🔧 Rack Install Guide — Friend Edition

For: Andy's friend helping with the rack · Date: 2026-05-21 · Expected time: 6-8 hours including breaks

Andy does all software/router config later — your job is purely physical install + cabling + power-on.

📋 What you're doing today — 6 jobs

JOB 1

Mount top 3 items (U40-42)

Patch panel + switch + router/ONT at the very top of the rack.

JOB 2

Bottom UPS + rear PDU

APC UPS at U1-2, GLINK power strip vertical on inside of rear post.

JOB 3 (TRICKIEST)

AVR shelf + 2 audio moves

Pull Denon out → install support brackets → move MiniDSP up + Furman up → reinstall Denon.

JOB 4

Terminate 9 cables at patch panel

7 ceiling cables + 2 floor cables. Waterfall routing + color codes.

JOB 5

Mount 2 ceiling APs

Office ceiling (centre) + bedroom-door corner ceiling.

JOB 6

2 floor cables behind speakers

Bedroom + gaming-PC in-wall cables get bridged to the rack via floor extensions.

🏗 Final rack map — where everything ends up

— TOP OF RACK (cables drop in from above) —

U42

NEW Router (RB5009) + ISP box (Converter PRO) — shared 1U shelf

U41

NEW Switch (TP-Link SG3218XP-M2)

U40

NEW Patch panel (Link US-3124A, 24-port)

U39

STAY Denon AVC-A110 AVR (5U, ~15kg)

U38

↑ Denon continues

U37

↑

U36

↑

U35

↑

U34

REINFORCE AVR shelf — SIKU brackets bolted at U33

U33

MOVED MiniDSP (was at U19)

U32

free 4U — future NAS cluster zone

U31

U30

U29

U28

STAY Existing pull-out tray (1.5-2U)

U27

↑ (HD shelf swap is a FUTURE job, see notes)

U26

MOVED Furman Elite-16 PF E i (was at U22-23)

U25

↑ Furman continues

U24

free 1U — vent buffer

U23

free 2U — old Furman spot

U22

U21

free 2U

U20

U19

free 1U — was MiniDSP

U18

free 5U — Anthem heat-headroom

U17

U16

U15

U14

U13

DON'T TOUCH Anthem 3-channel amp (5U, ~25kg on heavy tray)

U12

↑ Anthem continues

U11

↑

U10

↑

free 6U — bottom cable entry zone

NEW APC BR1000G-AS UPS (~12kg, 2U)

↑ UPS continues

— BOTTOM OF RACK (power feed enters here) —

Legend

NEW — install today

MOVED — relocate to new U

STAY — leave where it is

DON'T TOUCH — Anthem amp, heavy + delicate

Empty — slack zone or future use

Why this layout

Network gear at top — shortest cable runs from ceiling drops
Heavy UPS at bottom — weight + power entry
MiniDSP directly under AVR shelf — pre-out cable from ~110cm → ~25cm
Furman raised 3U — LCD now at chest-level (112cm) instead of waist (94cm)
5U buffer above Anthem — heat headroom for hot amp

Time budget

Job	~Time
1: Top 3 install	45 min
2: UPS + PDU	30 min
3: AVR/MiniDSP/Furman	90-120 min
4: Cable termination	90 min
5: Ceiling APs	60 min
6: Floor cables	45 min
Total + breaks: 6-8 hours

📦 Inventory check — verify before starting

Devices going IN the rack

MikroTik RB5009UG+S+IN router (black box w/ heatsink fins)
True Converter PRO (small white/grey ISP box)
TP-Link Omada SG3218XP-M2 switch (1U, 18 RJ45 + 2 SFP+)
Link US-3124A patch panel (1U, 24 ports)
APC Back-UPS Pro BR1000G-AS (heavy ~12kg, 2U)
GLINK GPDU-14B PDU (blue, vertical 12-outlet)

APs

2× TP-Link Omada EAP720 + mounting brackets

Hardware

2× SIKU rear angle brackets (Thai: เหล็กข้อศอก)
~16× M6 cage nuts (4 per device mounted today)
~16× M6 pan-head screws (10-16mm)

Termination kit

Cat6 keystone jacks (10+) — if panel needs them
Punch-down tool (Krone + 110 dual blade)
RJ45 crimper + bag of RJ45 plugs (pass-through)
14× short Cat6 jumpers (~15cm, blue)
Cable tester
Velcro ties (NOT zip ties)
Masking tape + sharpie for labels
Cable on spool for Job 6 (Cat5e or Cat6)
2× RJ45 female-to-female couplers

Tools (friend brings)

Phillips #2 screwdriver
Box cutter / cable stripper
Headlamp or strong flashlight
Drill + bits (for AP mount if drilling)
Step ladder

SAFETY: Power down EVERYTHING in the rack before touching cables. Turn off the Furman (kills AVR + amp + MiniDSP + projector). Wait 1 min for amp capacitors to discharge. Two-person lift for Denon (~15kg) and APC UPS (~12kg). DO NOT TOUCH the Anthem amp at U9-13 — heavy, on heavy tray, no reason to move it.

