Cisco Industrial Ethernet 4000 Switches

About the Cisco Industrial Ethernet 4000 Series

The Cisco Industrial Ethernet 4000 (IE 4000) Series sits one step above the IE 2000 in the industrial line-up. It is the family you move to when the plant network has outgrown Fast Ethernet: the IE 4000 introduces Gigabit access ports, higher port densities, and a PoE portfolio broad enough to power cameras, wireless access points and IP phones out on the factory floor.

Mechanically it is built for the same environments as the rest of the industrial range — DIN-rail or rack mounting inside a control cabinet, wide operating temperature, no fans — but the port mix is where the choice lies. Three port families appear across the range:

• Copper (T / GT) — RJ45 access ports, either 10/100 (Fast Ethernet) or 10/100/1000 (Gigabit).
• Fibre (S / GS) — SFP access ports, for runs that would exceed copper distance limits or that need electrical isolation between cabinets.
• Combo (GC / TC) — combined copper-and-SFP ports, so the same port can take either media.

All models carry four 1G combo uplinks, run the LAN Base software image with the full industrial Layer 2 feature set — including ring resiliency protocols used in substation and process networks — and support the standard Catalyst CLI that your engineers already know from the 9200 and 9300.

How to Choose a Cisco IE 4000 Switch

1. Fast Ethernet or Gigabit access?

This is the first decision, and it is a cost decision. Models with T in the port designator are 10/100; models with GT are 10/100/1000. Fast Ethernet remains adequate for many plant devices — PLCs, drives, sensors, HMIs — but if the same switch will also carry cameras, access points or engineering workstations, go Gigabit.

2. Copper or fibre access ports?

Choose S / GS models where the field devices connect over fibre, where cabinets are far apart, or where electrical isolation is required between zones. Choose combo (GC) models where you want the flexibility to decide media per port at installation time.

3. How many ports, and how much PoE?

The range runs from 4-port to 24-port. PoE is offered in two ways: a handful of PoE ports alongside non-PoE ports (4P, 8P models) or a fully PoE-populated access switch (IE 4010). Work out the total draw of the powered devices first — an industrial 802.11 access point or a heated camera enclosure can pull close to the full 30 W — then pick a model with headroom.

4. How many uplinks do you need?

Every IE 4000 ships with four 1G combo uplinks. That is enough for a redundant fibre ring plus two spare, which covers the usual industrial ring topology.

5. IE 4000 or IE 4010?

The IE 4010 models are the highest-density members of the family: IE-4010-16S12P offers 16 x 1G SFP plus 12 x 10/100/1000 ports, and IE-4010-4S24P offers 4 x 1G SFP plus 24 Gigabit PoE ports. Where a single cabinet has to terminate a whole production line, these two carry the load. For smaller nodes, the standard IE 4000 models are cheaper and draw less power.

Cisco IE 4000 Model Comparison

Prices are our current selling prices in US dollars, excluding shipping. Click a model number for the full specification table and availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the IE 2000 and the IE 4000?

Speed and density. The IE 2000 is a Fast Ethernet access platform with up to 24 Fast Ethernet ports, aimed at small nodes where endpoints are low-bandwidth. The IE 4000 adds Gigabit access ports, higher port counts and a broader PoE range — it is the right family once the plant network carries cameras, wireless or engineering traffic. Both are DIN-rail industrial switches running the same CLI.

Which IE 4000 models provide PoE?

Models with a P in the port designator. In this range that means IE-4000-4S8P4G-E (8 PoE), IE-4000-4T4P4G-E (4 PoE), IE-4000-4GC4GP4G-E (4 PoE), IE-4000-4GS8GP4G-E (8 PoE), IE-4000-8GT8GP4G-E (8 PoE) and IE-4010-4S24P (24 PoE). Models without a P are non-PoE.

What software image do these switches run?

The LAN Base image, which carries the full Layer 2 feature set required in industrial networks — VLANs, Spanning Tree and the ring resiliency protocols, QoS, ACLs and the standard industrial management features. There is no Essentials/Advantage tier to choose between on this range.

What are the IE 4010 models for?

They are the high-density members of the family — IE-4010-16S12P with 16 x 1G SFP plus 12 x Gigabit ports, and IE-4010-4S24P with 4 x 1G SFP plus 24 x Gigabit PoE ports. Choose them where one cabinet must terminate a whole production line or a large number of field devices.

Can these switches be used in a ring topology?

Yes — the four 1G combo uplinks on every model are normally used to build the redundant fibre ring that industrial networks rely on, with two uplinks carrying the ring and two spare for expansion or a second path. Ring resiliency is part of the LAN Base image.

Do you supply the SFP transceivers and power supplies?

Yes. Tell us the port mix and the distances between cabinets and we will quote the matching industrial transceivers, DIN-rail power supplies and cabling with the switches.