StarTech WALLMOUNT6 Wall-Mount Network Rack Review

The rack arrives fully assembled. There is no flat-pack to build: it comes out of the box as a 6U, 19-inch open frame and goes straight on the wall.

The mounting holes are pre-drilled 16 inches apart, which matches standard US stud spacing. One buyer on Amazon notes the rack lines up with wall studs cleanly, and buyers on Amazon most often praise the rack for being sturdy and easy to install.

The frame is cold-rolled steel in a black finish, built as a 2-post open frame. The rails use standard 19-inch EIA mounting with square holes for cage nuts, so ordinary patch panels, switches and slim 19-inch equipment mount the usual way.

Its footprint stays small: 19.6 inches wide, 10.7 inches high and 13.8 inches deep. That lets it sit in a closet, a utility nook or on a wall beside a desk where a floor cabinet would not go, and buyers on Amazon appreciate its compact size for tight spaces.

M6 screws and M6 cage nuts come in the box to get you started, and the rack carries a lifetime warranty with free 24/5 multilingual technical assistance.

Depth is the real limit. The rack is 13.8 inches deep, and that is the maximum mounting depth, so equipment plus cable bend and plug depth has to fit inside it. Plan on roughly 11.5 to 12 inches of equipment once cables are counted. Shallow switches, patch panels, routers and PDUs fit; deep 1U and 2U servers and most rack UPS units do not.

The total capacity is 44 lb, and that covers the rack's own weight plus everything you hang in it. A 24-port switch runs about 6 to 9 lb, a 24-port patch panel about 2 to 3 lb, a 1U PDU about 3 to 5 lb, a short-depth 1U server about 15 to 25 lb and a 1U rack UPS about 25 to 35 lb. A network stack fits comfortably; a UPS plus servers does not.

The stiffening bar across the top is U-shaped and hangs down into the top rack unit, so the top slot is partly obstructed. Owners on forums report it can be flipped or moved, and the practical fix is to plan your tallest or deepest device for the second unit and below.

The hardware count falls short of a full rack. The box holds 12 M6 screws and 12 M6 cage nuts, enough for three devices at four screws each, not six. Buyers on Amazon are divided on the hardware for exactly this reason, and reviews at other retailers mention the same shortfall. Plan on a pack of M6 cage nuts and screws, plus your own lag screws and washers for the studs.

It is an open frame: no door, no lock, no dust protection and no fan. That is the design, not a fault, but nobody should buy it expecting an enclosure. There is also no grounding lug, which matters if you want to bond the rack.

The rear cable cutouts are small, so route power and network cables before you hang the rack and plug devices in before racking them. The 16-inch hole spacing is fixed, with no slotted adjustment. And 6U fills up fast: owners on forums report that needing a bigger rack within months is a common regret.

One rack unit is 1.75 inches, so 6U gives about 10.5 inches of usable height inside a frame that stands 10.7 inches tall.

The 44 lb rating is the number to check against your gear list, and the 13.8-inch depth is the one to check against your deepest device. The 9.9 lb (4.5 kg) frame is light enough for one person to lift into place while a second marks the holes.

The job is locating studs, marking the holes and driving screws, since the frame arrives assembled. The 16-inch hole spacing matches standard studs, and buyers on Amazon most often describe the install as quick and straightforward.

Use your own lag screws and washers into the studs; the included wall anchors are for light duty only.

The rear cutouts are small, and devices are easier to plug in before they are racked than after.

The WALLMOUNT6 is the 6U member of a family that also includes two shorter racks. The WALLMOUNT4 is a 4U rack with the same 13.8 in depth and 44 lb capacity, and the RACK-2U-14-BRACKET is a 2U rack, 14 in deep, rated for 77 lb. Choose the 6U if you need room for a router, switch, patch panel and PDU; step down to the 4U or 2U when you have only a few devices and want a smaller footprint on the wall.

A realistic stack fills about four of the six units: a router or firewall, a 24-port switch, a 24-port patch panel and a 1U PDU. That comes to roughly 15 to 20 lb, comfortably inside the 44 lb limit, with two units spare.

Add a rack UPS or a deep server and you are over depth, over weight, or both. A 1U rack UPS alone can weigh 25 to 35 lb, which eats most of the capacity before any other gear goes in.

If your planned stack leaves only one unit free, go up a size. Owners on forums report that needing a bigger rack within months is a common regret.