The Cisco Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S offers the full 370 W Power over Ethernet budget of this range across 24 Fast Ethernet ports, but with the LAN Lite image rather than LAN Base and 2 dual-purpose combo uplinks. Buyers pick it when a closet needs watts far more than it needs features, characteristically the shape of a telephony-only deployment in a small office.
Maximum power, minimum feature set
This model is an unusual and deliberate combination: the largest power budget the 24-port Plus range offers, paired with the smaller of the two software images. That is not a compromise so much as a specification aimed squarely at one job. A room full of telephones needs every port powered and needs almost nothing from the switch beyond a voice VLAN and a data VLAN.
The power side is generous. Cisco documents IEEE 802.3af-compliant Power over Ethernet on this series, with a 15.4 W ceiling per port, and 24 ports at that ceiling consume 369.6 W against a 370 W pool. Every port can draw full class at the same time. The feature side is where the model economises, and for a two-VLAN closet that economy costs nothing at all.
| Specification | Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S |
|---|---|
| Part number | WS-C2960+24PC-S |
| Access ports | 24 x 10/100 Fast Ethernet |
| PoE standard | IEEE 802.3af, up to 15.4 W per port |
| PoE budget | 370 W combined |
| Ports at the 15.4 W ceiling | 24, the full front panel |
| Uplinks | 2 dual-purpose combo, one port active per pair |
| Software image | LAN Lite |
| Stacking | Not offered on this series |
Where the LAN Lite image draws its line
Cisco offers this series as LAN Base or LAN Lite, marked by the final letter of the part number, and LAN Lite carries the smaller feature set with a lower ceiling on active VLANs. It is fixed at manufacture and no licence changes it, so the decision is permanent. In a voice closet running a handful of VLANs the ceiling is never approached; in a site that segments extensively it will be, and no configuration recovers it.
The useful way to make that call is to ask who else will touch the network over the switch's life. Where a single team owns a settled design, LAN Lite is safe. Where contractors, tenants or new systems will each ask for their own segment, the LAN Base variant of the identical chassis removes the risk for the cost of one character in the order.
It is also worth separating the image question from the power question, because they are independent on this chassis and are often conflated. Choosing full power does not require choosing the fuller feature set, and this model exists precisely so that a site can take one without the other.
Two combo uplinks and what they will not do
The uplinks are dual-purpose: one SFP slot and one 1000BASE-T copper port per pair, one active at a time. Four connectors, two paths. That covers a fibre closet or a copper closet from a single spare chassis, which is convenient across a multi-building estate, but it caps the switch at two simultaneous uplinks whatever the connector count suggests.
No stacking anywhere in the series
Cisco does not offer stacking on any Catalyst 2960-Plus model, on either image, and no module or licence adds it. Where a closet needs more than 24 ports, the answer with this series is a second independent switch with its own configuration and address rather than an expansion of the first. That is worth designing for at the outset rather than discovering when the port count grows.
Where the 24PC-S sits in the 2960-Plus range
Two comparisons frame this model: the same power on the larger image, and the same image with no power at all.
| Model | PoE budget | Ports at 15.4 W | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2960-Plus 24PC-S | 370 W | 24 | LAN Lite |
| 2960-Plus 24PC-L | 370 W | 24 | LAN Base |
| 2960-Plus 24TC-S | None | None | LAN Lite |
Where the endpoints require PoE+ at 30 W or Gigabit access ports, the Catalyst 2960S-48FPS-L is a later sub-series offering both. The current-generation replacement line is the Catalyst 9300 family, whose 24-port model is the direct counterpart to this chassis.
Support position for this series
No lifecycle dates appear on this page. The Catalyst 2960-Plus series does not have a Cisco end-of-life notice in our verified source set, and every date published across our other Catalyst 2960 pages is anchored to a named notice. Rather than approximate one from a neighbouring sub-series, the gap is left visible.
Anyone building a support plan around this hardware should confirm the exact part number against Cisco's own end-of-life listing first. Treating it as a Fast Ethernet continuity platform covered by held spares is the practical default, and it is the way most sites still running this series already operate.
Condition, testing and what ships
Refurbished enterprise hardware carrying the original Cisco part number. Each unit is tested on receipt, then disassembled, cleaned, inventoried and held as known-good stock; at order time it is rebuilt, configured and bench tested a second time before packing, with the powered ports 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 mounting hardware are separate lines unless quoted with the switch. Cisco software entitlement does not transfer with used hardware, and the LAN Lite image cannot be raised after purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would anyone choose full PoE with the smaller software image?
Because a telephony closet needs watts and almost nothing else. Every port on this switch can draw the full 15.4 W of the 802.3af class from its 370 W pool, while the LAN Lite image supplies more than enough for a voice VLAN and a data VLAN. Paying for the fuller feature set in that room buys capability that will never be configured.
How many telephones will a 2960-Plus 24PC-S power?
All twenty-four ports can draw the full 15.4 W permitted by the 802.3af standard, since 24 ports at that ceiling consume 369.6 W against a 370 W budget. A desk telephone typically draws well under the ceiling, so the pool is comfortable in every realistic voice deployment and the port count becomes the only limit.
Is the LAN Lite image on this switch a problem for VLANs?
Only if the VLAN count grows. LAN Lite carries a lower ceiling on active VLANs than LAN Base and is fixed at manufacture, so a network that adds guest, camera, building-management or per-tenant segments over time can reach it. A closet running a voice VLAN and a data VLAN will never come close and loses nothing by choosing it.
Do Catalyst 2960-Plus switches support stacking with each other?
No. Cisco offers no stacking anywhere on this series, regardless of model or software image, and there is no module, cable or licence that provides it. A closet that outgrows 24 ports gains a second independent switch with its own configuration and management address rather than a stack member.
How is a used 2960-Plus 24PC-S tested before sale?
Two bench passes cover it. The first on receipt establishes the switching fabric, the uplink pairs and the power stage. The chassis is then cleaned, inventoried and stored. The second follows reassembly and configuration to the order, with the powered ports exercised immediately before packing. Condition is graded per serial and disclosed on that listing. The range is on the Cisco networking hardware page.
