# Forum Home Renovation Television, Computers & Phones  Is it ok to fix data / coax / gpo plates to back of wall cabinet

## nace

I wasnt sure whether to post this to electrical or here.  
This sounds like a stupid question (well in my head it does anyways)  is it against electrical and data regulations / rules to fix a GPO / wallplates to anything but a wall? (in my case gyprock wall).   Im in the process of designing cabinetry for the home office and i want to install a floating cabinet sitting 1800 mm off the floor. Part of the cabinet will hold the modem, a switch, data points (via patch panel or plates undecided at the moment) and NBN devices (in the event it still exists next year). My idea was to have a back on the cabinet however I was unsure whether its allowable to fix a gpo etc to the back of the cabinet instead of the gyprock wall behind it.  
Didnt want to get an electrician \ cabler out to tell me he cant fix the plates to the cabinet carcass.   Can anyone confirm? 
Proposed wall cabinet (no back, GPO / plates fixed to gyprock) :Redface:   
General design of office cabinetry (yellow)

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## SirOvlov

As long as the cabinet forms the wall or at least the panel you are mounting does. If the cabinet can be moved, it then can not. 
With that design though, I think you could get away with out a backing anyway...

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## nace

My preference is to have no back on the cabinet as it will be easier to cut into gyprock to fix the GPO etc. The length of the cabinet will be 1800 long which is my wall space so a back may give it some strength plus i want the cabinet to least carry a minimum of 15KG.  
Off to the kitchen forum for some advice and ideas on how i can fix this thing to the the wall without a back

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## shauck

Most of that cabinet is supported by the floor. Maybe the left part of the bookshelf is the only part that will need fixing to the wall. Perhaps a strip of backing material along the lower edge of the shelf which fixes to the wall but won't be seen as the books will cover it. Or a couple of angle brackets hidden by books.

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## nace

Curious for some cablers advice - im looking at getting 13/14 data points installed throughout the house all converging into the office where the modem is currently located.  
Any ideas as to how i can have the data points look neat and tidy when they all come together? 
 Orignally i was thinking of just having wall plates installed, then from the plate the cables feed into the switch. I have seen patch panels mentioned elsewhere and im curious as to their advantage over a wall plate. To me they would appear to do the same thing, cables into the back of the panel then into the switch. I have seen patch panels installed into cabinets however can it be retro fitted to a cabinet (see above drawing).

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## Handyjack

> My preference is to have no back on the cabinet as it will be easier to cut into gyprock to fix the GPO etc. The length of the cabinet will be 1800 long which is my wall space so a back may give it some strength plus i want the cabinet to least carry a minimum of 15KG.  
> Off to the kitchen forum for some advice and ideas on how i can fix this thing to the the wall without a back

  Include a "french cleat" in the design. Two pieces of wood with one edge at 45o that interlock. One piece on the wall the other on the shelves.

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## davegol

> Curious for some cablers advice - im looking at getting 13/14 data points installed throughout the house all converging into the office where the modem is currently located.  
> Any ideas as to how i can have the data points look neat and tidy when they all come together?

  I used a wall plate to terminate my network recently - you can get large plates (roughly 1.5x normal size) that will hold 12 data points. much cheaper than a patch panel and looks a bit nicer if it will be exposed. Plus because they are standard, you can mix in other sockets - aerial, cable, phone, etc.

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## SirOvlov

^^^ These are great and would guess the best option for you... 
A patchpanel for start is pro/commercial so definitly not as 'pretty' looking but can have its own charm (In a nice lil 19" rack with everything in there and loomed up all beautifully [cablers porn]) and will give you flexability. 
It does depend on how many ports you want wired and stuff as well. If your going to have a normal router with four ports, you will then 'patch' the four between the fifteen you have. A patchpanel is made tougher and the pins for connection better for continual ware in and out. A normal mech in a wall plate is not built for such use. 
All so, with a wall plate, its...... on the wall. So in full visability generally as to switch and swap ports where as a patchpanel is normally hidden either slighty in its own cabinet or fully, tucked away in a cupboard somewhere. 
Wall plate might be cheaper, does depend on what fittings of course...

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## nace

My thoughts also, i have seen p/panels installed in their own cabinets and these look great, with a switch underneath the panel. However in my situation a p/panel cabinet will be out of place on my wall with wood cabinetry all around it. I was also thinking retrofitting a p/panel to the cabinet but the more i think about it the uglier the idea gets.  
My google'fu is obviously not strong because i can only find 6 points on wall plate - do you mind passing on some details on these larger plates?  
Just had another idea, how does a p/panel cabinet with equipment (switch) handle a hot garage? any performance hit? Cause my garage can easily hit 40Deg on a hot day.

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## SirOvlov

just lost a post so this is a quick sum up...  MULTI GANG Wall Plates 
shed may be too hot, not so much for performance but longevity... fans of course help. 
Any space at the top of pantry, linen press/laundry or cupboards? cooler is always better with electronics.

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## nace

Awesome SirOvlov, cheers for the link.  
I do have a linen cupboard with the top shelf spare. Its a bit awkward to get large items into but its not a great problem. Hell i have ample space in the WIR come to think of it, as long its not making any 
sound the Mrs should be happy if it ends up here. 
Cheers for the ideas guys. Will need to chase down some quotes for the job.

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## SirOvlov

No problems :Smilie:  
WIR ftw, as long as there are no fans it should be silent, you may need a fan but depending on placement, convection should do it usually being alot more open than the linen cupboard.

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## davegol

I used one of these. It did the job and for $3.50 .. less than a cup of coffee!  Wall Plate for Keystone, Screwless-White 8-12 Port

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## nace

Cheers guys, im now rethinking my data layout \ plan because the WIR is quite spacious and there is a large part of one shelf that is not currently being used. Im now thinking a data cabinet to house switch, modem, data points and NBN equipment. Place on the wall above the shelf close to the ceiling. Ventilation shouldnt be a problem as the WIR has access to natural and 'mechanical' air (fan and aircon) but overall the room stays cool so i dont really need mechanical air.  
More planning for me.

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## SirOvlov

Good move, much cleaner in the end, and easier in many ways. Also if you decide to do multi room audio or whatever else its all together too.

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## Jonesy_SA

Depending on your skill level or funds I would also consider recessing the panel, if that wasn't already the plan. Recently I have seen a few panels diy'ed straight onto the wall which look a bit ugly.

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## nace

> ...I would also consider recessing the panel...

  What do you mean Jonesy? The p/panel in the cabinet to be recessed or the cabinet itself?

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## Jonesy_SA

The cabinet itself, if possible. Allot of the time they are within the house as its cooler and easier to wire up, which can be unsightly or difficult location wise. Some cool work arounds I have seen were recessed cabinets and hidden cabinets. One house was built with two recessed sections on the hall wall for lager paintings, instead of sticking the painting in the hole they mounted a switch, micro sever, modem and some other nerdy items, a painting was then hung over the top. I don't know a great deal about what's required etc but a few friends are really into home networking and data.
We discussed it recently as I'm moving to a central server. Simplest option was to terminate all the network/data cables in the office and neatly fix my hardware in the old cupboard section of my desk originally for a tower, same sort of box could be incorporated into your design.
Which ever way you go consider ventilation, hardware for noise, wireless antennas and placement, and heat etc For instance my old NAS was to noisy to be mounted at head height, the modem ram way to hot and the router didn't have removable antennas that could be mounted external to the enclosure.
A good place for that sort of info is the whirlpool forums.

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## nace

Arrhhh yes, i wish i could do something like that, dont mind the sleeper look. 
My WIR backs onto 70x35 internal stud wall with the hall way on the otherside. Don't really have a lot of recessed space to work with say for a 4RU cabinet install. I was however toying with an idea of hanging my spare modem (3 antennas) in the kitchen then placing one of those fabric artworks over the top...whola! hidden wireless AP...  I saw the idea somewhere I can't remember.

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## Pugs

> Curious for some cablers advice - im looking at getting 13/14 data points installed throughout the house all converging into the office where the modem is currently located.  
> Any ideas as to how i can have the data points look neat and tidy when they all come together? 
>  Orignally i was thinking of just having wall plates installed, then from the plate the cables feed into the switch. I have seen patch panels mentioned elsewhere and im curious as to their advantage over a wall plate. To me they would appear to do the same thing, cables into the back of the panel then into the switch. I have seen patch panels installed into cabinets however can it be retro fitted to a cabinet (see above drawing).

  a 6Ru 19" rack wouldn't look out of place there would be a lot neater aswell.

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## nace

Thanks for the suggestion pugs.  
In your opinion do you think a cabinet of that size would easily accommodate NBN equipment, a switch, modem and 14 datapoints? I've seen some hagerbr NBN cabinets and they look slick but i cant see them accomodating a 16 port switch and / or a modem. Wall cabinets similar to whats on the 4cabling site look like the best option to accommodate all equipment.

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## SirOvlov

Cant say for sure myself but would guesstimate no, nbn equipment - Google Search 
not sure if thats the right link but should get you there. You could put the nbn next door on the wall or in another cab or power supply out on wall and should be room for the network connection device (modem) in cab.... Or get a bigger cab and add multiroom audio and maybe video

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## nace

Yeah i was thinking maybe two cabinets or just have the nbn equipment secured to the wall, no enclosure. More planning decisions to make.

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