Cisco released the Catalyst 3650 Series in 2013. It can act as a wired switch as well as a converged wired wireless switch.
Yes, the Cisco Catalyst 3650 is the next generation of enterprise-class standalone and stackable access-layer switches that provide full convergence between wired and wireless on a single platform.
Built on the advanced Cisco StackWise-160 technology and using Cisco’s new unified access data plane (UADP) application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the Cisco Catalyst 3650 enables uniform wired-wireless policy enforcement, application visibility, flexibility, application optimization, and superior resiliency.
The Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series Switches support full IEEE 802.3at Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+), redundant fans, and new front-end power supplies. It enhances productivity by enabling applications such as IP telephony, wireless, and video for a true borderless network experience.
Cisco announced the end-of-sale and end-of-life dates for the popular Cisco Catalyst 3560-X and 3750-X Series Switches at the end of last year. They will be replaced by the new Cisco 3650 Series and the Catalyst 3850 switches. What benefits and more features can we get from this migrating?
Now, let’s look at some comparison of 3560-X and 3650.
Comparison of Cisco Catalyst 3560-X and 3650 Switches
| Feature | Cisco Catalyst 3560-X | Cisco Catalyst 3650 |
| Optional stacking | No | Yes (160 Gbps) |
| Native wireless controller support over Cisco IOS Software | No | Yes |
| 10GE uplinks | 2 x 10 GE (field-replaceable unit [FRU]) | 4 x 10 GE/2 x 10 GE (fixed) |
| Buffers per 48 port | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| Native flexible NetFlow support | No | Yes |
| Multicore CPU for hosted services | No | Yes |
| Quality of service (QoS) model and queues per port | MLS, 4 egress queues | MQC, 8 egress queues |
| Flash/DRAM size | 64 MB/256 MB | 2 GB/4GB |
| External power system (XPS-2200) | Yes | No |
| Converged Access Solution | No | Yes |
| Operating system | Cisco IOS Software | Cisco IOS-XE Software |
Introduction to Catalyst 3850 &3650 Switch
Note: The Left is the Cisco 3850 Series, and the Right one is the Catalyst 3650
How do the Cisco Catalyst 3650 switch features compare to those of Cisco Catalyst 3850? The following Table shows the feature comparison with Cisco Catalyst 3850.
Feature Comparison of Cisco Catalyst 3650 and Cisco 3850 Switches
| Feature | Cisco Catalyst 3650 | Cisco Catalyst 3850 |
| Stacking bandwidth/max members in stack | 160G/9 | 480G/9 |
| Cisco StackPower | No | Yes |
| Uplinks | Fixed uplinks | Modular uplinks |
| Memory/flash | 4GB/2GB | 4GB/2GB |
| Wireless | 25 access points max as Mobility Controller | 50 access points max as Mobility Controller |
| Stacking module | Optional | Built-in |
| Power | Dual FRUs | Dual FRUs; Expandable Power System (XPS)* |
| L3 features | OSPF, PIM, BGP, EIGRP, IS-IS | OSPF, PIM, BGP, EIGRP, IS-IS |
| Smart operations | Client, Director | Client, director |
| Cisco TrustSec | Secure Group Tagging (SGT), Secure Group Access (SGA), Media Access Control Security (MACsec) | SGT, SGA, MACsec |
| Application visibility and control (AVC) | Flexible NetFlow, Collaboration Protocols Recognition and Control (CPRC), Wireshark | Flexible NetFlow, CPRC, Wireshark |
| High availability | Stateful Switchover (SSO) | SSO |
| Power supply | New front-end power supplies: 250WAC, 640WAC, 640WDC, and 1025WAC | Front-end power supplies: 350WAC, 715WAC, 1100WAC, and 440WDC |
* On Cisco Catalyst 3850 roadmap.
