Aruba 1930 vs 1960: 7 Essential Differences and the Best Switch for Your Office

Aruba 1930 vs 1960 comes down to growth: the 1930 is a standalone smart-managed Gigabit switch with fiber uplinks and 30 W PoE, while the 1960 adds stacking for up to four switches, 10GBASE-T copper uplinks and 60 W Class 6 PoE ports. Choose the 1930 for a single closet and the 1960 for a network you expect to expand.

Last updated: October 5, 2026

Jazz Cyber Shield is a US-based reseller of networking and cybersecurity hardware, and the Aruba 1930 vs 1960 question is one we hear every week from offices shopping for HPE Aruba switches for small and midsize businesses. Both series look alike on a quote. The differences show up later, when you add a second switch, a faster NAS or a hungrier access point.

What is the difference between the Aruba 1930 and the 1960?

The 1930 is HPE’s standalone smart-managed Gigabit series, and the 1960 is its stackable sibling with copper 10G uplinks and higher-power PoE. Both offer VLANs, link aggregation, IPv4 static routing and the same Instant On management tools.

A note on names: HPE now sells these as the HPE Networking Instant On Switch Series 1930 and 1960. Buyers still search for Aruba 1930 vs 1960, so we use the familiar name here.

Aruba 1930 vs 1960: how do the specifications compare?

The two series share Gigabit access ports and the same 128 Gbps switching capacity at 24 ports, so raw speed is not the deciding factor. Stacking, uplink type and PoE class are. This Aruba 1930 vs 1960 table summarises HPE’s QuickSpecs.

Sources: HPE Networking Instant On Switch 1930 QuickSpecs and HPE Networking Instant On Switch 1960 QuickSpecs.

What are the 7 essential differences?

Seven differences decide most Aruba 1930 vs 1960 purchases: stacking, uplinks, PoE, model range, Layer 3 scale, noise and mounting.

1. Does the 1930 stack like the 1960?

No. HPE’s cloud-managed stacking documentation states that the feature is supported only on Instant On 1960 Series switches, and the 1930 QuickSpecs list no stacking feature at all.

A 1960 stack holds two to four switches. Members connect in a chain or ring over Cat 6A copper, fiber or DAC cables, and access and aggregation models can be mixed.

HPE states that a full stack runs up to 208 ports, including 16 10G uplink ports, as one switch with a single IP address. In the Aruba 1930 vs 1960 decision, this is the clearest dividing line. Several 1930 switches can share a network, but each remains its own device.

2. Which uplinks do you get: fiber SFP+ or copper 10GBASE-T?

For uplinks, Aruba 1930 vs 1960 is a choice between all-fiber and a fiber-copper mix. The 24- and 48-port 1930 models have four 1G/10G SFP+ ports, while 1960 access models have two SFP+ 10GbE ports and two 10GBASE-T copper ports.

That copper pair matters. A NAS, server or firewall with a 10GBASE-T interface plugs straight into a 1960 with a Cat 6A patch cable. On a 1930, every 10G connection needs a transceiver or DAC cable in an SFP+ port.

The 8-port 1930 models have two 1G SFP ports, so the smallest switches in the series have no 10G uplink.

3. Aruba 1930 vs 1960 PoE: which one powers more devices?

The 1960 does, both per port and in total. The 1930 provides Class 4 PoE at up to 30 W per port, while 1960 PoE models add Class 6 ports that deliver up to 60 W.

• 1930, 8-port PoE: 124 W
• 1930, 24-port PoE: 195 W or 370 W, depending on the model
• 1930, 48-port PoE: 370 W
• 1960, 24-port PoE: 370 W across 20 Class 4 and 4 Class 6 ports
• 1960, 48-port PoE: 600 W across 40 Class 4 and 8 Class 6 ports

The 48-port Aruba 1930 vs 1960 comparison is the one to watch. A 48-port 1930 shares 370 W across its ports, while the 48-port 1960 has 600 W. If most ports will power something, that gap is the whole decision.

