Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of MrRyszard
MrRyszard

asked on

Small Scale Network "Wall Mounted" cabinet for School (<16 ports) and possibly a 16 port Wireless router to put in it.

I'll try to somewhat briefly explain what I'm trying to accomplish...

I currently have a network with a mess of wires coming down from the ceiling tile in the corner of a central office. The current setup is as follows:

Internet connection going into the Internet port of a later model Linksys Router:
3 of the 4 ports are taken by pc's on the network.
The fourth port is feeding into a switch, also with four ports.

What I would ideally like to have is a neatly confined cabinet or something similar (as cheap as possible) to conceal the connections. The existing setup is just all of the above mentioned equipment stacked on top of a file cabinet, falling everywhere.

My challenge is that I need to have Wireless capabilities, and  7+ ports available, all in a neat/wall mounted package.

If possible I would like to get something ASAP, meaning I'm restricted from purchasing online, but do have a few stores in my area I can purchase from. www.microcenter.com has a Detroit/Madison Heights location and Best Buy is also always an option.

I'm VERY unfamiliar with rack systems and network cabinets so this will be my first large undertaking of this sort. I appreciate your help and thank you for your patience with this confusing situation.

(also I would like "plug and play" configuration as we currently have with the linksys router attached to a d-link switch)


Thanks in advance,

Ryszard
Avatar of nathan-whirlwind
nathan-whirlwind
Flag of United States of America image

I would try to go with an 8U wall mountable rack. Kendel Howard makes a nice one that we use in a lot of clients closets. Or you could bump up to a 16U rack and then you would have room to grow. Then to keep the wires all nice and tidy; I would recommend in getting some ICC jacks and ICC patch panel. What this would allow you to do is to keep your wires labled on the front side; instead of the wire side. Also, when using the ICC jacks and patch panel, it makes it easier to add wires as needed; and also is easier to crymp wires too. This is because it is each individual jack.

http://www.kendallhoward.com/Wall-Mount-Cabinets.aspx

http://www.icc.com/

This is what I would do if I where you. ICC is a little pricey, but it will be well worth it when you need to trouble shoot. In addition, it makes it look all pretty and professional.
Avatar of MrRyszard
MrRyszard

ASKER

Anything that would be available at a local "big box" store?
Can't see any wall mount racks on the site you linked to in the question, trouble is that racks are large and take up a lot of space so they're unlikely to be available in any shop although they may be able to order one for you.Not something you can get "off the shelf" because they don't fit on a shelf.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of aleghart
aleghart
Flag of United States of America image

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial