Riveco WPF5202 2U Wall Mount Rack Review

The bracket is built from about 0.079 in (2.0 mm) cold-rolled steel under a about 0.008 in (0.2 mm) powder coat, with a reinforced back plate and reinforced middle joints. Buyers on Amazon describe it as solid, and most reviews that mention its quality are positive.

The 66 lb maximum load covers a loaded patch panel, a switch, a router, a small NAS or a UPS, as long as the wall fixing is sound. The open frame leaves airflow unrestricted, gives cable access from every side and sets no depth limit, so a deep switch or a long 1U device can sit in it without hitting a back panel.

It mounts vertically flush to a wall or horizontally under a desk or shelf, which is what makes it work in a home office or a small comms corner. The rails take any standard 19-inch-wide equipment and carry numbered U markings, so lining up a device is straightforward. The box includes 8 sets of M6 screws and cage nuts, 4 sets of M5 rack screws, 4 wall-mounting bolts and detailed instructions, so gear can go in the day it arrives.

The rack space is 2U, or 3.5 in: two 1U devices or one 2U device, and nothing more. Anyone who expects to add gear later should settle that before drilling.

An open frame means no door, no lock and no dust or noise control. It is a bracket, not a cabinet. There is also no rear support, so equipment hangs from its front ears alone and deep or heavy items cantilever; keep the load light and inside the 66 lb rating.

The mounting hardware is the weak point. Several buyers on Amazon report needing additional M5 screws, so check your gear's thread standard before installing it. The four included wall bolts are masonry anchors, fine for concrete or brick but not for drywall or wood, where you supply your own fixings. The bracket also arrives as a knock-down kit: the back and side panels bolt together rather than coming as one welded piece. The warranty is 2 years.

The 8.7 in height is the bracket's outer height, folded side panels included; the rack space itself is the 3.5 in. The 3.8 in depth is the frame's own depth, not a limit on the gear, since nothing closes the back. At 5 lb the bracket is light enough for one person to hold in place while marking the holes.

Two units of 1.75 in each leave room for a short list of combinations:

• one 48-port patch panel, or two 24-port patch panels;
• a 24-port patch panel plus a 1U switch;
• a 1U switch plus a 1U PDU or a brush and cable pass-through panel;
• a single 2U device, such as a 2U chassis, a 2U UPS or a 2U AV unit;
• a router, small NAS or AV device, bearing in mind that no shelf is included and nothing supports the rear.

The practical rule is to count your current 1U and 2U devices. If the total goes past two, this size is the wrong one.

The frame is cold-rolled steel with a black powder coat, and the back plate and middle joints are reinforced. It is a knock-down design: the back and side panels are bolted together during assembly, following the included instructions. Buyers on Amazon report that assembly and installation go easily, and most reviews that mention ease of installation are positive.

The rails use square holes with numbered U markings. Equipment is fixed with cage nuts and screws rather than threaded directly into the rail, which is why the box ships with M6 cage nuts and screws and M5 rack screws.

A vertical wall mount suits a comms corner or a garage wall. The 66 lb rating holds only as well as the fixing behind it, and the included bolts are masonry anchors meant for concrete or brick.

Wood studs and drywall

Into wood studs, use lag screws. On drywall alone, the included anchors will not do.

Under a desk or shelf

Horizontal mounting works well in a home office, but you need your own wood screws and washers for a wooden desk or shelf.

Vertical or horizontal

Vertical keeps the footprint tiny and lets cables drop straight down, but ports face sideways and gear cannot slide in and out. Horizontal under a desk gives easier access but costs legroom and needs wood fixings. Either way there is no depth limit and no rear support, so deep gear can hang out the back with nothing cradling it.

The rails are square-hole, so equipment is held with cage nuts. The box includes M6 cage nuts and screws plus M5 rack screws. If your gear or your existing screw bag uses a different thread standard, you need matching cage nuts and screws, and that mismatch is the most common complaint among buyers on Amazon.

Dry-fit one device with the supplied hardware before loading the rack.

The same open bracket comes in three rack heights: the 2U WPF5202 on this page, the 4U WPF5204 and the 6U WPF5206. The 4U and 6U are deeper than the 2U, at 7.3 in and 11.57 in, and each weighs a little more than the 2U's 5 lb, at 6.6 lb and 6.5 lb. The whole line is rated 66 to 99 lb and mounts vertically or horizontally. The 4U carries a 2 year warranty and the 6U a 1 year warranty. Choose the 4U if you need room for a few more 1U devices than the 2U allows, and the 6U if you plan to fill a taller stack of gear in the same open-frame format.