The Cisco Catalyst 2960-Plus 24TC-S is the entry point to the whole range: 24 Fast Ethernet 10/100 access ports, 2 dual-purpose combo uplinks, no Power over Ethernet at all and the LAN Lite software image. Every single specification on it sits at the floor of this particular sub-series, accordingly a model to check carefully against a requirement rather than one to default to.
Four questions to answer before choosing this model
This is the least expensive part number in the range and that makes it the default pick when nobody has looked closely. Four questions decide whether the default is right, and each of them maps to a limit that cannot be lifted after purchase.
Will any device behind this switch ever need power from it? There is no PoE stage here and none can be added. Will the VLAN count grow? LAN Lite carries a lower ceiling than LAN Base and cannot be upgraded. Will the closet ever need more than two uplink paths? The combo arrangement caps it at two. Will the room ever hold more than one switch under a single configuration? Nothing in this series stacks. Four yes answers point to a different part number; four no answers make this a sound and economical choice.
| Specification | Catalyst 2960-Plus 24TC-S |
|---|---|
| Part number | WS-C2960+24TC-S |
| Access ports | 24 x 10/100 Fast Ethernet |
| Power over Ethernet | None |
| Uplinks | 2 dual-purpose combo, one port active per pair |
| Simultaneous uplink paths | 2 |
| Software image | LAN Lite |
| Stacking | Not offered on this series |
The rooms this switch suits
Plenty of spaces answer no to all four questions and always will. A meeting-room floor box, a workshop bench, a retail back office, a training suite, a temporary site cabin, a plant-floor panel: each needs a modest number of low-bandwidth ports, one path upstream and a simple VLAN plan, and none will ever need a second switch under one configuration.
In those rooms this model does exactly what is required and nothing that is not, and the absence of a power stage also means less heat in a cabinet that is often not a cabinet at all. It is a genuinely good fit rather than a downgrade, provided the fit was checked rather than assumed.
The failure mode worth naming is the opposite case: a switch bought for one of those rooms and then quietly redeployed into a closet that does have powered endpoints, a growing VLAN plan or a second switch beside it. Nothing about the hardware prevents that move, and nothing about it works well afterwards either.
Fast Ethernet at the access layer
All 24 access ports run at 10/100. Cisco describes the Catalyst 2960-Plus as a range of fixed-configuration Fast Ethernet switches, and the uplinks are the only Gigabit-capable connections on the chassis. Terminals, printers, controllers and administrative desktops sit well inside 100 Mbps; anything moving video, images or large files does not, and there is no configuration that changes it.
Two combo uplinks, and no stacking
Each uplink pair holds one SFP slot and one 1000BASE-T copper port with a single port active, giving two usable paths from four connectors and letting one chassis serve either a fibre or a copper closet. Stacking is not offered anywhere on the Catalyst 2960-Plus series, on any model or image, so two of these switches in a room are two independent devices with separate configurations and separate management addresses.
Where the 24TC-S sits in the 2960-Plus range
Against its immediate relatives this model varies on the image in one direction and on the port count in the other. Both comparisons are single-variable.
| Model | Access ports | PoE budget | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2960-Plus 24TC-S | 24 Fast Ethernet | None | LAN Lite |
| 2960-Plus 24TC-L | 24 Fast Ethernet | None | LAN Base |
| 2960-Plus 48TC-S | 48 Fast Ethernet | None | LAN Lite |
Where Gigabit access ports and a faster uplink are the requirement, the Catalyst 2960S-48FPD-L belongs to a later generation built for it. The current-generation replacement line is the Catalyst 9300 family, and its 24-port model is the direct counterpart at this size.
Support position for this series
There are no lifecycle dates on this page because no Cisco end-of-life notice for the Catalyst 2960-Plus series is present in our verified sources. Dates shown elsewhere across our Catalyst 2960 range are each tied to a specific named notice, and the same standard is applied here by leaving the section without figures rather than by estimating them.
If a support position matters for this hardware, check the part number directly against Cisco's own end-of-life listing. The safe working assumption for a Fast Ethernet platform of this age is a continuity role backed by held spares, which is how most remaining installations are already covered.
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 returned to stock; at order time it is rebuilt, configured and bench tested a second time before packing. 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 line items unless quoted with the chassis. Cisco software entitlement does not transfer with used hardware, and the LAN Lite image cannot be raised afterwards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the limits of a Catalyst 2960-Plus 24TC-S?
Four, and none can be lifted after purchase. It sources no Power over Ethernet and none can be added. It runs LAN Lite, which carries a lower ceiling on active VLANs than LAN Base and is not upgradeable. Its combo uplinks provide two usable paths, not four. And nothing in the Catalyst 2960-Plus series stacks, so a second switch is a second device.
Is a 2960-Plus 24TC-S a reasonable choice for a small room?
In the right room it is a good one. A meeting-room box, workshop bench, retail back office or training suite needs a modest number of low-bandwidth ports, one upstream path and a simple VLAN plan, and will never hold a second switch under one configuration. Where all of that is true the model does exactly what is needed and nothing more.
How fast are the access ports on a Catalyst 2960-Plus 24TC-S?
All twenty-four run at 10/100 Fast Ethernet. Cisco describes the Catalyst 2960-Plus as a range of fixed-configuration Fast Ethernet switches, and only the uplinks are Gigabit-capable. Terminals, printers and controllers sit comfortably inside that ceiling, while anything carrying video or large file transfers will not, and no setting changes it.
Can a 2960-Plus 24TC-S be upgraded to LAN Base later?
No. The software image is fixed at manufacture on this series and is indicated by the final letter of the part number, S for LAN Lite and L for LAN Base. There is no licence, feature key or software release that converts one into the other, so a site that later needs the fuller feature set has to buy the LAN Base model.
How does Enterasource prepare a used 2960-Plus 24TC-S?
It is bench tested on arrival, then stripped, cleaned and inventoried into stock as a known-good chassis. When it is sold it is rebuilt to the ordered configuration, configured and tested again immediately before packing, with all twenty-four access ports and both uplink pairs checked. Condition is graded per serial and disclosed on that listing. The catalogue is on the Cisco networking hardware page.
