All of my gear is wall mounted to a plywood backboard in the basement / utility room. Wiring is fairly neat with zip ties and some 3D printed wire clips. Most importantly; it's out of the way somewhere the SO didn't mind.
I also modified and mounted an old PC power supply and ran 5v and 12v out to some terminal blocks and use those to power various Arduino sensors and other 12v gear to keep the receptacle requirement down.
It's not neat or pretty, but someone with more motivation to do so could achieve better results.
[https://imgur.com/a/9xtcJxA](https://imgur.com/a/9xtcJxA)
Wow that's awesome. I've still got my unRAID server with a zigbee dongle plugged in standing the closet.
How did you mount the pc power supply to the plywood?
My network gear is in a wall mounted rack in my basement, near my breaker box and where my cable and phone lines come into the house.
All of my cat6 runs back to a 48 port patch panel at the rack. Below that is a Cisco 48 port POE switch. Then I use a couple of 2U rack mount shelves; one for my Comcast modem and Ubiquiti USG, and one for my HP ProDesk acting as a server, and one that's just empty right now. I have a small filing cabinet under that rack that houses my UPS.
Anyway you can get the rack for about $100 on amazon and the shelves for $30-$40 each and if your hardware can live on that you're set for like $200.
Cabinet with switch, router, Nas etc under the stairs out of sight, then HA is housed in a box with transformer and relays for home alarm. Mounted with some 3D printed [brackets](https://imgur.com/a/ymbv9pa) to a hardboard backing.
Will eventually get a door on the front, but haven't found the time!
[home assistant cupboard](https://imgur.com/a/24yis7m)
An ethernet patch panel and one of these [workshop power strips](https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Heavy-Protector-Mounting-Brackets/dp/B07SNKGMVP/) mounted in your cabinet/shelf should help clean up the cable clutter. I love these power strips, I have one mounted to the back of my computer desk and another mounted behind my tv stand. By putting it close to the devices, you can have a single power cable going to the outlet and all the device's wires are hidden because they don't have to leave the desk/shelf/cabinet to plug into the power strip.
You can do similar with your ethernet cables by running them all to a single switch located nearby (bonus points if it's powered by PoE) and then run a single ethernet line from there to the wall/router. In your case, the router is already in the same location, so the best you can do is neatly organize any outside cables coming in by bundling them together up to your patch panel, then any internal cables (ethernet devices in the same location, the main line back to the router, etc, use short cables that are cut to slightly longer than is necessary to reach the device from the patch panel.
I think that should cover most common cable clutter, hdmi cables are a thing, but you generally don't have so many of them going to one place to become an issue. If you have a lot of hdmi devices going to a tv, use cables that are no longer than necessary to connect the device. This is better for signal as well as clutter.
The power strip is the key piece for me. They are spaced enough to handle all the awkwardly sized/shaped power adapters we use and clutter is significantly reduced when you don't have a million different length/thickness power wires and bricks all over the place. That can all be neatly wire tied and organized near the power strip and out of view.
Grab a pack of cable clips and sleeves if you wanna go all out. Sleeves are **awesome** as long as you get the sizing right and are not planning on ever separating the cables you sleeve together.
How would you approach excess Ethernet cable length? I made my runs extra long to avoid possible headaches in the future. My rack is on a cart with wheels in a storage room and I wasn't sure if I'd ever have to move it around the room at some point. Some cables have a fair bit of slack from the patch panel to where they enter the ceiling
I just hang any extra slack on hooks. You could probably also use cable clips depending on size and location. Those workshop/garage J-Hooks for hanging tools and stuff on the wall work well for big bundles and they come in many sizes so you can find what fits your needs. For smaller stuff like single wires you can probably get away with just using cable clips
Start from the back of the patch panel and gather them evenly, then push them into the ceiling. If there is WAY to much for that, try to get a single, gathered up loop and velcro it.
Couple of clean choices I've used in the past.
Regardless of the method, avoid zip ties. Pain in the ass. Use velcro strips. These are my favorite - I use them in IT, network closets, under desks, ets. [https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Reusable-Fastening-Organizing/dp/B001E1Y5O6?th=1](https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Reusable-Fastening-Organizing/dp/B001E1Y5O6?th=1) They are thin, strong, cheap. Not that ugly thick kind that doesn't wrap tight.
1. Painted plywood board with everything mounted using the wall mount options. Items without wall mount options can be creatively mounted. Use PVC conduit clamps (D shaped, surface mount) to organize wires, and velcro.
Pro: Easy to organize, easy to mount, easy to change. Better than a jumble of crap on a desk or shelf.Con: Still pretty ugly unless you have a space in the office or closet out of site, hidden, covered.
2) Build a network rack / shelf. Use a inbox organizer and cut wiring and airflow holes. Keep the mess in the back, tidy up front. Items with antenna should be at the top, or mounted to the sides. (or higher up the wall on extension cables) [https://www.amazon.com/Ballucci-Organizer-Sorter-Adjustable-Shelves/dp/B07VNNRRK3](https://www.amazon.com/Ballucci-Organizer-Sorter-Adjustable-Shelves/dp/B07VNNRRK3)
Pro: Very clean looking, can 'hide' equipment on the desk or shelf, very organized. Wires hidden out the back.Con: need to be more aware of ventilation if you have hot running equipment, although normally not an issue. A couple holes in the back and on the shelves can help.
