Cisco IE-4000-16GT4G-E – Rugged Gigabit Industrial Switch for Harsh, Always-On Networks

The Cisco IE-4000-16GT4G-E is a 20‑port Industrial Ethernet switch built for reliability at the edge. You get 16x 10/100/1000BASE‑T copper ports for machines and HMIs, plus 4x 1G SFP uplinks for fiber backhaul. From my experience, this model suits mid‑sized control panels where you need gigabit throughput, fast failover, and industrial protocols without the footprint of a full rack device.

One thing I appreciate is how the IE 4000 handles mixed environments—typical Layer 2 features (VLANs, MSTP/RSTP, QoS, IGMP) sit alongside industrial extras like IEEE 1588v2 PTP time sync and support for PROFINET/CIP visibility, so plant engineers and IT can both get what they need. It’s a non‑PoE variant, which in many cases keeps thermal load and power budgeting simpler in sealed cabinets.

Company’s Order Placement Process and Guarantees

• Warranty period: 365 days
• Delivery time: 1 week for in-stock; no more than one month at the latest
• Payment: 50% advance payment, full payment for delivery
• Express delivery: FedEx, UPS, DHL

Key Features

• 20-port Gigabit design: 16x 10/100/1000 RJ‑45 access ports for field devices, plus 4x 1G SFP uplinks for fiber rings or long‑distance runs.
• Industrial-grade build: Fanless, hardened components with wide temperature tolerance for substations, factory floors, and outdoor enclosures.
• Fast recovery and resilience: RSTP/MSTP and Cisco REP provide rapid ring convergence; dual DC power inputs add power redundancy.
• Time synchronization: IEEE 1588v2 PTP support (transparent/boundary modes) typically used with drives, motion controllers, and power systems.
• Security you can stage: 802.1X, port security, DHCP snooping, and ACLs help segment and protect cells without overcomplicating operations.
• Familiar management: Cisco IOS CLI, web device manager, SNMP; works well with Cisco management tools and, in many cases, Industrial Network Director.
• Non‑PoE for cooler cabinets: No PoE budget to manage; helpful where loads are sensitive to heat or you already power endpoints separately.

Technical Specifications

Related or Supporting Products

• Cisco IE-4000-8GT8G-E – 8 copper + 8 SFP mix; similar software, smaller copper count if you need more fiber flexibility.
• Cisco IE-3300-8T2S-E – More compact footprint; good when cabinet depth is tight and port count can be lower.
• Cisco IE-5000 series – Higher port density and aggregation roles at the cell/area level.
• Power supplies: PWR-IE65W-AC-DC or PWR-IE170W-AC-DC (select wattage based on load and redundancy design).
• SFP modules: GLC-SX-MMD (MMF, short‑range), GLC-LH-SMD (SMF, long‑range), GLC-TE (1G copper SFP) as needed.

Installation & Maintenance

Typical panel setup is straightforward: mount on DIN rail, provide dual DC feeds, and segregate field I/O cabling from fiber uplinks to keep noise down. In most cases, giving the switch 50 mm of side clearance improves thermal performance in sealed cabinets.

• Cabinet standards: Use IP54 or better for dusty/humid areas; maintain grounding per IEC/UL guidelines.
• Ventilation: Fanless design helps, but leave airflow space and avoid placing near high‑heat drives without a baffle plate.
• Wiring: Use ferrules on the terminal block; separate DC power and Ethernet bundles; shielded cables where EMI is heavy.
• Network design: Enable REP or MSTP for ring topologies; consider PTP boundary clocks for time‑sensitive lines.
• Maintenance: Periodic dust cleaning, check terminal screws for torque; back up configs. Firmware updates yearly (or per change window) typically keep security and protocol fixes current.
• Spare strategy: Keeping an identical spare on hand often cuts mean‑time‑to‑restore to under an hour.

Simulated customer feedback: “We replaced two older Fast Ethernet units with the IE‑4000‑16GT4G‑E. The PTP timing cleaned up our robot line jitter, and the dual DC feeds saved us during a panel PSU swap. Configuration felt familiar to our network team.”

Quality & Certifications

• Certifications: CE, UL/CSA listed, RoHS compliant (industrial series level). EMC and environmental standards typical for industrial deployments.
• Manufacturer policy: Cisco provides a limited hardware warranty on industrial switches (commonly 5‑year limited hardware warranty; terms can vary by region and support level).
• Our coverage: 365‑day warranty with advance replacement support aligned to the order terms above.

You might notice that the non‑PoE design and 4x SFP uplinks make this model a sweet spot for mid‑tier cells where fiber rings and clean thermal behavior matter more than powering endpoints. If you’re pairing with long‑run fiber or mixed copper, the SFP choice (SX vs. LX vs. copper SFP) is typically the only variable left to lock in.