🌊 Cable organization at patch panel

Andy specifically asked about this — these are the rules that make the rack look clean and stay maintainable. Do this BEFORE you crimp or punch.

The "waterfall" routing pattern

   Ceiling drop point (cables come down from above)
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │       (7 ceiling cables descending)
   ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │   ← all NETWORK cables run vertically down
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │      the LEFT rear post
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │      (POWER cables run down the
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │       RIGHT rear post — separated)
   ╰─┴─┴─┴─┴─┴─╯   ← cables loop OVER the cable-management
                       bar behind the panel (strain relief)
   │ │ │ │ │ │ │
   ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼   ← each cable drops to its port
   PATCH PANEL (U40, back face)
   ───────────────
   FRONT FACE: short colored jumpers down to switch at U41

Organization rules

Network cables run down the LEFT rear post. Power cables down the RIGHT. Never the same post — induced noise.
Pull each cable down to a loose loop — don't trim or terminate yet.
Leave a 30cm service loop above the panel for future re-termination.
Anchor with velcro every ~20cm — NOT zip ties (pinch + non-reversible).
Route each cable OVER the cable-management bar behind the patch panel — takes the weight off the IDC contacts.
Terminate cables in port order (see patch panel layout below).
Velcro tie 2-3cm behind each keystone for strain relief.

Bend radius: Cat6 minimum bend = 4× cable diameter (~3cm). Sharp bends crush the twisted pairs. If you're folding cable to make it fit, re-route instead.

🔌 Patch panel — port assignments (front face)

24-port Link US-3124A. Cables enter back. Color-coded keystones make tracing easy.

Office Cat6/Cat5e (1-5)

Cat 8 to Mac Studio 10G (6)

AP2 ceiling PoE+ (7)

Floor-run bridges (8-9)

Future drops (10-24)

Port table

Port	Cable	Goes to	Switch port	Label
1	25m Cat6 #1	Office (AP1 or GPU PC)	1 (2.5G)	`OFFICE-1`
2	25m Cat6 #2	Office	2 (2.5G)	`OFFICE-2`
3	25m Cat6 #3	Office	3 (2.5G)	`OFFICE-3`
4	25m Cat6 #4	Office	4 (2.5G)	`OFFICE-4`
5	~25m Cat5e	Office (extra)	5 (2.5G)	`OFFICE-5e`
6	20m Cat 8 (Ugreen)	Mac Studio @ cell-7 desk (10G)	6 (2.5G for now)	`CAT8-MAC`
7	6m Cat5e	AP2 ceiling — corner of cells 1/2/4/5	17 (PoE+)	`AP2-CEIL`
8	Floor cable A (Job 6)	Bedroom in-wall via coupler	8 (2.5G)	`BEDROOM`
9	Floor cable B (Job 6)	Gaming PC in-wall via coupler	9 (2.5G)	`GAMING-PC`
10-24	future drops	—	—	—

T568B wiring at every keystone — both ends. Pin 1: W/Orange, 2: Orange, 3: W/Green, 4: Blue, 5: W/Blue, 6: Green, 7: W/Brown, 8: Brown.

⚡ Power chain — three separate chains

Furman Elite-16 PF E i (now at U25-26)

Wall → industrial extender → Furman → audio devices

Sensitive AV gear only — no UPS in line (audio tolerates blips).

Denon AVR (U35-39)
Anthem amp (U9-13, already connected, don't touch)
MiniDSP (U33)
Projector PSU

APC BR1000G-AS UPS (at U1-2)

Wall → industrial extender #2 → APC UPS → network devices

NAS + network — UPS required (ZFS write protection).

MikroTik RB5009 router
SG3218XP-M2 switch
True Converter PRO
(NAS — when it lands; leave 1 slot)

GLINK GPDU-14B PDU (rear-mounted vertical)

Wall → GLINK directly (no UPS, no conditioner)

Utility loads — non-critical, just convenient power.

