The Cisco 3850 series has two different timelines for the end of manufacturer support, depending on whether the models are copper (end of 2025) or fiber (end of 2027).

Copper Data Switches (Data Only)

These models are designed for pure data connectivity without PoE requirements and come with a 350W power supply as standard.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 24-Port

This is the entry-level model with 24 ports (10/100/1000 Mbps). Despite lacking PoE, it supports Cisco StackPower technology.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 48-Port

This model offers double the port density for high-density office environments (e.g., with softphones) and a backplane capacity of 176 Gbps.

Copper Power over Ethernet (PoE+)

These models deliver up to 30 watts per port (PoE+) and are essential for IP phones and access points.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 24-Port PoE+

The standard switch for smaller distribution closets, equipped with a 715W power supply providing a PoE budget of approximately 435 watts. It’s often used for physical security technology.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 48-Port PoE+

The high-volume model for large enterprises. The standard power supply (715W) isn’t sufficient to provide all 48 ports with the full 30W, which needs to be considered in power management planning.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 48-Port Full PoE+

Unlike the “P” model, this device has a 1100W power supply (800W PoE budget) to power many high-consumption end devices at the same time.

Copper Universal PoE (UPOE)

These models support Cisco UPOE with up to 60 watts per port.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 24-Port UPOE

Equipped with a 1100W power supply, this model is designed for modern requirements such as Wi-Fi 6E/7 access points, which often need more than 30 watts.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 48-Port UPOE

The most powerful copper model for power delivery (“smart buildings”), often limited by power management at full port occupancy.

Multigigabit Ethernet (mGig)

Switches that support NBASE-T (1, 2.5, 5, 10 Gbps). Note: despite the advanced technology, these fall under the copper lifecycle (2025).

Cisco Catalyst 3850 24-Port Multigigabit

Offers 24 ports with variable speed, ideal for high-performance access points

Cisco Catalyst 3850 12-Port mGig / 36-Port Gig

A hybrid model for cost optimization, combining 12 fast mGig ports with 36 standard ports.

Fiber Aggregation (SFP/SFP+) – Extended Lifecycle

These models have extended support until 2027 to ease bottlenecks in the aggregation layer and delays with successor products.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 12-Port SFP

Small aggregation switch for fiber links in sprawling campus environments.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 24-Port SFP

Doubled density for critical OT networks or fiber-to-the-desk installations.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 12-Port 10G SFP+

A high-performance model with 12 SFP+ ports, often serving as the link between the access layer and the core.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 24-Port 10G SFP+

A more powerful variant, often operated in redundant pairs. Note: OEM software maintenance (new features) already ended in April 2023.

Cisco Catalyst 3850 48-Port 10G SFP+

The flagship of the series, with 48 ports (10G) and QSFP uplinks, often deployed as a campus core.

About the Cisco 3850 Series

As the successor to the 3750-X series, the Cisco Catalyst 3850 series marked a technological turning point in enterprise network architecture. It was the first system to eliminate the physical separation between wired and wireless networks, establishing a “Converged Access” architecture.

The key features are:

• Technological core: The programmable UADP ASIC (Unified Access Data Plane), which enables wireless policies and traffic to be processed directly at the switch level instead of being tunneled to a central controller.
• Unified policies: Thanks to the ASIC, a single policy set can be applied to users regardless of how they connect (wired or WLAN).
• Hardware features: The series includes stackable Layer 3 switches supporting PoE+, UPOE (up to 60W), Multigigabit Ethernet, and proprietary StackPower technology for efficient power management.
• Current status (lifecycle): The series is in a critical End-of-Life phase with a split lifecycle. Support for copper models ends on 31 October 2025, while fiber models remain supported until 30 April 2027.
• Successor: The designated successor for migration is the Cisco Catalyst 9300 series.