atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Looking For A Good Zone/IDF Enclosure

I am in search of a good Zone or IDF enclosure.

It must be able to house at least 4 RMU worth of patch panels.

It must ALSO be able to house at least 4 RMU of active equipment (depth necessary, for switches, routers, etc.).

It must provide good access to behind the patch panels.

It must have room for fiber termination (at least 6-strand).

It must be lockable.

It needs to be shallow (it can't stick out very far from the wall, but can be wide or tall).

It should (preferably) be expandable.

So far, I've looked at Chatsworth, SWDP, and Hubbell.

I've used the one from Hubbell before, but if I remember correctly, it didn't offer a ton of space for active equipment. I think the patch panel would flip down for rear access.

I'm not impressed with what I see as available from Chatsworth, along these lines.

The Multi-Mount Zone Cabinet from SWDP looks interesting, but it looks like the only access to behind the patch panels is thru the side access panel, which seems like it could be a little tight once some cables have been installed.

Has anyone used anything that meets all or some of these requirements, or something that has just worked extremely well?

Bottom line is I'm looking for something to standardize on for numerous IDF's or small MDF's that doesn't take up a lot of space sticking out from the wall, as many of these locations are shared closets.

Thanks!

Justin

How many do you need?

Once we find a good one to standardize to, I could ultimately end up needing a dozen. At this point that would be hard to commit to, though.

Justin

Depending on how much depth you have, I have installed a bunch of Middle Atlantic swinging wall racks. They have a locking door, and swing off the wall for access to the back of th equipment. The only problem I see for your application is depth, I think the smaller ones are about 16" deep.

Try Great Lakes and Homoco.

Panduit has a wall mount locking cabinet that appears to meet all of your criteria.

https://www.panduit.com/search/sear...mp;N=5000001+451+3003018+&region=USA

There's also a Canadian company called Electron Metal (electronmetal.ca) that may have suitable products. Unfortunately their website is in the middle of being redesigned apparently, so I can't search their products.

I have used the Middle Atlantic swinging wall racks and the Chatsworth. Both are a good units and available in various sizes depending on your needs. The swinging racks seem to be a little better to work on. They are a little bit heavy so mount them to the studs when you install them and you will be Ok. I drilled out new holes to match the 16" centers and I have not had a problem. Remember that the weight of the devices inside also swing on the pivot point.