StarTech RK9WALM Wall-Mount Cabinet Review

The RK9WALM is a 9U, 19-inch enclosed wall cabinet in SPCC cold-rolled steel, finished black. The front door and both side panels are steel mesh, and the top and bottom are vented, so air moves through the box without fans. It ships fully assembled, and the load rating is 200 lb (90 kg).

The hard number is 14.6 in (37 cm) of maximum mounting depth. Product copy rounds this to 15 in, but plan against 14.6 in. The rails slide from about 6 in out to 14.6 in in 3/4 in (20 mm) steps, and the left and right rails adjust independently.

Leave roughly 2 in behind each device for power cords and cable bend radius. That makes 12 to 13 in the comfortable device depth, 14 in tight, and anything past 14.6 in a non-starter.

Depth is where this cabinet bites. Buyers on Amazon are split on size, and the 14.6 in ceiling is the reason. Treat it as a design limit, not a defect: the cabinet is 17.7 in deep outside, and the rails sit well inside that.

Equipment is supported at the front rails only. There are no rear rails, so nothing holds the back of a long, heavy box.

That is fine for switches, patch panels, shelves, shallow 1U devices and small-form-factor PCs. It is not fine for anything that expects rear support: most rack servers, rack-mount UPS units, rack NAS and deep PoE switches. Those need a four-post cabinet or a floor rack.

The rails are reversible, so you can expose either square cage-nut holes or tapped 12-24 holes. Both cage-nut and threaded equipment mount, which is more than many wall cabinets allow.

Amazon's summary of its customer reviews describes the cabinet as high-quality, fully assembled and easy to set up and install, with functionality, design and value for money well received. Size and adjustability draw mixed feedback. The large majority of ratings are four or five stars.

A few practical notes come up often enough to expect them:

• The front door and each side panel use separate keys, so you carry two.
• The fastening hardware is bright nickel rather than black, which stands out against the dark cabinet.
• The tabs on the mounting cleat may need a small bend with pliers before the cabinet hangs cleanly.
• At about 39 lb empty, the cabinet is awkward to lift and hold alone.

None of these is disqualifying. Reviews at other retailers mention an occasional lock that jams once closed, so check the lock works before you load the cabinet.

Air moves passively through the mesh door, the mesh sides and the vented top and bottom. Mesh beats a glass door for heat and loses to it for reading status LEDs, since you have to open the door to see the lights.

The cabinet takes up to four optional 4.7 in (120 mm) fans, and they are not included. The matching kit runs on 115 V AC, so each fan needs its own outlet or a PDU port.

• Under about 30 W (a switch and a patch panel): passive mesh is enough.
• About 30 to 80 W: add at least one exhaust fan.
• Above about 80 W: plan intake and exhaust, or reconsider an open frame.

The front door and each side panel have their own key lock. Rear access means removing the locking side panels, because the cabinet does not swing out from the wall. If swing-out rear access matters to you, that is a different cabinet design.

The door lifts off and can be reversed. The hinge pins are spring-loaded, and the only fiddly step is moving the plastic bushings to the other side.

Locked steel panels are adequate deterrence in an office or a closet. This is not a high-security enclosure.

A separate steel cleat carries the cabinet. It has four holes spaced 16 in apart for US stud spacing, and the enclosure hangs on hooks and is then secured with screws. Cut-outs on the case clear the lag bolts.

At about 39 lb empty and up to 200 lb loaded, plan for two people. Grounding is required: an M6 grounding screw sits at the front or rear grounding point, and the cabinet should not run ungrounded. Cable entry goes through removable covers on the top and bottom.

The cabinet arrives fully assembled, with the hardware to fill it:

• One 1U vented shelf
• 36 cage nuts and 36 screws (12-24)
• A 3 m roll of hook-and-loop fastener
• Two door keys and two side-panel keys
• Manual

The included shelf and the full cage-nut and screw set are part of what justifies the cabinet's price, since many wall cabinets ship bare and you buy the shelf separately.

The same cabinet family also comes as the RK616WALM, a 6U wall-mount cabinet in alloy steel with the same 19 in width, two-post mounting and 15 in depth rating. It holds three fewer rack units than the 9U RK9WALM, so choose the 6U for a small install such as a single switch, a patch panel and a shelf, and the 9U when you need more rack units in the same wall-mount format.