc.)

• SFP/SFP+/QSFP optics or DAC/AOC cables

• Second PSU for redundancy and/or higher UPOE PoE headroom

• DNA subscriptions if you’re doing SD-Access or centralized automation

Where it fits (and when to choose something else)

• Perfect for: campus/branch access layers with high-draw endpoints and a need for flexible uplink speeds.

• Pick C9300-48P if standard PoE+ (30W/port) is enough.

• Pick C9300 mGig models (24UX/48UXM) if you need 2.5/5/10G copper downlinks for ultra-fast APs.

TL;DR

C9300-48U-A is the power-rich enterprise access workhorse: 48× UPOE (60W/port), modular uplinks up to 40G, StackWise-480, StackPower, and hot-swap PSUs/fans with Network Advantage features—built for closets that need serious power today and upgrade headroom tomorrow.