The Cisco Catalyst 2960XR-48FPD-I holds a 740 W Power over Ethernet budget behind 48 Gigabit PoE+ access ports and 2 SFP+ uplink slots that run at 1 or 10 Gbps, on the IP Lite image rather than the LAN Base image of the 2960-X. That 740 W figure is the top of the entire Catalyst 2960 range, whereas the two internal supply bays behind it exist to hold all of it up through the failure of a module.
740 W of PoE, with one supply or two
The Power over Ethernet budget on this switch is 740 W and it does not change with the number of supplies fitted. Cisco's table of power-supply combinations gives 740 W of available PoE+ for a single 1025 W supply and the same 740 W for a pair of them. The 1025 W figure is the AC rating of the supply module itself, not a Power over Ethernet budget, and the two sit in adjacent columns of the same table.
Against that budget Cisco publishes the port counts directly: 24 ports at up to 30 W for an IEEE 802.3at PoE+ endpoint, or all 48 at up to 15.4 W for standard PoE. Both figures are properties of the model. 740 W is also the ceiling for the family as a whole, matched by the full-PoE 48-port switches in the 2960-S and 2960-X sub-series and not exceeded by any Catalyst 2960.
| Specification | Catalyst 2960XR-48FPD-I |
|---|---|
| Access ports | 48 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet |
| Uplinks | 2 x SFP+, 1/10 Gbps |
| Software image | IP Lite |
| Available PoE, one or two supplies | 740 W |
| Ports at up to 30 W PoE+ | 24 |
| Ports at up to 15.4 W PoE | 48 |
| PoE retained if one supply fails | 740 W |
| Power supply | PWR-C2-1025WAC only, 2 bays, one populated by default |
| Stacking | FlexStack-Plus, 80 Gbps, 8 members |
The second bay is bought for the failure case
On a chassis running 24 endpoints at the full 30 W PoE+ class, a single power supply is the one component whose failure takes all of them down together. That is the exposure the second bay removes. Cisco's combination table shows a pair of 1025 W supplies holding the entire 740 W of PoE+ available through the loss of one of them, so the wireless estate or camera estate behind the switch is not shed, renegotiated or prioritised while the failed module is replaced.
The module is not a free choice on this model. Cisco's hardware installation guide states that the 2960XR-48FPD-I and the 48FPS-I only support the PWR-C2-1025WAC supply, and that the 250 W and 640 W modules cannot be used in these switches. A used chassis bought with one supply therefore takes a second PWR-C2-1025WAC and nothing else, which is worth settling on the purchase order rather than at the rack.
Two SFP+ uplinks behind 48 powered ports
The uplink side carries 2 SFP+ slots running at 1 or 10 Gbps, for up to 20 Gbps of aggregate capacity. On a switch built to power a dense wireless deployment that matters, because access points that draw the most watts also generate the most upstream traffic. Four Gigabit uplinks would be a poor match for a floor of high-throughput access points; two 10 Gigabit ones are proportionate.
Stacking within the XR domain
FlexStack-Plus runs at 80 Gbps across up to eight members on the IP Lite image and presents the stack as one logical switch. A Catalyst 2960-XR stacks only with other Catalyst 2960-XR switches, in either direction, so an XR cannot be added to an existing 2960-X or 2960-S stack. Each member also powers its own ports from its own supplies, so stacking does not pool PoE budget across chassis.
Where the 48FPD-I sits in the 2960-XR range
Across the 48-port XR models with 10 Gigabit uplinks the variable is the power budget, and it takes three values. Neither column below moves with the number of supplies fitted; the second is what a chassis with both bays populated still delivers after one of them fails.
| Model | PoE budget | PoE retained if a supply fails | Uplinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2960XR-48FPD-I | 740 W | 740 W | 2 x SFP+, 10 Gbps |
| 2960XR-48LPD-I | 370 W | 370 W | 2 x SFP+, 10 Gbps |
| 2960XR-48TD-I | None | None | 2 x SFP+, 10 Gbps |
Where internal redundancy is not required and 740 W is sufficient, the Catalyst 2960X-48FPD-L is the LAN Base equivalent with the same port and uplink layout. The current-generation counterpart is a Catalyst 9300 48-port model, and the routing tier for a site with a dense wireless estate is typically a Cisco ISR 4331.
Lifecycle and support horizon
Cisco named this model in end-of-life notice EOL13602 for the Catalyst 2960-XR product family. End-of-Sale for the hardware was 31 October 2022, the Last Ship Date was 30 January 2023 and End of Software Maintenance was 31 October 2023. The Last Date of Support and End of Vulnerability and Security Support both fall on 31 October 2027, and End of Service Contract Renewal is 29 January 2027.
Those dates match the Catalyst 2960-X family exactly, so the support calendar gives no advantage to the XR. What distinguishes this model is that its 740 W of PoE+ is carried by two supplies inside the chassis instead of one, and that no other Catalyst 2960 sub-series offers that arrangement at any point in the remaining support window.
Condition, testing and what ships
Refurbished enterprise hardware carrying the original Cisco part number. Each chassis is tested on receipt, then disassembled, cleaned, inventoried and returned to stock; on order it is rebuilt to the requested configuration, configured and bench tested again before packing, with each fitted supply and the power stage exercised. Whole systems including this switch carry the 2-year Enterasource warranty, and shipping is free FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states.
The supply count is confirmed at the time of order, because the chassis has two bays and ships with one filled by default. SFP+ transceivers, stacking modules and cables are separate line items. Cisco software entitlement is not included with used hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest PoE budget available on a Catalyst 2960?
740 W, and the Catalyst 2960XR-48FPD-I is one of the models that reaches it. Cisco publishes 740 W of available PoE+ for both full-PoE members of the 2960-XR sub-series, matched by the full-PoE 48-port switches in the 2960-S and 2960-X sub-series and not exceeded anywhere in the family. The figure is the same whether one power supply is fitted or two, because the second module is a redundancy component rather than an additional source of PoE.
How many ports can a 2960XR-48FPD-I power at full PoE+ class?
Twenty-four, and the count does not change with the number of power supplies fitted. Cisco's per-model table publishes 24 ports at up to 30 W and all 48 ports at up to 15.4 W against the 740 W budget on both full-PoE XR models. Fitting the second supply adds no ports at either class; what it adds is that those 24 endpoints keep their power when one of the two supplies fails.
Does the second power supply on a 2960XR-48FPD-I add PoE capacity?
No. Cisco's power-combination table gives 740 W of available PoE+ for a single 1025 W supply and the same 740 W for a pair, so the second module adds no watts to the budget. What it adds is redundancy of a specific kind: with both bays populated, the full 740 W remains available when one supply fails, so powered endpoints keep their whole budget through the failure instead of being shed to fit a smaller one.
Why does this model have two 10 Gigabit uplinks rather than four Gigabit ones?
Because the endpoints it is built to power are also the ones that generate the most traffic. A floor of high-draw wireless access points needs both watts and upstream capacity, and 4 Gbps across four Gigabit slots would throttle it. Up to 20 Gbps across two SFP+ slots is the proportionate match, and the slots also accept 1 Gbps optics if the core is not yet ready.
How does Enterasource check the power system on a used 2960XR-48FPD-I?
Every fitted supply is exercised individually during both bench passes, and the powered ports are tested as part of the outbound pass immediately before packing. The number of supplies present is recorded against that specific chassis and stated on its listing, because these switches leave Cisco with one bay populated and a used unit may carry one or two. The catalogue is on the Cisco networking hardware page.