The Cisco 3650 and Catalyst 3850 Feature Matrix
Cisco IOS Software Feature Set Differences
| Functions | LAN Base | IP Base | IP Services |
| Layer 2+ | Enterprise access Layer 2Wide range of Layer 2 access features for enterprise deployments supports Cisco StackPower technology | Complete Access Layer 2Supports all Cisco Catalyst 2000 and Cisco Catalyst 3000 Layer 2 features, including hot standby protocols | |
| Layer 3 | Static IP routing supportSupport for SVI | Enterprise access Layer 3RIP, EIGRP stub, OSPF for routed access, PBR, IPv4 & IPv6 EIGRP stub routing, WCCP, IPV6 uRPF, IPV6 PBR, VRRPv3, Policy Classification Engine, HSRP v6 | Complete access Layer 3OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, IS‑IS
VRF-lite |
| Multicast | IGMP | IPV4 & IPV6 PIM routing | |
| Mobility | Supports Cisco Unified Wireless Networking mobility architecture | Supports Cisco Converged Access mobility architecture with CAPWAP termination at the access | |
| Manageability | Basic manageabilitySupport for a wide range of MIBs, IPSLA Responder, and RSPAN, PnP, Autoconf, Interface Templates, Secure CDP | Enterprise access Layer 3, Flexible NetFlow for wired and wireless trafficEEM, GOLD-Lite, and Smart Install Director | |
| Security | Enterprise access securityDHCP Snooping, IPSG, DAI, PACLs, Cisco Identity 4.0, NAC and 802.1x features | Complete access securityRouter and VLAN ACLs, private VLANs, complete identity and security; TrustSec SXP and IEEE 802.1AE capable in hardware, Device Sensor | |
| QoS | Enterprise access QoSIngress policing, Trust Boundary, AutoQoS, and DSCP mapping | Complete access QoSSupport for all Cisco Catalyst 2000 and Cisco Catalyst 3000 QoS features, including per-VLAN policies | |
| Application Experience | Medianet (Perf Mon, Mediatrace, Metadata), mDNS | ||
| Interoperability | Cisco Prime™ Infrastructure 2.1 | Identity Services Engine (ISE 1.2/1.3), Mobility Services Engine (MSE 8.0), Improved WebUI | |
The Newest Cisco 3650 Model Comparison
You can notice that there are two more Cisco 3650 moles: WS-C3650-24PDM and WS-C3650-48FQM
Uplink Options of Cisco 3650 Series
4 x Gigabit Ethernet with Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) Uplinks
| Models | Total 10/100/1000 Ethernet Ports | Default AC Power Supply | Available PoE Power |
| WS-C3650-24TS | 24 | 250 WAC | – |
| WS-C3650-48TS | 48 | 250 WAC | – |
| WS-C3650-24PS | 24 PoE+ | 640 WAC | 390 W |
| WS-C3650-48PS | 48 PoE+ | 640 WAC | 390 W |
| WS-C3650-48FS | 48 PoE+ | 1025 WAC | 775 W |
2 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet with SFP+ (or 4 x Gigabit Ethernet with SFP) Uplinks
| Models | Total 10/100/1000 Ethernet Ports | Default AC Power Supply | Available PoE Power |
| WS-C3650-24TD | 24 | 250 WAC | – |
| WS-C3650-48TD | 48 | 250 WAC | – |
| WS-C3650-24PD | 24 PoE+ | 640 WAC | 390 W |
| WS-C3650-24PDM | 24 PoE+ | Fixed 640 WAC | 390W |
| WS-C3650-48PD | 48 PoE+ | 640 WAC | 390 W |
| WS-C3650-48FD | 48 PoE+ | 1025 WAC | 775 W |
4 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet with SFP+ (or 4 x Gigabit Ethernet with SFP) Uplinks
| Models | Total 10/100/1000 Ethernet Ports | Default AC Power Supply | Available PoE Power |
| WS-C3650-48TQ | 48 | 250 WAC | – |
| WS-C3650-48PQ | 48 PoE+ | 640 WAC | 390 W |
| WS-C3650-48FQM | 48 PoE+ | Fixed 975 WAC | 775 W |
| WS-C3650-48FQ | 48 PoE+ | 1025 WAC | 775 W |
More the latest updated information of Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series Switches, such as License and Warranty, Stacking, Power Supplies and PoE Support, Cisco IOS-XE Software and mobility you can read here…
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/catalyst-3650-series-switches/q-and-a-c67-729531.html
More Tips: All the Cisco 3650 models can be purchased with LAN Base, IP Base, or IP Services software. Customers need to purchase the IP Base or the IP Services software-enabled models in order to use the Catalyst 3650 Series Switch as a wireless controller.
More Related…
The New Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series Mini Switch
Cisco Switch Stacking Using a Couple of Cisco Catalyst 3650
Cisco Catalyst 3650 Model Comparison
New Catalyst 3650 Series, Main FEATURES, Comparisons, Modules and Supports
Cisco Catalyst 2960-X/XR vs. Catalyst 3650 vs. Cisco 3850 Series
