Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E 24-Port IP67 M12 Industrial Switch, Network Essentials
- Switch, L3, Managed, 20 × 100/10 (M12 D-Code) + 4 × 10/100/1000 (M12 X-Code), IP66/IP67 rugged, fanless, wall-mount, no PoE
Overview
The Cisco IE3500 Heavy Duty Series is the IP66/IP67-rated, M12-connector member of Cisco's newest and highest-scale rugged switch platform, wall-mounted without a housing cabinet for direct exposure to dust and water. The IE-3500H-20FT4T-E is the 24-port Fast Ethernet and Gigabit configuration at the Network Essentials tier. Both tiers of the IE3500H are Layer 3 and route with OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP, and policy-based routing at the Network Essentials tier. The otherwise-identical Network Advantage IE-3500H-20FT4T-A adds BGP, IS-IS, and EIGRP and SGT/SGACL Cisco TrustSec segmentation. SD-Access Fabric Edge is planned to be supported with a future Cisco IOS XE release. Cisco Cyber Vision and Secure Equipment Access licensing is not included at the Network Essentials tier, and because these IE-3500H models have a single power input and do not stack, resiliency comes from REP and MRP ring topologies.
Technical Details
The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E is a Layer 3 managed, fanless, IP66/IP67-rated industrial switch with twenty Fast Ethernet (M12 D-coded) ports and four Gigabit Ethernet (M12 X-coded) ports, running Cisco IOS XE with the perpetual Network Essentials license. It is sealed against dust and water and is wall-mounted without a housing cabinet. It forwards at line rate on all ports, holds up to 24,000 MAC addresses and 7,000 IPv4 routes, and includes IEEE 802.1Qbu/802.3br TSN frame-preemption for time-sensitive traffic. It carries no Power over Ethernet, so all ports are data-only. It is a Layer 3 switch with OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP, policy-based routing, and static routing; advanced protocols such as BGP, EIGRP, and IS-IS and Cisco TrustSec segmentation require the Network Advantage tier. Operating temperature is -40 °C to +75 °C with airflow, and power is a single DC input over an M12 mini-change connector. It is used for secure connectivity of industrial devices such as PLCs, HMIs, drives, machine-vision cameras, and sensors directly on factory floors, trackside, and outdoor sites exposed to dust and water.
Best For
The IE-3500H-20FT4T-E suits harsh, wet, or dusty industrial sites such as factory floors, trackside, and outdoor installations that connect industrial devices such as PLCs, HMIs, drives, and machine-vision cameras over Fast Ethernet and Gigabit M12 ports without a sealed housing cabinet. Its IP66/IP67 sealing, M12 connectors, fanless design, TSN frame-preemption, and -40 °C to +75 °C range let it mount directly in the environment. The Network Essentials license fits OSPF/RIP-routed segments; sites needing BGP/EIGRP, TrustSec segmentation, or SD-Access fabric should order the Network Advantage IE-3500H-20FT4T-A instead.
Not suitable if:
- you need BGP, EIGRP, or IS-IS routing, Cisco TrustSec segmentation, or SD-Access fabric edge, since those require the Network Advantage IE-3500H-20FT4T-A rather than this Network Essentials model
- you need all ports at Gigabit speed, since most ports on this model are 10/100 Fast Ethernet with only four Gigabit ports
- you need to power endpoints over the switch, since this configuration is data-only with no Power over Ethernet
- you need SFP fiber uplinks, since all ports on this configuration are fixed M12 copper (the IE-3500H-12P2MU2X configuration adds SFP ports)
- you need HSR or PRP lossless redundancy, since those are supported on the IE3505H variants rather than the IE-3500H models
IE-3500H-20FT4T-E Specifications
| Class & Licensing | |
|---|---|
| License Tier | Network Essentials |
| License Detail / MTBF | Network Essentials; MTBF 367,056 hours; IP66/IP67 rated |
| Ports & Uplinks | |
| Port Speed | Fast Ethernet + Gigabit |
| Uplink Configuration | None (all M12 ports; no dedicated SFP uplinks) |
| Performance & Scale | |
| Stacking | No |
| Switching Capacity | Not published |
| Forwarding Rate | Line rate (all ports, all packet sizes) |
| MAC Table | 24,000 |
| IPv4 Routes | 7,000 indirect routes |
| Hardware & Memory | |
| DRAM | 8 GB |
| Flash | 5.1 GB user accessible |
| Power & Thermal | |
| Power Input / PSU | Single DC input via M12 Mini-change connector, 12 V to 48 V DC (single input) |
| Redundant PSU | No (single power input) |
| Cooling | Fanless |
| Physical & Environmental | |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 9.6 x 13.9 x 3.2 in (24.3 x 35.3 x 8.0 cm) |
| Weight | 13.90 lbs (6.30 kg) |
| Operating Temperature | -40°C to +75°C (with 200 LFM airflow) |
| Operating System | Cisco IOS XE |
| Software | |
| Routing Protocols | Inter-VLAN, static, OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP, PBR |
Part Number Decode
- IE-3500H — IE-3500H is the platform prefix, identifying the Cisco IE3500 Heavy Duty Series, an IP66/IP67-rated M12-connector industrial switch deployed without a housing cabinet.
- 20FT — 20FT indicates twenty Fast Ethernet ports on M12 D-coded connectors.
- 4T — 4T indicates four Gigabit Ethernet ports on M12 X-coded connectors.
