The Cisco Catalyst 2960-Plus 24LC-L is a 24-port Fast Ethernet switch with a 123 W Power over Ethernet budget, 2 dual-purpose combo uplinks and the LAN Base software image. LC in the designation means low-power PoE with combo uplinks, and 123 W is a deliberately small pool of watts to share, realistically sized for a handful of telephones rather than a floor of wireless access points.
The PoE here is 802.3af, not PoE+
Cisco documents IEEE 802.3af-compliant Power over Ethernet on the Catalyst 2960-Plus series. That is the original standard with a ceiling of 15.4 W per port, and it is not the 802.3at PoE+ standard with its 30 W ceiling that the 2960-S, 2960-SF and 2960-X sub-series carry. The distinction is absolute rather than a matter of budget: a device that requires the full 30 W of PoE+ cannot be powered correctly from this switch no matter how few other ports are in use.
Within the 802.3af class the arithmetic is straightforward. A 123 W shared pool divided by the 15.4 W ceiling covers 7 ports at full class. In practice a desk telephone drawing 6 to 8 W means considerably more than 7 devices fit inside the budget, but the ceiling on any individual port remains 15.4 W and cannot be exceeded.
| Specification | Catalyst 2960-Plus 24LC-L |
|---|---|
| Part number | WS-C2960+24LC-L |
| Access ports | 24 x 10/100 Fast Ethernet |
| PoE standard | IEEE 802.3af, up to 15.4 W per port |
| PoE budget | 123 W combined |
| Ports at the 15.4 W ceiling | 7 |
| Uplinks | 2 dual-purpose combo, one port active per pair |
| Uplink options per pair | 1 x SFP or 1 x 1000BASE-T |
| Software image | LAN Base |
| Stacking | Not offered on this series |
Combo uplinks are two paths, not four
The two uplinks on this switch are dual-purpose. Each pair contains one SFP slot and one 1000BASE-T copper port, and only one of the two is active at a time. Four connectors, two usable paths. A buyer counting two SFP slots plus two copper ports and planning four uplinks is counting wrong, and that mistake surfaces at installation rather than at the purchase order.
What the arrangement does provide is installation flexibility. The same switch serves a fibre closet and a copper closet, and moving between them is a transceiver change rather than a hardware change. For a site holding a single spare across several buildings that is genuinely useful.
The 2960-Plus series does not stack
No stacking of any kind is offered anywhere on the Catalyst 2960-Plus series. There is no module, cable, licence or software release that adds it. Two of these switches in a closet are two independent devices with two configurations and two management addresses, and that remains true regardless of the software image.
This is worth stating explicitly because the neighbouring 2960-S, 2960-X and 2960-XR sub-series all stack, and the family name invites the assumption that the Plus does too. A closet design that depends on stacked management has to be built on one of those sub-series instead.
Where the 24LC-L sits in the 2960-Plus range
Across the 24-port models the variables are the size of the power budget and the software image. This one takes the smaller budget with the larger image.
| Model | Access ports | PoE budget | Ports at 15.4 W | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2960-Plus 24LC-L | 24 Fast Ethernet | 123 W | 7 | LAN Base |
| 2960-Plus 24PC-L | 24 Fast Ethernet | 370 W | 24 | LAN Base |
| 2960-Plus 24TC-L | 24 Fast Ethernet | None | None | LAN Base |
Where more than a handful of powered devices are involved, the 370 W model in the same range is the correct choice, and where PoE+ at 30 W per port is genuinely required, the Catalyst 2960S-48FPS-L is a later sub-series that supports it. The current-generation counterpart at this port count is a Catalyst 9300 24-port model, and a small site's routing typically sits on a Cisco ISR 4321.
Support position for this series
No Cisco end-of-life notice for the Catalyst 2960-Plus series is carried in our verified records, so no lifecycle dates are published on this page. That is a statement about what has been verified here rather than a claim about what Cisco has or has not announced, and the distinction matters if a support position is being planned around the hardware.
Anyone doing that planning should check Cisco's own end-of-life listing against the exact part number before committing. Every date published elsewhere on our Catalyst 2960 pages is tied to a named Cisco notice, and this series does not have one in that set, so borrowing dates from the 2960-S or 2960-X families would be guesswork rather than information.
Condition, testing and what ships
Units are refurbished enterprise hardware carrying the original Cisco part number. Each is tested on receipt, then disassembled, cleaned, inventoried and returned to stock; on order it is rebuilt, configured and bench tested again before packing, with the powered ports and both uplink pairs exercised. Whole systems including this switch carry the 2-year Enterasource warranty, and delivery is free FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states.
SFP transceivers and rack hardware are separate line items unless quoted with the chassis. Cisco software entitlement is not included and does not transfer with used hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Catalyst 2960-Plus 24LC-L support PoE+?
No. Cisco documents IEEE 802.3af-compliant Power over Ethernet on the Catalyst 2960-Plus series, which sets a ceiling of 15.4 W per port. The 802.3at PoE+ standard with its 30 W ceiling is supported on the 2960-S, 2960-SF and 2960-X sub-series but not on the Plus. A device requiring the full 30 W cannot be powered correctly from this switch.
How many devices will 123 W power on a 2960-Plus 24LC-L?
Seven at the full 15.4 W ceiling of an 802.3af endpoint, since the budget is a shared pool. In practice a desk telephone drawing 6 to 8 W means more than seven will fit, and the useful method is to total the actual draw of the devices rather than to divide by the maximum. The per-port ceiling of 15.4 W applies regardless of how much of the pool is free.
What does LC mean in a Catalyst 2960-Plus model designation?
Low-power Power over Ethernet with combo uplinks. Across this range LC marks the 123 W budget, PC marks the 370 W budget, TC marks a data-only switch with no PoE at all, and PST marks the one model with four separate uplinks rather than two combo pairs. The final letter gives the software image, L for LAN Base and S for LAN Lite.
Can Catalyst 2960-Plus switches be stacked together?
No. Cisco offers no stacking of any kind on the Catalyst 2960-Plus series, and there is no module, cable or licence that adds it. Two of these switches in one closet are two independent devices with separate configurations and separate management addresses. Designs that need stacked management have to use the 2960-S, 2960-X or 2960-XR sub-series instead.
What preparation does a used 2960-Plus 24LC-L receive?
It is bench tested on arrival, then stripped, cleaned and inventoried into stock as a known-good chassis. When it sells it is rebuilt to the ordered configuration, configured and tested again immediately before packing, with the powered ports and both uplink pairs exercised. Any cosmetic or physical defect is recorded against that serial and disclosed on the listing. The wider range is on the Cisco networking hardware page.
