Cisco Catalyst 3850 – WS-C3850-24XU

24 Multigigabit UPOE Ports + 4 × 1G SFP Uplinks

The Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU is one of the most powerful and versatile enterprise access switches designed by Cisco to deliver next-generation performance, unified wired-wireless intelligence, and high-power PoE capabilities tailored for the modern enterprise environment. This switch stands out due to its 24 Multigigabit Ethernet ports, each supporting speeds ranging from 100 Mbps up to 10 Gbps, combined with Universal Power over Ethernet (UPOE) that delivers up to 60 watts per port. This makes the WS-C3850-24XU one of the most flexible and high-performance access-layer switches in the Catalyst family—perfect for campuses, corporate offices, high-density wireless environments, surveillance systems, and any setup requiring both extreme bandwidth and extreme power delivery.

What sets this switch apart is not only the raw hardware power but also Cisco’s UADP ASIC architecture, StackWise-480 technology, advanced Layer 3 feature set, and deep integration between wired and wireless networks through Cisco IOS-XE. With the growing demands for faster access, high-power endpoints such as Wi-Fi 6/6E Access Points, smart cameras, VDI terminals, and media collaboration devices, the WS-C3850-24XU is engineered to serve as a future-proof foundation for any enterprise network that expects consistent performance, security, and operational flexibility.

This description will walk through every technical detail, performance characteristic, PoE capability, power architecture, security functions, deployment scenarios, and business advantages—presented in a clear, SEO-friendly, Rank Math-optimized format using the focus keyword Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU naturally throughout.

Overview and Product Positioning

The Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU is positioned as a high-end enterprise access switch within the Catalyst 3K family. It provides an intelligent platform designed to unify wired and wireless networks, offering consistent policy control, scalable throughput, and rich visibility for applications and devices. This model is particularly popular in organizations that require both high network throughput at the access layer and considerable power output, thanks to its built-in Multigigabit + UPOE support.

In today’s fast-moving enterprise landscape, network infrastructures must accommodate increasingly demanding workloads, from HD/4K video conferencing and cloud-driven collaboration tools to advanced security appliances and large-scale IoT deployments. The WS-C3850-24XU answers these demands with its 10G-ready copper ports, enabling high-speed data transfer without the need for fiber uplinks for every end device.

Because each port can operate at 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G, it’s ideal for environments where Ethernet cabling exists but needs upgraded performance without upgrades to fiber or major changes to the physical infrastructure. Coupling this with Cisco UPOE allows powering advanced access points, high-power cameras, digital signage, VDI thin clients, and more—all from a single switch.

Hardware Architecture and Performance Engine

At the heart of the Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU is Cisco’s highly optimized and programmable UADP (Unified Access Data Plane) ASIC. Unlike traditional switching ASICs, the UADP is designed to deliver deeper packet inspection, application visibility, intelligent traffic prioritization, and hardware-based enforcement of network policies. This allows the switch to recognize, classify, and optimize traffic flows at wire-speed, even under high-demand workloads.

The switch supports a switching capacity of 92 Gbps, offering sufficient performance headroom to handle high volumes of east-west and north-south traffic commonly found in modern enterprise networks. Furthermore, when deployed in a stack with other Catalyst 3850 units, the StackWise-480 technology provides up to 480 Gbps of stack bandwidth, enabling the stack to act as a single logical switch with unified control plane and data plane performance.

The switch includes:

• 4 GB of DRAM

• 2 GB of Flash memory

• Dual-core CPU architecture supporting IOS-XE processes

• Support for hot-swappable redundant power supply

• Field-replaceable fan modules

This provides advanced performance and resiliency features often associated with modular chassis systems—but in a flexible, compact, 1RU switch.

Multigigabit Port Architecture with 10G Support

One of the most powerful capabilities of the Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU is its 24 Multigigabit UPOE-enabled ports, each capable of operating at:

• 100 Mbps

• 1 Gbps

• 2.5 Gbps

• 5 Gbps

• 10 Gbps

This allows enterprises to upgrade network performance to multi-gigabit speeds without rewiring their buildings. The switch can utilize existing Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6A cabling to deliver beyond-Gigabit speeds, making the WS-C3850-24XU ideal for next-generation access point deployment, especially Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E APs that often require more than 1 Gbps throughput.

