Serial console settings by vendor
Ninety percent of the network gear in the field talks to a console at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, no flow control. The exceptions are worth memorising: ArubaOS-CX runs at 115200, and a growing number of switches expose console over USB-C instead of RJ45. Parameters below come from vendor documentation for 17 device families across 5 vendors.
Default across most vendors
Quick reference
| Vendor | Baud | Framing | Flow | Console port | Models |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco | 9600 | 8N1 | none | RJ45 console (light-blue rollover cable); RJ45 console (rollover cable) | 6 |
| HP / Aruba | 9600 / 115200 | 8N1 | none | RJ45 console; USB-C console (most models); RJ45 console (console cable included) | 3 |
| Huawei | 9600 | 8N1 | none | RJ45 console (front panel, cable included); RJ45 console; RJ45 console (front or rear panel, cable included); RJ45 console (cable included) | 4 |
| Check Point | 9600 | 8N1 | none | Console port (RJ45 or USB-C depending on model; cable included); Console (USB or RJ45 depending on model) | 2 |
| Palo Alto Networks | 9600 | 8N1 | none | RJ45 console (DB9/RJ45 adapter included, or use a USB-to-serial adapter); RJ45 console (console cable included with M series) | 2 |
Framing is written as data bits / parity / stop bits. “N” means no parity. Every entry below is documented per model on its vendor page.
By vendor
Before you assume the device is dead
No output at all
Wrong cable (straight-through instead of rollover), wrong COM port, or a USB-to-serial adapter whose driver never bound. Blank output is a physical problem far more often than a speed problem.
Garbage characters
Speed mismatch. Move the terminal to 115200 — that single change resolves most “new switch is broken” calls on Aruba and a fair number on other platforms.
Output stops partway through boot
Some platforms go quiet before the login prompt. Press Enter at a few-second interval before you power-cycle anything.
Questions people actually ask
- What is the default console baud rate for network equipment?
- 9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, no flow control. This covers the overwhelming majority of Cisco, Huawei, Check Point and Palo Alto hardware, and ArubaOS-Switch.
- Which vendors do not use 9600?
- ArubaOS-CX (6200F, 6300, 6400, 8320, 8325, 8360) runs at 115200. Some legacy equipment uses 38400 or 57600. If a device shows garbage at 9600, try 115200 next.
- Why do I see garbage characters on the console?
- Almost always a baud-rate mismatch — the terminal is at a different speed than the device. Garbage rather than blank output narrows it down: blank means wrong cable or wrong port, garbage means wrong speed.
- Do I need a null modem adapter for a console port?
- Usually not. Modern RJ45 console ports use a rollover cable, which already crosses TX and RX. Adding a null modem adapter on top of a rollover lead is a common way to break the link.
Reading this at a rack, with no laptop?
PlugConsole turns a phone and an OTG serial cable into a browser terminal. Someone on site plugs in, you take the console from anywhere — no client software, no VPN, no drive to site. The settings on this page are built into the field console, so you pick the model and the parameters are already right.