Netgear M4300 vs M4500: Which Switch Series Fits Your Enterprise Network?

When choosing between Netgear M4300 and M4500 switches, IT teams often find overlapping specifications but very different deployment purposes. Both families deliver reliable 10G and 100G connectivity, but their design intent, scalability, and management depth vary considerably.
This guide breaks down the differences and helps you decide which series fits best in your enterprise, campus, or data center architecture.

⚙️ Netgear M4300 Series – Modular and Flexible for Core & Edge

The Netgear M4300 series is engineered for mid-sized enterprises, branch offices, and AV-over-IP environments that require balanced performance and quiet operation. These are Layer-3 stackable managed switches with flexible port configurations ranging from Gigabit to 10-Gigabit speeds.

Key Highlights

• Non-blocking 10G switching fabric.

• Stack up to 8 units via copper or fiber.

• PoE+ options for powering access points and IP cameras.

• Simple GUI or CLI management for quick setup.

Recommended Models to Check

For enterprise deployments or AV environments:

• Netgear XSM4348CS-100NES – 48-port 10G Layer-3 stackable switch with mixed copper and SFP+ ports.

• Netgear XSM4348S-100NES – 48-port SFP+ 10G managed switch ideal for fiber-dense backbones.

• Netgear XSM4324-100NES – 24-port 10G Layer-3 switch suited for compact or branch-core deployments.

⚙️ Netgear M4500 Series – Built for 100G and High-Density Data Centers

Stepping up to the M4500 family introduces 100-Gigabit uplinks, 25G access ports, and advanced multicast control, making it ideal for large-scale data centers and AV broadcast networks.
These switches are designed for low-latency switching, spine-and-leaf architectures, and environments demanding predictable high bandwidth.

Key Highlights

• 10G/25G access with 100G uplinks.

• 3.6 Tbps switching fabric with ultra-low latency.

• Designed for high-availability campus or virtualization backbones.

• Full automation via CLI, REST API, and Netgear Insight.

Featured Models

• Netgear XSM4556-100NAS – 48-port 25G access switch with 100G uplinks for high-density data centers.

• Netgear CSM4532-100NAS – 32-port 100G spine switch built for scalable core and aggregation layers.

These units provide the bandwidth headroom and redundancy essential for next-generation enterprise networks.