As mentioned in our previous post, Types of Racks, Fixtures, and Cable Access Designs, a hinged wall mount rack is one of the many different cabinets and racks that rotate the mounting rails to access the cabling in the back. Hinged wall mount racks are often used to maintain a traditional front forward look, while improving the rear cabling access capability. Although Hinged Wall Mount Racks can have a lower weight capacity than their standard wall mount rack counterparts, the benefit for easy rear access is substantial.

If the weight capacities do not meet your needs, check out our previous article on the Advantages of Side Mount Wall Racks.

If you only need a few rack units, check out NavePoint 4U Vertical Wallmount Rack and cabinets such as NavePoint 5U Vertical Wall Mount Rack Enclosure - 36 Inch Server Depth that is also great for gaining rear access.

Rear Access

The significant advantage of hinged wall mount cabinets is securing equipment while maintaining ease of access for maintenance. The design is gaining popularity for telecommunications setups used in office spaces, conference rooms, classrooms, or public spaces where floor space is limited. Having rear access can potentially save you hours of maintenance time in the long run. Often, hinged wall mount racks are designed to swing from either direction, while the hinged wall mount cabinets are designed to swing from only one direction.

Cable Management

Unlike standard wall mount cabinets, you need to reserve extra length for cables to extend in hinged racks and cabinets when the unit swings open. The best cable management practice for hinged cabinets or racks is to route all cabling to the hinge’s corner so the cables will rotate with the cabinet as it opens. However, sometime the cables might not be long enough for the route described. If that is the case, there are additional ways to ensure your cables are long enough.

One method is to cut the cable lengths when the hinged cabinet is fully opened. This would help you visualize your cable length in the worst-case scenario.

The safest method for those that prepare their cables before assembling the system, would be reserving an extra 48” of cable to ensure your cable is long enough for when the cabinet is fully opened.

How to Choose a Hinged Wall Mount Cabinet or Rack

Like choosing other wall mount racks, consumers should keep in mind their setup’s rack units, equipment depths, weight capacity, and wall mount anchor locations. Furthermore, consumers should beware of the hinged wall mount cabinet or rack’s turning radius and maximum mounting depth vs. maximum equipment depth.

Weight Capacity Limitations

Unlike standard wall mount cabinets, hinged wall mount cabinets need to support the equipment load with two corners when the cabinet is rotated to allow rear access. Therefore, hinged wall mount cabinets often have lower weight capacities than their standard cabinet counterpart.

Most NavePoint Hinged Wall Mount Cabinets have a weight capacity of 150 lbs. while the Hinged Wall Mount Racks have a weight capacity of 110 lbs. These weight capacities should be sufficient to support most wall mount applications.

Turning Radius

Unlike swing gate racks like NavePoint 12U Swing Gate Wallmount Rack with 24in Depth, hinged wall mount cabinets require space on the turning side to rotate the rack. For example, NavePoint 12U Hinged Open Frame Wall-Mount Network Rack 22in Depth needs an extra 22” of space when the rack is fully opened. Check out the details spec sheet drawings for more information.

Maximum Mounting Depth vs. Maximum Equipment Depth

Unlike most other cabinet designs, Hinged Wall Mount Cabinets have two different depths to consider, a maximum mounting depth and maximum equipment depth.

Figure 1

As shown in Figure 1 above, you can see the mounting depth (Red) is shorter than the equipment depth (Purple). The mounting depth is essential for equipment requiring 4-post fixturing like NavePoint 1U Vented 4-Post Shelf 14" (350mm) Deep.

The extra room from the equipment depth (Purple) can be used for 2-post fixturing equipment such as the NavePoint 2U Vented Cantilever Shelf 18" (460mm) Deep with Lip with room for connectors to stick out.

Example: The maximum equipment depth on NavePoint’s Hinged Open Frame Wall-Mount Network Racks is nearly 3” longer than the maximum mounting depth.

Example: The maximum equipment depth on NavePoint’s Hinged Swing-Out Cabinets is nearly 4” longer than the maximum mounting depth.

Summary

The significant advantage of hinged wall mount cabinets is the ability to secure equipment while maintaining ease of access for maintenance, which could save you hours of servicing in the long run. When choosing a hinged wall-mount rack and cabinet consumers should beware of the turning radius and the difference between the maximum mounting depth and the maximum equipment depth, in addition to the standard limitations such as rack units, equipment depths, weight capacity, and wall mount anchor locations.

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