Additionally, its uplink interface includes 4 × 1G SFP ports, providing fiber connections for distribution switches or core routers.

UPOE Power System (Up to 60W per Port)

The WS-C3850-24XU is equipped with Cisco Universal Power over Ethernet (UPOE), delivering up to 60 watts per Ethernet port. This is double the traditional 30W PoE+ standard, positioning this switch as one of the most powerful options for any enterprise requiring advanced powered devices.

UPOE enables powering of:

• Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 Access Points

• PTZ and high-power CCTV cameras

• Digital signage and LED display panels

• Video conferencing terminals

• Thin clients and VDI appliances

• IP phones requiring enhanced features

• Building automation systems

• IoT gateways and sensors

With a UPOE-enabled port, devices that previously required their own AC adapter can now be powered directly by the switch, simplifying installations and reducing cable clutter. The 3850 platform also supports StackPower, enabling multiple switches in a stack to share power, creating a pooled and redundant power design that improves availability and efficiency.

StackWise-480 Technology and Scalability

The WS-C3850-24XU supports Cisco StackWise-480, the most advanced stacking technology Cisco offers in the Catalyst access switch line. With StackWise-480, up to nine switches can be combined into a single logical switch, sharing control and data plane functions. This ensures:

• Higher resiliency

• Seamless failover

• Simplified management through a single IP address

• Unified configuration across all units

• High performance with 480 Gbps stack bandwidth

StackPower further enhances resiliency by allowing power to be distributed and shared between members of the stack. If one switch experiences power supply failure, the stack can continue operating normally, using shared power resources.

Layer 2 and Layer 3 Capabilities

The Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU supports a comprehensive suite of Layer 2 and advanced Layer 3 features, making it suitable not just for access layer deployments but also for acting as a distribution switch in certain network designs.

Layer 2 capabilities include:

• VLANs

• STP, RSTP, MSTP

• EtherChannel

• Port security

• Storm control

• LLDP and CDP

Layer 3 capabilities include:

• Static routing

• OSPF

• EIGRP

• RIP

• VRF-Lite

• Policy-Based Routing (PBR)

• Multicast routing (PIM-SM)

This combination allows the WS-C3850-24XU to support segmentation, flexible routing policies, and highly scalable enterprise architectures.

Security Architecture and Compliance Features

Security is a core component of the Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU. The switch incorporates hardware-accelerated security measures along with flexible, policy-driven software-based protection.

Key security features include:

• 802.1X port-based authentication

• MACsec 256-bit encryption

• DHCP Snooping

• Dynamic ARP Inspection

• IP Source Guard

• Control Plane Protection

• Private VLAN Edge

• TrustSec support

These capabilities ensure end-to-end secure access control, device-level identity enforcement, and protection against spoofing, rogue devices, packet manipulation, and attacks on control-plane CPU processes.

Enterprise Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

The Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS-C3850-24XU is ideal for:

1. High-Density Wireless Deployments
   Perfect for powering Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 APs requiring up to 10G data throughput and UPOE power.

2. Surveillance Networks
   Supports high-power PTZ cameras with smooth video streams thanks to Multigigabit ports.

3. Smart Offices & IoT Environments
   Powers IoT gateways, sensors, room automation systems.

4. Unified Collaboration and VoIP
   UPOE provides superior power delivery for advanced IP phones and video endpoints.

5. Enterprise Campuses
   Serves as a high-performance access switch in large office networks.

6. Cloud-Driven and Hybrid Environments
   Hardware-based QoS and NetFlow analytics optimize cloud traffic and application performance.

Power Efficiency and Energy Optimization

The switch supports Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE), allowing unused ports to reduce their power consumption dynamically. StackPower adds power efficiency through pooling and mutual load balancing.

Software Features: IOS-XE and Programmability

Cisco IOS-XE provides:

• Modular OS

• API programmability (NETCONF/YANG)

• Software-defined access readiness

• Advanced automation

• Intelligent traffic monitoring

• High availability

This positions the WS-C3850-24XU as a future-ready device for modern enterprise automation systems.

For more detailed technical specifications and official documentation, visit the Cisco Catalyst 3850 WS‑C3850‑24XU product page.