Cisco C8300-1N1S-4T2X — Catalyst 8300 1RU Edge Platform with 4× 1G and 2× 10G Ports
What it is
C8300-1N1S-4T2X is a Cisco Catalyst 8300 Series Edge Platform built for branch routing, SD-WAN, secure WAN edge, and high-performance enterprise connectivity.
It is a 1RU modular router with 4 × 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 2 × 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 1 × Service Module (SM) slot, 1 × Network Interface Module (NIM) slot, and a dedicated PIM slot for cellular connectivity. It ships with 8 GB DRAM and 16 GB M.2 storage as standard.
Why buyers pick C8300-1N1S-4T2X (plain English)
Built-in 10G WAN: Two native 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces make it a strong choice for higher-bandwidth branch and WAN deployments.
Plenty of expansion: The combination of 1 SM slot, 1 NIM slot, and 1 PIM slot lets you add switching, WAN, voice, cellular, or other interface options as requirements change.
Strong SD-WAN performance: Cisco rates the platform for up to 17 Gbps SD-WAN IPsec throughput with large-packet traffic.
Serious routing horsepower: In autonomous routing mode, IPv4 forwarding can reach up to 19.7 Gbps, making this much more capable than a traditional small branch router.
Security built into the platform: Designed to support integrated firewall, IPS, URL filtering, malware protection, IPsec VPN, and other Cisco secure edge services.
60-second spec box (C8300-1N1S-4T2X)
Built-in network ports
- 4 × 1 Gigabit Ethernet
- 2 × 10 Gigabit Ethernet
- Embedded Layer 3 Ethernet interfaces
Expansion slots
- 1 × Service Module (SM) slot
- 1 × Network Interface Module (NIM) slot
- 1 × PIM slot
- Supports optional switching, WAN, cellular, and other modules
Performance
- Up to 19.7 Gbps IPv4 forwarding
- Up to 16.9 Gbps IPsec throughput in autonomous mode
- Up to 17 Gbps SD-WAN IPsec throughput
- Up to 6.3 Gbps SD-WAN IPsec throughput with IMIX traffic
- Supports up to 6,000 SD-WAN overlay tunnels
Memory / storage
- 8 GB DRAM standard
- 16 GB M.2 storage standard
- Expandable memory/storage options depending on configuration
Routing / security
- Cisco IOS XE
- Cisco SD-WAN
- Traditional autonomous routing
- IPsec VPN
- NAT
- Firewall / NGFW capabilities
- IPS
- URL filtering
- Advanced routing and QoS
- 256-bit WAN MACsec support on 10G interfaces
Physical / power
- 1RU rack-mount chassis
- Approx. 1.73 × 17.50 × 16.25 in
- Approx. 20 lb with two AC power supplies and fan tray
- AC or DC power options
- Dual power supply support
- Operating temperature: 0°C to 40°C
Where it fits (and when to choose something else)
Perfect for:
- Large branch offices
- SD-WAN deployments
- Secure Internet edge
- High-bandwidth WAN connections
- MPLS replacement projects
- Sites needing modular WAN or switching expansion
- Enterprises moving from older ISR 4000 platforms
Choose something else if:
- You only need 1G WAN connectivity → consider C8300-1N1S-6T
- You need more module slots → choose C8300-2N2S-4T2X
- You only need a basic branch router → a smaller Catalyst 8200 may be more cost-effective
- You need a dedicated campus switch rather than WAN routing → look at Catalyst 9200 / 9300
- You need even higher edge throughput → consider higher-end Catalyst 8500 platforms
TL;DR
C8300-1N1S-4T2X is a high-performance 1RU Cisco enterprise edge router with 4× 1G ports, 2× 10G ports, SM/NIM/PIM expansion, SD-WAN, advanced security, and up to 19.7 Gbps IPv4 forwarding — designed for demanding branch and secure WAN edge deployments.