- E — E is the license suffix for the perpetual Network Essentials tier, which provides Layer 3 routing with OSPF, RIP, and policy-based routing.
IE-3500H-20FT4T-E Accessories
| SKU / Part Number | Description |
| SD-IE-16GB | IE 16GB SD memory card for configs/logs/firmware |
| CAB-CONSOLE-M12= | Console cable 1.8 m, M12 A-coded ↔ DB9F |
| SKU / Part Number | Description |
| IE3500-NW-A= | Network Advantage perpetual license (feature upgrade) |
| IE3500-DNA-E-3Y | Cisco DNA Essentials 3-Year term |
| IE3500-DNA-E-5Y | Cisco DNA Essentials 5-Year term |
| IE3500-DNA-E-7Y | Cisco DNA Essentials 7-Year term |
| IE3500-DNA-A-3Y | Cisco DNA Advantage 3-Year term |
| IE3500-DNA-A-5Y | Cisco DNA Advantage 5-Year term |
| IE3500-DNA-A-7Y | Cisco DNA Advantage 7-Year term |
| Item | Details |
| M12 D-coded industrial Ethernet cable | Data cable for 100M FE ports (4-pin, IP67) |
| M12 X-coded industrial Ethernet cable | Data cable for 1G GE ports (8-pin, Cat6A, IP67) |
| Alarm cable (field) | M12 A-coded 5-pin connector |
| Console connector | M12 A-coded 5-pin (use CAB-CONSOLE-M12=) |
| SKU / Part Number | Description |
| 130006-0737 | 4-pin female → pigtail, 16 AWG, PVC (switch DC power input) |
| 130010-0863 | 4-pin male ↔ female, 16 AWG, TPE (PSU output ↔ switch input) |
| 130006-0223 | 3-pin female → pigtail, 16 AWG, PVC (AC power supply input) |
| 130006-0091 | 2-pin female → open end (DC power supply input) |
FAQ
Does the Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E support PoE?
No. The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E is a data-only switch, and its M12 ports do not source Power over Ethernet. For Power over Ethernet in the same series, Cisco offers the IE-3500H-14P2T (PoE/PoE+, 240 W) and the IE-3500H-12P2MU2X (PoE plus 802.3bt 4PPoE on its multigigabit ports).
What are the IP rating and environmental specifications of the IE-3500H-20FT4T-E?
The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E is rated IP66 and IP67, meaning it is dust-tight and protected against water submersion, so it can be wall-mounted directly in harsh environments without a housing cabinet. It uses M12 connectors (X-coded for Gigabit, D-coded for Fast Ethernet, and a mini-change connector for power), is fanless and convection-cooled, and operates from -40 °C to +75 °C with airflow. It is powered by a single DC input.
Can the Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E be stacked, and is its power redundant?
No. The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E does not support stacking, and it has a single power input rather than dual redundant power supplies. Multiple units are managed as individual switches. Network-layer resiliency is supported through REP and MRP. DLR is supported only on IE3505H variants, not on the IE-3500H-20FT4T-E. The HSR and PRP lossless-redundancy protocols are available on the separate IE3505H variants, not on the IE-3500H models.
What is the difference between the IE-3500H-20FT4T-E and the IE-3500H-20FT4T-A?
The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E and IE-3500H-20FT4T-A are the same IP67 M12 hardware and identical performance, and differ only in license tier. Both are Layer 3 switches that route with OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP, and policy-based routing. The IE-3500H-20FT4T-E ships with perpetual Network Essentials. The IE-3500H-20FT4T-A ships with perpetual Network Advantage, which adds BGP, IS-IS, EIGRP, and HSRP routing, VRF-lite, SGT/SGACL Cisco TrustSec segmentation, and MACsec-256. SD-Access Fabric Edge is planned to be supported with a future Cisco IOS XE release. Choose the IE-3500H-20FT4T-E when OSPF or RIP routing is sufficient and TrustSec segmentation and SD-Access fabric are not required.
Is the Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E a Layer 3 switch?
Yes. The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E is a Layer 3 switch at the Network Essentials tier: it runs OSPF, OSPFv3, RIP, and policy-based routing along with inter-VLAN and static routing, and holds up to 7,000 IPv4 routes. Advanced protocols such as BGP, IS-IS, and EIGRP and Cisco TrustSec segmentation require the Network Advantage IE-3500H-20FT4T-A.
Does the IE-3500H-20FT4T-E require a subscription to operate?
No. The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E runs on its perpetual Network Essentials license indefinitely, and no subscription is required to operate. The switch runs on a perpetual Network Essentials license. Cisco Cyber Vision and Secure Equipment Access licensing is not included as part of the Network Essentials tier. Optional Cisco Catalyst Center licenses add discovery, assurance, and automation; the Catalyst Center Advantage tier also requires Network Advantage. These are management add-ons and do not change the switch network feature tier.
Is the Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E end of life?
No. The Cisco IE3500 Heavy Duty Series is a newly introduced product, and Cisco has published no End-of-Sale or End-of-Life notice for the series or the IE-3500H-20FT4T-E. It is a current-generation switch running Cisco IOS XE and carries a five-year limited hardware warranty from Cisco.
What condition is the IE-3500H-20FT4T-E sold in, and what warranty applies?
The Cisco IE3500H IE-3500H-20FT4T-E is sold new and factory-sealed. It is covered by a Network Devices Inc. one-year warranty and a 30-day return policy.