Xbox X
Apple TV 4K
Philips Hue bridge
HDMI switcher
AV dumb 5-port switch
Pi 5 USB-C PSU (when installed)
6 spare slots

📍 AP locations on the apartment plan

cell 1

BEDROOM

cell 2

BATHROOM

cell 3

OFFICE

📡 AP1

cell 4

COUCH + PROJECTOR

▣ RACK

📡 AP2 ↗

cell 5

DINING

cell 6

KITCHEN

cell 7

DESK (Mac Studio shelf)

cell 8

SHELF + CHAIR

cell 9

FRONT DOOR

Cells are ~5.7m × ~3.3m each (full apartment ~17m × 10m). Solid wall between top row (1/2/3) and the open area below.

AP1 — Office ceiling, central

Where: middle of cell 3 ceiling (omnidirectional coverage)
Cable: one of the 4× 25m office Cat6 drops
Mount: drop-ceiling T-bar clip OR drilled anchors
Power: PoE+ from switch port 17

AP2 — Bedroom-door corner ceiling

Where: ceiling at the corner where bedroom door meets the couch/dining divider (intersection of cells 1/2/4/5)
Cable: existing 6m Cat5e from rack (already pulled to this spot)
Mount: drop-ceiling T-bar clip OR drilled anchors
Power: PoE+ from switch port 17/18

⚠ Wi-Fi dead zones

Front door (cell 9) + kitchen (cell 6) are historic dead zones. These 2 APs should cover them OK but if testing shows weakness, a 3rd AP can be added at cell 9 ceiling later (has power outlet, no Ethernet — would need PowerLine or PoE-out from a closer cable).

🔋 Power-on sequence (do this LAST, in order)

Plug APC UPS into wall. Wait 30s for self-test.
Press UPS power button — front lights should come on.
Plug router (RB5009) into UPS. Boots in ~30s, LEDs come up.
Plug True Converter PRO into UPS. Fibre/WAN LED should be solid if True service is up.
Cable from Converter PRO LAN → RB5009 WAN port (Andy may want to do this himself).
Plug switch into UPS. Boots in ~30s.
Cable from RB5009 LAN port → switch port 1.
Verify APs come alive: within 30-60s after switch boot, AP LEDs turn on (PoE supplying power). If dark, swap to a different PoE+ port (17-24) and re-check the cable.
Plug GLINK PDU into wall (NOT UPS — utility chain).
Plug Xbox/ATV/Hue/etc. into GLINK.
Power Furman back on (was off the whole time).
Power Denon front-panel button. Should boot up.
ACID TEST: play audio through Denon (TV or HEOS) — verify all speaker channels. Front L/C/R from Anthem, surrounds + heights from AVR direct. Dead or distorted channel = double-check that speaker terminal on the back of the AVR.

⚠ Common screw-ups to avoid

Not labelling Denon cables before disconnecting → an hour of speaker-lead matching later. Always label first.
Polarity flip on speaker terminals → "bass disappears" symptom. Red wire to +, black to −, BOTH sides of each pair must match.
T568B vs T568A mixed → unreliable cable. Always T568B on BOTH ends.
Over-tightening rack screws → strips cage nut threads. Snug + 1/8 turn, stop.
Plugging AP into non-PoE port → AP won't power up. PoE+ ports are 17-24 on the switch.
Plugging GLINK PDU into UPS → wastes UPS runtime on non-critical loads. GLINK = wall direct.
Network + power on same rear post → induced noise. Left post = network, right post = power.
Zip ties instead of velcro → pinches cable, non-reversible. Always velcro.

📨 When you're done — handoff to Andy

Send Andy a message with:

Confirmation each job is done (1-6)
Photo of the back of the rack (cable management)
Photo of the front of the rack (clean visual)
Photo of the Denon back after reconnection
List of any cables that didn't have a clear destination — photograph them
Any items not done + why

🚫 Things NOT to do today

Don't touch the Anthem amp at U9-13. Heavy + on heavy tray, no reason to move.
Don't replace the pull-out tray at U27-28 today — HD shelf swap is a future job when NAS lands.
Don't connect Mac Studio's Cat 8 end at the desk — Andy does that side. Patch panel end (rack side) is your job.
Don't configure anything in router/switch/APs. Default config is fine; Andy does setup later.
Don't try to make HEOS or AirPlay work. Network-config thing.

Full text version: friend_install_instructions.md in the same folder. Questions during install → photo + which job + what isn't working → message Andy.

Good luck, and thanks for helping with the rack. 🙏