4. Which port counts and special models exist?

Only the 1930 comes in 8-port sizes, and only the 1960 includes a 10G aggregation switch and a multi-gig PoE switch. At the edges of the range, Aruba 1930 vs 1960 stops being like-for-like.

The 1960 aggregation model, JL805A, has 12 100/1000/10GBASE-T ports and four SFP+ 10GbE ports, with 320 Gbps of switching capacity. It sits above access switches or connects 10G servers and storage.

5. How far do routing and access control scale?

On routing, Aruba 1930 vs 1960 is a tie at the access layer: both support up to 32 IPv4 static routes.

The gap opens with the 1960 aggregation model, which supports up to 512 static routes and 32 VLAN routing interfaces. The 1960 also lists 100 inbound IPv4 and MAC ACLs against 50 on the 1930.

6. Which models are fanless?

For noise, Aruba 1930 vs 1960 favors the 1930. HPE lists a fanless design for both 8-port 1930 models and for the 24- and 48-port non-PoE models.

In the 1960 series, only the 24-port non-PoE switch, JL806A, is fan-free. So a 48-port non-PoE 1930 is silent, while its 1960 counterpart has fans. That matters when the switch sits in an open office.

7. How do mounting and placement differ?

Every 1960 mounts in a standard 19-inch rack. Every 1930 does too, with one exception: the 8-port non-PoE JL680A, a desk or wall unit powered by an external adapter.

Aruba 1930 vs 1960 also differs in where the switch can live. All 1930 switches support wall-mounting, so an 8-port unit suits a retail counter or classroom.

What is the same on both series?

Management, licensing, warranty and the core Layer 2 feature set are the same.

• No recurring fees. HPE states that all features are included in the price of the hardware, with no subscription or licensing fees.
• Warranty. Both carry a limited lifetime warranty, with 24×7 phone support for the first 90 days and chat support for the entire warranty period.
• Management. Both run from the Instant On mobile app and cloud portal, or from a local web GUI.
• Layer 2 features. Both list STP, RSTP and MSTP, jumbo frames up to 9216 bytes, IEEE 802.1X and link aggregation with up to eight ports per trunk.

This is why Aruba 1930 vs 1960 is rarely about features you can tick off on a list. It is about physical design: how the switches connect to each other, to 10G devices and to powered endpoints.

Which models are in each series?

HPE lists seven 1930 models and six 1960 models. Use these tables as your Aruba 1930 vs 1960 part-number reference when you check a quote.

Instant On 1930 models

HPE’s installation guide lists the three larger PoE models with both A and B suffixes, so you may see either on a quote. Our write-up of the HPE 1930 24G PoE switch (JL684A) covers one of them in depth.

Instant On 1960 models

Every model below has two 10GBASE-T and two SFP+ uplinks, except the JL805A aggregation switch, which has four SFP+ 10GbE ports.

For a closer look at one of these, see our Aruba Instant On 1960 JL808A review, or browse the HPE Aruba switch range at Jazz Cyber Shield.

Aruba 1930 vs 1960: which switch fits your office?

Pick the 1930 when one switch per location will do. Pick the 1960 when switches must act together, or when you need copper 10G or more than 30 W on a port. Four Aruba 1930 vs 1960 scenarios cover most offices we quote for.

One closet, Gigabit devices only

Choose the 1930. A single 24- or 48-port 1930 gives you Gigabit access, 10G SFP+ uplinks and VLANs to separate staff, guest and voice traffic.

Two closets, or growth you can already see

Choose the 1960. If you expect to add a second or third switch, a stack lets you manage them as one unit with one IP address. A ring topology gives the stack a second path if one stacking link fails.

A NAS or server with copper 10G

Choose the 1960. Its 10GBASE-T ports take a Cat 6A patch cable, so backups run at 10G without optics. For several 10G devices, the JL805A aggregation switch adds 12 copper 10G ports.

Devices that need more than 30 W

Choose the 1960. Some pan-tilt-zoom cameras and high-end access points ask for more power than Class 4 delivers. If a datasheet calls for Class 6, only the 1960 PoE models can supply it.

Still choosing wireless hardware? Compare the power class of each model in our business Wi-Fi access points category before you settle on a switch.

If Aruba 1930 vs 1960 is still a toss-up, ask one question: will this switch ever need a partner? If the honest answer is yes, the 1960 saves you from replacing hardware later.

How do you size the PoE budget correctly?

Add up the maximum draw of every powered device, compare the total with the switch budget, and leave headroom. Port count alone tells you nothing about how many devices a switch can power.

1. List every powered device. Phones, access points, cameras, door controllers and anything else that takes power from the switch.
2. Find each device’s PoE class. The datasheet states it. Class 4 means up to 30 W at the switch port, and Class 6 means up to 60 W.
3. Work out the worst case. Multiply device count by class maximum. Twelve Class 4 devices at 30 W could draw 360 W, which fits a 370 W budget. Sixteen could ask for 480 W, which does not.
4. Count Class 6 ports separately. On the 24-port 1960, four ports are Class 6, and HPE states the switch delivers up to 240 W of Class 6 power within its 370 W total.

Real devices often draw less than their class maximum, so this figure is deliberately cautious. If it lands close to the budget, move up a model.

On PoE alone, the Aruba 1930 vs 1960 gap is widest at 48 ports. A floor of phones on a 48-port 1930 is usually fine. A floor of cameras and access points is a case for the 600 W 1960.

How do you set up and manage each series?

Management is the one area where Aruba 1930 vs 1960 makes no difference. Both use the Instant On cloud portal and mobile app, or a local web GUI. You choose one mode per switch, and that choice is harder to reverse than most buyers expect.

Once local management is selected, the switch cannot be onboarded or managed from the Instant On mobile app or web interface. To move to cloud management, you must reset it to factory default. Read HPE’s local management guide for Instant On switches before you decide.

First-time setup, step by step

1. Connect the switch to a network with DHCP. It picks up an address automatically.
2. Choose a mode on the landing page: cloud portal or local web GUI.
3. For local management, log in with the default username admin, which has no password by default, and set one straight away.
4. With no DHCP available, wait. The switch falls back to 192.168.1.1 after 120 seconds.
5. Create your VLANs first, then assign ports. The 1930 supports up to 256 VLANs.

How does a 1960 stack work in the cloud portal?

Each stack has a Conductor, a Backup and, in larger stacks, Members. The Conductor carries the uplink and provides Layer 3 services, and the Backup takes over if the Conductor fails.

Stacking links can use 1G, 2.5G or 10G ports. The full procedure is in HPE’s cloud-managed stacking documentation.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Most regrets come from buying on port count and price alone. These are the mistakes we see most often when customers compare Aruba 1930 vs 1960 quotes.

• Assuming the 1930 can stack. It cannot join a stack, so plan for separately managed switches or buy the 1960.
• Forgetting the cost of optics. Every 10G link on a 1930 needs an SFP+ transceiver or DAC cable. Add them to the quote before comparing totals.
• Reading 48 ports as 48 powered devices. A 370 W budget will not run 48 devices at full Class 4 power.
• Expecting dynamic routing. Both series are documented with IPv4 static routing. If your design needs more, look at fully managed enterprise network switches instead.

Comparing vendors as well? Our HPE Aruba vs Cisco switches comparison looks at the wider picture.

Aruba 1930 vs 1960: frequently asked questions

Where can you get the right switch?

Start with the number of switches you will need in three years, the 10G devices you plan to connect and the power class of your endpoints. Those three answers settle Aruba 1930 vs 1960 for almost every office.

Sources

• HPE Networking Instant On 1930 Switch Series product page
• HPE Networking Instant On 1960 Switch Series product page
• HPE QuickSpecs, stacking and local management documentation, and installation guides for both series (linked above)