Dell PowerSwitch N1548
The Dell PowerSwitch N1548 is a high-density 1U Layer 2+ access switch featuring 48 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports and four 10GbE SFP+ uplinks. Ideal for enterprise client wiring closets and branch office aggregations, the N1548 delivers cost-effective Gigabit endpoint connectivity, 10GbE fiber uplinks, and unified management across stacked units.
Also written as: PowerSwitch N1548, Dell N1548, N1548 48-Port Gigabit Switch
Specifications
| Brand | Dell |
|---|---|
| Family | PowerSwitch N-Series |
| Form factor | 1U switch |
| Released | May 2015 |
| Port configuration | 48x 1GbE RJ45 ports + 4x 10GbE SFP+ uplink ports |
| Switching capacity | 176 Gbps aggregate throughput (131 Mpps forwarding rate) |
| Operating system | Dell Networking OS6 with Layer 2+ enterprise feature set |
| Stacking | Stacking up to 4 switches via 10GbE SFP+ ports |
| Power supply | Integrated 40W AC power supply with temperature-controlled fan cooling |
Generations
- Next generation: Dell PowerSwitch N3248T-ON
Compatible parts
Transceivers
407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
407-BBOG Dell 16Gb Short Wave SFP+ Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
Rail kits
770-BCKW Dell ReadyRails II Sliding Rails for 2U PowerEdge Servers (B6)
Works together
How the Dell PowerSwitch N1548 connects to servers, storage and the network: 3 ways, with the parts and products on each path.
iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet
Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.
Servers
Dell PowerEdge C4130 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R230 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R330 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R930 4U rack
Dell PowerEdge R220 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R430 1U rack
Adapters for the server
540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
540-BBGP Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 OCP 3.0 Adapter
540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerProtect DD Data Domain DD9500 2U controller + shelves
Dell PowerProtect DD Data Domain DD2200 2U appliance
Dell PowerProtect DD Data Domain DD6300 2U appliance
Dell PowerProtect DD Data Domain DD6800 2U controller + shelves
Dell PowerProtect DD Data Domain DD9300 2U controller + shelves
Dell PowerProtect DD Data Domain DD9800 2U controller + shelves
Optics
407-BBOU Dell 10GbE SFP+ SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 300m MMF)- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
SFP-10G-LR-AR Arista 10GBASE-LR SFP+ Optical Transceiver Module
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Servers
- Dell PowerEdge C4130 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R230 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R330 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R930 4U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R220 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R430 1U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGP Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 OCP 3.0 Adapter
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
Storage
Dell Unity 300 2U rack
Dell Unity 300F 2U rack
Dell Unity 400 2U rack
Dell Unity 400F 2U rack
Dell Unity 500 2U rack
Dell Unity 500F 2U rack
Optics
- 407-BBOU Dell 10GbE SFP+ SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 300m MMF)
- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
- SFP-10G-LR-AR Arista 10GBASE-LR SFP+ Optical Transceiver Module
Hyperconverged cluster
Plan at least two 25GbE ports per node to two switches; all-NVMe clusters often move to 100GbE.
HCI nodes
Dell VxRail P Series P570F 2U rack (1 node)
Dell VxRail P570 2U rack
Dell VxRail S570 2U rack
Dell VxRail V570 2U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGP Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 OCP 3.0 Adapter
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
Optics
- 407-BBOU Dell 10GbE SFP+ SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 300m MMF)
- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
- SFP-10G-LR-AR Arista 10GBASE-LR SFP+ Optical Transceiver Module
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- iSCSI explained mrplanb.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- Network monitoring tools compared mrplanb.com
- Dell E-Lab Navigator (Dell interoperability) dell.com
Check compatibility with Dell
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Dell has tested with the Dell PowerSwitch N1548.
- Compatibility Dell E-Lab Navigator (storage and SAN interoperability) (free vendor sign-in)
- Support Dell Support: drivers, manuals and service tag lookup
Equivalent models from other brands
Buying a used PowerSwitch N1548: what to check
Inspect all 48 RJ45 ports for pin damage, verify 10GbE optical transceiver operation, check fan noise and thermals in OS6, and test management console port.
FAQ
Can the N1548 support Layer 3 routing?
The N1548 supports Layer 2+ functionality including static routing and RIP; for advanced OSPF/BGP routing, the N3000 series is recommended.
How many ports can be stacked together?
Up to four N1548 switches can be stacked for a total of 192 Gigabit ports managed as a single entity.
Buying or selling PowerSwitch N1548?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Dell PowerSwitch N1500 Series Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27