NavePoint 12U Wall-Mount Open-Frame Rack Review

The frame is built from 0.06 in (1.5 mm) SPCC cold-rolled steel with a black finish, and buyers on Amazon most often praise how sturdy and well-constructed it feels. The large majority of ratings are four or five stars.

Two rail formats in one rack

One rail side has threaded holes, so a screw goes straight in without a cage nut. The other side has universal square holes, the standard cutout for cage-nut mounting. You can mount equipment either way, or mix the two across the rack, which is the feature that sets this frame apart from a plain threaded rack.

Open frame for airflow and access

There is no side panel or door, so air moves through the gear and you can reach the front and both sides of a device without unbolting anything. For a switch that runs warm or a patch panel you re-cable often, that access matters more than a closed box would.

12U in a small wall footprint

The rack measures 16 inches deep, 20 inches wide and 24.15 inches high, so it takes little wall space and leaves the floor clear. Two-post wall mounting is what keeps that footprint small.

Cable management and flat-pack shipping

Slots and tie points are built into the frame for routing and bundling cables. The box includes all hardware necessary to assemble the rack.

Depth is the limit that catches most buyers. The rack is 16 inches deep, so it is made for shallow equipment. Full-depth rack servers and deep, heavy rack-mount UPS units are not what this frame is for, and a device that long will not sit in it properly.

An open frame, not a cabinet

There are no doors, no locks and no enclosure. Equipment stays visible and exposed to dust. That is the trade-off you accept for airflow and quick access, and it is the reason this rack suits a closet or garage better than a finished living space.

Equipment screws are on you

Buyers on Amazon are divided on the mounting hardware. The summary of their reviews notes that the threaded holes are properly threaded, but that not enough screws come in the box to mount equipment. Plan to supply your own rack screws.

Fit varies with add-on shelves

Fit is another divided point among buyers: some report great fitment, while others mention a shelf that did not fit. Check that any shelf or accessory you plan to add is listed as compatible with this rack before you order it.

You build it yourself

The rack arrives flat-packed and has to be bolted together before it goes on the wall. Assembly hardware is included, but the assembly itself is your job.

These are the figures that decide whether your gear fits and whether the wall can carry it.

The 200 lb capacity is the stated figure for the frame. What it means in practice depends on how you load it: a 2U rack UPS alone can weigh 50 to 70 lbs.

Wall mounting is two-post: the frame attaches to the wall and the equipment hangs from the two rails.

Build the frame first

The rack comes flat-packed and has to be bolted together with the included hardware.

Mount it empty, then load it

Hang the assembled frame on the wall before any gear goes in, so you are lifting only the empty steel. Once it is level and fixed, load the rails from the bottom up to keep the weight low.

Do you have your equipment screws ready?

Because buyers on Amazon report too few screws for mounting gear, gather your own rack screws before install day. If you plan to use the square-hole side, you also need cage nuts and the matching screws.

Plan the cable runs

Before the gear goes on, decide where each cable will enter and leave the frame and use the built-in slots and tie points to bundle runs along the rails, so patch cords stay clear of the equipment fronts.

This rack fits a home lab, a wiring closet, a garage or a small office where the gear is shallow and the wall is the only place to put it.

Buy it if

• You are mounting shallow 19-inch network or AV gear: switches, patch panels, routers, small servers, shelves.
• You want open-frame airflow and access to the front and sides of your equipment.
• You want both threaded and square-hole mounting options in a single rack.

Skip it if

• You need to mount full-depth rack servers or a heavy rack UPS.
• You want a closed, lockable cabinet that keeps gear out of sight and away from dust.
• You want something that arrives fully assembled and ready to hang.

Deeper racks, enclosed cabinets and pre-assembled units exist for exactly those needs, and they are the right place to look if any of the three applies to you.

The same open-frame wall rack also comes in two smaller sizes: the 6U (model 400427687) and the 9U (model 8541763077). The 6U stands 13.65 inches tall and weighs 15.9 pounds, and the 9U stands 18.9 inches tall and weighs 18.2 pounds. Both share the 16-inch depth of the 12U, and the 6U carries a 200-pound weight capacity. Choose the 6U for a small closet with a few switches and patch panels, and the 9U for a medium setup that needs more rack units on the wall.

The steel gauge, the dual rail format and the flat-pack construction are what you are paying for here: a frame that takes both screw types, ships in a carton one person can carry, and gives you 12U of wall-mounted capacity without the bulk of a cabinet.