Dell PowerSwitch N2248X-ON Multigig Switch

The Dell PowerSwitch N2248X-ON is a 1RU multigigabit campus access switch with 48 auto-sensing RJ45 ports that negotiate 10M, 100M, 1G and 2.5G over existing twisted-pair copper, four 25GbE SFP28 uplinks and two 40GbE QSFP+ rear stacking ports, on a 600 Gbps fabric forwarding at 833 Mpps.

It is the stackable multigig access switch of Dell's N2200-ON line - built for the wiring closet rather than the distribution layer, with 2.5G copper where the endpoints need it and 25G uplinks where the fabric does.

2.5 gigabit, and why capping there is a deliberate choice

802.3bz multigigabit exists because the cable in the ceiling is Cat5e or Cat6 and rewiring a building costs far more than the switches do. The standard defines two rates on that installed plant: 2.5 Gbps over Cat5e and 5 Gbps over Cat6, both at the full 100-metre distance.

The N2248X-ON implements the first of those. Its 48 access ports negotiate 10M, 100M, 1G and 2.5G, which covers the great majority of what multigig is actually bought for: Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E access points, high-end docking stations, workstations that have outgrown a gigabit, and any endpoint whose vendor moved from a 1GbE port to a 2.5GbE one.

The interesting consequence is what capping at 2.5G buys back. This switch draws 326W maximum and produces 1,112 BTU/hr. The 10G multigig N3248X-ON draws 480W and produces 1,637 BTU/hr for the same 48 ports. If your endpoints stop at 2.5G - and most do - you are paying power and cooling for a rate nothing will negotiate.

The honest counter-argument is longevity: an access switch is a seven-to-ten-year purchase, and Wi-Fi 7 access points do exceed 2.5 Gbps. If you are buying specifically to feed Wi-Fi 7, buy the 10G multigig model. If you are buying to feed a floor of laptops, phones, printers and Wi-Fi 6E, this is the right size.

25 gigabit uplinks on a 2.5 gigabit access switch

Forty-eight ports at 2.5G is 120 Gbps of potential access bandwidth, which four 10GbE uplinks would not carry. Dell puts four 25GbE SFP28 ports on the front panel instead - 100 Gbps of uplink - plus two rear 40GbE QSFP+ ports for stacking.

SFP28 is the same physical cage and the same single electrical lane as SFP+, so 25G optics and DACs are mainstream parts rather than an orphaned speed, and the switch attaches to a 25G distribution layer at the fabric's native lane rate.

One caveat worth reading before you order optics, because it is stated in Dell's own footnotes and catches people out: auto-negotiation is not supported on the SFP28 uplinks. Using 1G optics requires manual configuration and all four SFP28 ports set to the same speed, and 100M is not supported at all. Using 10G cables or optics likewise requires all four ports at a common speed, with 100M and 1G unsupported in that mode. In practice: pick one uplink speed for the switch and populate all four ports with it. Tell us what your distribution layer runs and we will supply matching optics.

Stacking: twelve switches, 160 Gbps, one IP address

The two rear 40GbE QSFP+ ports form a 160 Gbps full-duplex stacking ring, and up to twelve switches join one stack managed from a single IP address. Dell quotes stack densities up to 624 ports mixing 1/2.5GbE access and 25GbE, which is a whole floor's worth of access capacity behaving as one logical switch.

Two operational details make the stack worth using rather than merely available: Dell specifies non-stop forwarding and fast failover in stack configurations, so losing a member does not take the stack down, and MLAG lets a pair of stacks present active/active uplinks with firmware upgrades that do not take the network offline.

For context, the newer N3200-ON family stacks at 400 Gbps over 100GbE ports rather than 160 Gbps over 40GbE. If your stack is going to be large and busy, that difference is real. For a typical closet stack of two to four units it is not the deciding factor.

Layer 3 Standard - read this before you assume

This is the most important thing to understand about the N2200-ON, and it is genuinely different from its N3200-ON stablemate.

The N2200-ON runs Layer 3 Standard: static routing, RIP and OSPF (OSPFv2, with OSPFv3 from OS6.6.2). It does not have BGP, VRF-lite or BFD. The N3200-ON runs Layer 3 Advanced and has all three.

The routing scale follows the same split. This switch holds 256 static and 256 dynamic IPv4 routes, 128 static IPv6 routes, 4,096 ARP entries and 256 RIP routing interfaces. The N3200-ON holds 1,024 static and 8,158 dynamic IPv4 routes and 6,144 ARP entries.

For an access switch none of that is a problem - an access layer typically has a default route and a handful of VLAN interfaces, and 4,094 VLANs are supported either way. It becomes a problem the moment you plan to use the switch for distribution, or to run VRF-lite for guest and corporate traffic separation, or to peer BGP anywhere. If any of those are in your design, you want the N3248X-ON instead. Buy this switch for what it is: a very good access switch.

Power, airflow and the integrated supply

The N2248X-ON ships with an integrated 550W AC 80PLUS Platinum power supply, and a second 550W hot-swappable supply can be added for redundancy in either airflow direction. That is a different arrangement from the N3200-ON, which has two hot-swappable bays from the outset - worth knowing when you plan spares.

Airflow is available both ways. Dell offers the PSU-to-I/O fan module for the non-PoE models, which includes this one and the 24-port N2224X-ON. The direction should follow the rack: ports toward the cold aisle takes standard I/O-to-PSU airflow, ports toward the hot aisle takes reverse. Fans and power supplies are direction-specific parts, so this is fixed at build time - tell us which way your row faces when you request a quote.

Efficiency is quoted at 80% or better across all operating modes, against 87% or better on the N3200-ON. Over a twelve-unit stack running continuously that difference is not trivial, and it is worth putting into the comparison alongside the purchase decision.

OS6, ONIE and licensing on the used market

Every N-series switch runs Dell EMC Networking OS6, with one common CLI and web GUI across the range, SNMP-based management including Dell OpenManage Network Manager, and USB auto-configuration for deploying mirrored configurations by inserting a key. The N2200-ON is an ONIE platform, so an alternative network operating system can be installed if that is your standard. VXLAN-Lite is present in hardware and usable when enabled by an ON partner operating system.

A Dell software entitlement is bound to the unit's service tag and to a Dell account and does not automatically transfer on the secondary market. A refurbished unit may arrive with a working image installed and without an active entitlement or a support contract. We do not promise a transferred Dell licence, a software subscription or a support contract with a refurbished switch. Tell us what you intend to run and we will confirm the state of a specific unit before it ships.

Common questions

Do I need to recable to use 2.5 Gbps?

No. That is the entire point of 802.3bz - 2.5 Gbps runs on Cat5e at the full 100 metres. Every port auto-negotiates, so a mixed cable plant produces mixed speeds rather than failures.

Can it do 5 Gbps or 10 Gbps on copper?

No. This model caps at 2.5G. For the full 1/2.5/5/10G ladder, see the N3248X-ON, or the N3248PXE-ON if you also need 802.3bt PoE.

Does it support PoE?

No. The PoE models in the N2200-ON family are the N2224PX-ON and N2248PX-ON, which deliver 802.3bt Type-3 up to 60W; neither is currently listed here.

Why can't I mix optic speeds in the four uplink ports?

Dell states that auto-negotiation is not supported on those ports, so all four SFP28 cages must run at a common configured speed. Choose one uplink speed for the switch and populate all four accordingly.

How does it compare with the N3200-ON family?

Three real differences: Layer 3 Standard versus Layer 3 Advanced (no BGP, VRF-lite or BFD here), 160 Gbps stacking over 40GbE versus 400 Gbps over 100GbE, and 2.5G copper versus the full 10G multigig ladder. Same OS6, same 1RU chassis, same 4,094 VLANs.

Choosing within the N2200-ON and N3200-ON campus families

Availability, condition and how to buy

This model is supplied to order. Availability, airflow direction, power-supply count and optics loadout are confirmed at quotation, so use the quote request on this page and tell us the configuration you need - including which single uplink speed you want the four SFP28 ports configured for.

Every unit is refurbished, professionally reconditioned, powered up, inspected and functionally tested before it ships, and it ships with warranty coverage. If you need a specific firmware state or matched units for a stack, say so with your request.

Specifications