Dell PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON
The Dell PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON is an enterprise 1U multi-gigabit access switch featuring 48 multi-speed copper ports (1G/2.5G/5G/10G) with 90W 802.3bt PoE and four 25GbE SFP28 uplinks. Engineered to power next-generation Wi-Fi 6E/7 access points, smart building LED lighting, and high-performance digital displays, the N3248PXE-ON provides multi-gigabit speeds over existing twisted-pair cabling.
Also written as: PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON, Dell N3248PXE-ON, N3248PXE Multi-Gigabit 90W PoE Switch
Specifications
| Brand | Dell |
|---|---|
| Family | PowerSwitch N-Series |
| Form factor | 1U switch |
| Released | Apr 2020 |
| Port configuration | 48x multi-gigabit RJ45 ports (up to 10GBASE-T) with 802.3bt Type 4 90W PoE + 4x 25GbE SFP28 uplinks |
| Poe budget | Up to 90W per port (IEEE 802.3bt), up to 3000W total PoE budget with dual high-output power supplies |
| Switching capacity | 1.36 Tbps aggregate throughput (1012 Mpps forwarding rate) |
| Operating system | ONIE; supports Dell SmartFabric OS10 with full Layer 3 routing |
| Power supply | Hot-swappable redundant 1600W AC power supplies |
Compatible parts
Transceivers
407-BCBI Dell 32Gb Short Wave SFP28 Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
Rail kits
770-BCKW Dell ReadyRails II Sliding Rails for 2U PowerEdge Servers (B6)
Works together
How the Dell PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON 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 R6525 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R7525 2U rack
Dell PowerEdge R250 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R350 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R450 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R550 2U rack
Adapters for the server
540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
540-BBHB Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Mezzanine Network Adapter
540-BBJL Dell Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BCND Dell Mellanox ConnectX-6 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 PCIe Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 1000X 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 3000T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 3000X 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 5000T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 5000X 2U rack
Optics
- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
SFP-25G-LR-AR Arista 25GBASE-LR SFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
SFP-25G-SR Arista 25GBASE-SR SFP28 Optical Transceiver
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 R6525 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R7525 2U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R250 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R350 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R450 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R550 2U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
- 540-BBHB Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Mezzanine Network Adapter
- 540-BBJL Dell Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
- 540-BCND Dell Mellanox ConnectX-6 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 PCIe Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerScale F200 1U rack
Dell PowerScale F600 1U rack- Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U rack
- Dell PowerStore 1000X 2U rack
- Dell PowerStore 3000T 2U rack
- Dell PowerStore 5000T 2U rack
Optics
- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
- SFP-25G-LR-AR Arista 25GBASE-LR SFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
- SFP-25G-SR Arista 25GBASE-SR SFP28 Optical Transceiver
Hyperconverged cluster
Plan at least two 25GbE ports per node to two switches; all-NVMe clusters often move to 100GbE.
HCI nodes
Dell VxRail D560 1U short-depth rack
Dell VxRail D560F 1U short-depth rack
Dell VxRail E660 1U rack
Dell VxRail E660F 1U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
- 540-BBHB Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Mezzanine Network Adapter
- 540-BBJL Dell Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
- 540-BCND Dell Mellanox ConnectX-6 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 PCIe Adapter
Optics
- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
- SFP-25G-LR-AR Arista 25GBASE-LR SFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
- SFP-25G-SR Arista 25GBASE-SR SFP28 Optical Transceiver
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 N3248PXE-ON.
- 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 N3248PXE-ON: what to check
Test 90W 802.3bt PoE delivery across ports using appropriate load testers, test 25GbE SFP28 uplink optics, verify dual 1600W power supplies on 208V+ circuits, and check OS10 licenses.
FAQ
What is 802.3bt Type 4 PoE?
802.3bt Type 4 delivers up to 90W of DC power per port, enabling power for PTZ cameras, digital signage, and smart building sensors.
What port speeds are supported on the copper ports?
100Mbps, 1Gbps, 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps, and 10Gbps auto-negotiating multi-gigabit rates.
Buying or selling PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON?
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 N3200-ON Series Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27