Cisco IE-3500-8U3X-E: For Rugged Environments

The Cisco IE-3500-8U3X-E is an industrial-grade, modular Ethernet switch from the IE3500 Rugged Series — designed for demanding environments where reliability, flexibility, and robust power delivery matter. It targets industrial and operational-technology (OT) edge deployments, making it suitable for manufacturing floors, automation systems, surveillance networks, and other harsh-environment infrastructure.

Thanks to its rugged DIN-rail, fanless (passive-cooling) design and wide operating temperature range, the IE-3500-8U3X-E can withstand shock, vibration, electrical noise, temperature extremes (from –40 °C up to +75 °C) — typical requirements in industrial settings.

Because of its modular build and PoE/PoE+/4PPoE support along with high-speed fiber uplinks, this switch excels as an access-layer switch in industrial LANs, powering devices such as IP cameras, wireless access points, PLCs, sensors, and more — while offering reliable connectivity and easy manageability under the software umbrella of Cisco IOS XE.

Key Specifications of IE-3500-8U3X-E

Here are the most important technical specifications for IE-3500-8U3X-E:

Ports: 8 × 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45 downlink ports (PoE/PoE+/4PPoE) plus 3 × 10G/1G SFP+ uplink ports.
Total Ports (Base Unit): 11
PoE Power Budget: 480 W — enough to power multiple PoE devices simultaneously (e.g. cameras, Wi-Fi APs, sensors).
Memory: 8 GB DRAM, 5.1 GB flash.
MAC Address Table Size: 24,000 entries.
VLAN Support: up to 4,096 VLAN IDs (with up to 1,024 active VLANs).
Performance: Line-rate, wire-speed forwarding on all ports and packet sizes.
Power Input: Dual DC input (12–54 V DC nominal; absolute 9.6–60 V DC), making it compatible with typical industrial power setups.
Power Consumption (non-PoE): ~49 W (without PoE load).
Form Factor: Ruggedized, fanless, DIN-rail mountable (IP30).
Operating Temperature Range: –40 °C to +75 °C.
Expandability: Modular architecture — you can attach compatible expansion modules (IEM modules) to extend port count (up to 27 GE / multigigabit ports) as needed.
Switching Layers: Supports Layer 2 and basic Layer 3 (routing) features under Network Essentials license.

Use Cases and Advantages for IE-3500-8U3X-E

Ideal for Industrial & Harsh Environments

The fanless, rugged design and support for extreme temperatures make the IE-3500-8U3X-E well suited for factories, industrial automation, power substations, and other OT environments where typical enterprise switches would fail due to dust, vibration, or temperature stress.

High-Density PoE/PoE+/4PPoE for Powered Devices

With 8 Gigabit PoE-capable ports and a generous 480 W power budget, this switch can power multiple devices — such as IP cameras, PoE-powered wireless access points, industrial sensors, or communication devices — directly over Ethernet, simplifying cabling and power supply complexity. This is especially useful in distributed or remote edge installations.

Fiber Uplinks & High Bandwidth Backbone

The 3 × 10G-capable SFP+ uplinks allow the switch to integrate into a high-speed backbone — ideal for connecting to core switches or aggregating multiple access switches. This is critical when dealing with high-bandwidth data from video surveillance, high-speed automation/SCADA data, Wi-Fi 6/7 access points, or other bandwidth-heavy use-cases.

Modular & Scalable — Future-Proof Deployment

Because of its modular architecture (support for expansion modules), the IE-3500-8U3X-E can grow with your network. You can start with the base configuration and later expand ports or change port types (fiber, copper, multigigabit) as network demands evolve.

Manageability and Cisco Ecosystem Integration

Running on Cisco IOS XE (with the “Network Essentials” license) gives you familiar CLI/WebUI management, robust Layer 2 and Layer 3 features, VLANs, security controls, and compatibility with tools such as Cisco Catalyst Center or other Cisco network management platforms — making this switch easy to manage and integrate into enterprise-grade networks.

Why Choose IE-3500-8U3X-E Over Standard Switches

Many standard enterprise switches are not designed for harsh industrial conditions: they may overheat, fail under vibration, or lack sufficient PoE/PoE+ power. IE-3500-8U3X-E bridges that gap by bringing enterprise-class switching to industrial environments — combining rugged durability, power, flexibility, and Cisco-grade software features. The high PoE budget and fiber uplinks make it especially valuable in distributed edge networks with high power and connectivity demands.

Also, the modularity ensures that the device can adapt as your network evolves — avoiding costly replacements when you need more ports or different port types.

FAQs

What does “4PPoE” mean on this switch?
“4PPoE” refers to the ability to support 4-pair PoE — delivering power over all four pairs of wires in a standard Ethernet cable. This allows higher power delivery to demanding devices (for example, PTZ cameras, high-end Wi-Fi access points, or industrial equipment) compared to standard PoE/PoE+. This switch model supports PoE/PoE+/4PPoE with a total power budget of 480 W.

Can IE-3500-8U3X-E operate in extreme temperatures or industrial conditions?
Yes — the switch is ruggedized, DIN-rail mountable, fanless (passive cooling), and rated for –40 °C to +75 °C operation, making it suitable for industrial environments, outdoor shelters, substations, manufacturing floors, and similar harsh conditions.

How many devices can I power simultaneously via PoE on this switch?
With a 480 W PoE budget, you could power multiple devices — depending on their individual power draw. For instance, if devices draw 30–60 W each (common for PoE+ or 4PPoE devices), you could power several simultaneously. The actual number depends on the power requirements of each connected device.

Can I expand port count later if I need more connections?
Yes — IE-3500-8U3X-E has a modular design and supports expansion via compatible IEM modules. With expansion modules, you can increase the number of GE or multigigabit ports, making the switch scalable up to 27 ports (depending on module configuration).

Does IE-3500-8U3X-E support Layer 3 routing or just Layer 2 switching?
The switch supports both Layer 2 switching and basic Layer 3 routing capabilities under the “Network Essentials” license. That means besides VLANs and L2 segmentation, you can also use routing among VLANs or subnets — useful in more complex network setups.