Tecmojo 18U Wall Mount Network Cabinet Review

The Tecmojo 18U wall mount cabinet is an enclosed 19-inch network cabinet in cold-rolled steel with a black powder coat. It holds 18U of rail, which is 31.5 inches of usable rail height, and it closes with a lockable tempered-glass front door and lockable removable side panels. One fan sits in the top panel, and the square-hole rails slide to any position you need.

This review covers model 11110205, UPC 810116263189, the 18U glass-door version with an external depth of 17.7 inches. The cabinet ships flat-packed and unassembled, so plan on putting it together before it goes on the wall.

The 14.2-inch usable depth is the figure that matters. The 17.7-inch external depth is not what your gear sees, because the door frame, the rail setback and the space behind the rails for plugs and cable bends take up the difference.

A cabinet's external depth tells you how far it sticks out of the wall. The usable depth tells you what goes inside, and on this cabinet the two are 3.5 inches apart. Measure the deepest chassis you plan to install, add the room its power plug and cable bend need behind it, and compare the total with 14.2 inches.

Gear that fits well

1U and 2U switches, patch panels, routers and firewalls, fiber enclosures, small 1U appliances, AV and electronics gear, and mini-PCs sitting on a shelf all leave room to spare. This is the load the cabinet is built around, and it is where the 18U of rail earns its place: a switch stack, a patch panel per run and a firewall still leave U positions free.

Gear that fits with care

A short-depth chassis up to roughly 13 inches deep goes in, but the rear cabling has to be planned. Right-angle power cords and short patch leads help, and leaving a U gap above a warm device keeps air moving past it.

Gear that does not fit

Rackmount UPS units and most rack servers are deeper than the usable depth, so they stay out. No amount of build quality changes that, and it is the first thing to check before buying.

The rails are fully adjustable with numbered U positions and square holes, so gear lines up precisely and cage nuts seat where you want them.

The steel is cold-rolled with a black powder coat, the door is tempered glass and the side panels lock, and buyers on Amazon most often praise the quality, the sturdiness and the look of the cabinet. Amazon's summary of its customer reviews describes it as easy to assemble, and assembly is the one job you cannot skip: the cabinet arrives flat-packed.

Allow a couple of hours and a second pair of hands for the taller 18U, have a screwdriver, a hex key and a level ready, and fit the rails to the frame before the cabinet goes on the wall. The square-hole rails take cage nuts, and the box includes a lockable tempered glass front door, lockable side panels, one built-in top fan, fully adjustable mounting rails, numbered U positions, square holes for equipment mounting, and top and bottom pun.

Reviews at other retailers mention a few assembly details worth knowing. A small black washer arrives zip-tied to the door and belongs on the door's bottom pin, or the door will not close flush. The side-panel lock bars have a bend that must face away from the lock, or the bar catches the frame. Some cage nuts work loose in shipping, so check the corners of the box before you start.

The mounting holes sit 16 inches apart to land on standard stud spacing, and that is the install the cabinet is designed for. The cabinet is 21.7 inches wide, so it overhangs the studs by roughly 2.8 inches on each side and the load hangs forward of the wall. Use structural fasteners rated for the job and check the wall type, wood stud or masonry, before drilling.

Two limits apply and the weaker one governs. The cabinet carries up to 110 lb of equipment, and the wall has to carry that plus the cabinet itself. Mount into studs or a properly rated backing, never drywall anchors alone.

Put the heaviest gear low, keep the load centered between the mounting holes, and check the ceiling clearance before hanging: the cabinet is 34.8 inches high.

One fan in the top panel pulls air through the cabinet, and vent holes in the sides let air in. That is enough for a typical network closet load of switches, patch panels and a small appliance. A glass door traps heat, so leave a U gap above warm devices and keep the ventilation path clear.

The fan is a moving part, so check that it spins when the cabinet is powered up. Reviews at other retailers mention units that arrived with a fan that did not turn, and that support replaced it.

The tempered-glass front door locks and so do the side panels, which is the point of an enclosed cabinet over an open frame: the gear can be secured against casual access. The door is reversible, so it can swing from either side to suit the room, and the removable top and bottom panels have punch-outs for clean cable entry.

The cabinet is listed as PCI, HIPAA and EIA/ECA-310-E compliant. EIA/ECA-310-E is the 19-inch rack standard, and a lockable enclosure supports the physical-security side of the other two. Treat those listings as features of the cabinet rather than a certification that stands on its own.

The same cabinet family comes in five other versions, all 17.7 inches deep with a cooling fan and lockable door and side panels. The 6U model is the shortest, at 13.8 inches high and 30.4 pounds, and it comes in white with a glass door. The 9U comes in white with a glass door or in black with a mesh door, both 19 inches high. The 12U model is 24.3 inches high in white with a glass door, and the 15U model 11110204 is 29.5 inches high in black with a glass door. Pick the 18U when you need the most U positions in the same footprint, and step down to the 15U, 12U, 9U or 6U as your rail needs shrink.