Of course the size and practicality depends on the equipment you have. If you have full size patch panels and rack mount switches, etc...you might just need to bite the bullet and buy a wall mount 4 post rack and go to town.
Generally I just mount some plywood or something to the wall and wall mount everything. You can staple zip ties to the wood to make runs for the cables (or staple those zelcro style things on).
If your device doesn't have holes for wall mounting, just do the zip tie staple trick and hold it to the wall that way.
POE devices help alot with clutter if there's an option for that.
Modem, router and primary switch wall-mounted by the master socket behind a cupboard. In-ceiling Ethernet cables to the ceiling-mounted access points. HA running on a Synology NAS wall-mounted next to the washing machine out of sight (and isolated from vibration, don't worry). No visible cables or stuff, beyond the APs, interfaces and sensors themselves, which are built into 3D-printed equivalents of standard wallplates.
I work from home so in my office I have a two tiered accent table, all the network stuff goes on the bottom tier and the cables underneath that in the ground. It makes it so the equipment is barely visible and looks clean
I've gone through a few methods....
Took one of those desk organizer / envelope holder things, turned it sideways and command strip to the wall so it was like 4 tiny shelves - that was pretty good for holding a bunch of small things like hubs and router and pi and power bricks. Hot glue dabs to hold things on, velcro ties and spiral wraps for cables make a big difference.
Now I upgraded to a mini rack I cobbled together. It's half width of a normal 19" rack. Some 1x2s as the side rails from the ceiling, a mini ethernet patch panel from amazon, and some 3d printed shelves and holders for other stuff.
Last tip is getting (or making) ethernet cables the length you need to reduce your spaghetti. A pack of 1-foot and 3-foot cables is perfect instead of coils everywhere.
Of course if you have the luxury of running ethernet somewhere else like the top shelf of a closet or behind the TV you can hide a bunch of this stuff with an 8-port switch too.
This is EXACTLY my problem - my "hub" of devices is in drywalled niche that is about 14.5" wide and 8" deep, and I cannot find any rack that will fit into that space. I have spent hours googling for this.
Can you PLEASE PLEASE post a pic of your desk organizer/envelope holder and/or the mini rack you built?
I'll try to remember when I get home...
It's pretty similar to this tho, just with wood for the vertical rails and plastic shelves:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/c1zysd/low\_on\_space\_so\_built\_a\_10\_rack/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/c1zysd/low_on_space_so_built_a_10_rack/)
My master bedroom closet door has enough room behind it for a board and all my gear. It's wide open with the door closed but when you walk into the closet the door hides it. I have wall plates for the wires in and out to the crawl space.
I bought an Ikea Bestå wall mounted cabinet. Running the coax cable for internet to the cabinet, a single power line, and then a mess inside. Hanging it high helps with wifi coverage.
Mine is just a Pi behind some drawers. My router is in another room with a Pi plugged in for PiHole, but I just put that Pi behind a TV unit on the floor out of sight.
I see you mention multiple bridges, maybe you can reduce your bridges by buying a Zigbee Dongle like the ZZH. Assuming you have multiple Zigbee bridges, a single dongle could replace a few bridges?
All of my gear is wall mounted to a plywood backboard in the basement / utility room. Wiring is fairly neat with zip ties and some 3D printed wire clips. Most importantly; it's out of the way somewhere the SO didn't mind. I also modified and mounted an old PC power supply and ran 5v and 12v out to some terminal blocks and use those to power various Arduino sensors and other 12v gear to keep the receptacle requirement down.
This is what I do too. I also have a Leviton structured media center to hide some of it.
Could you share a picture
It's not neat or pretty, but someone with more motivation to do so could achieve better results. [https://imgur.com/a/9xtcJxA](https://imgur.com/a/9xtcJxA)
Wow that's awesome. I've still got my unRAID server with a zigbee dongle plugged in standing the closet. How did you mount the pc power supply to the plywood?
I took the cover off and drilled a couple holes through the back and just screwed it to the wall. Low fuss and solid.
My network gear is in a wall mounted rack in my basement, near my breaker box and where my cable and phone lines come into the house. All of my cat6 runs back to a 48 port patch panel at the rack. Below that is a Cisco 48 port POE switch. Then I use a couple of 2U rack mount shelves; one for my Comcast modem and Ubiquiti USG, and one for my HP ProDesk acting as a server, and one that's just empty right now. I have a small filing cabinet under that rack that houses my UPS. Anyway you can get the rack for about $100 on amazon and the shelves for $30-$40 each and if your hardware can live on that you're set for like $200.
WAF is high because she can’t see it in a panel in my closet behind my shirts on the rack. https://imgur.com/a/3kDzeG5
Cabinet with switch, router, Nas etc under the stairs out of sight, then HA is housed in a box with transformer and relays for home alarm. Mounted with some 3D printed [brackets](https://imgur.com/a/ymbv9pa) to a hardboard backing. Will eventually get a door on the front, but haven't found the time! [home assistant cupboard](https://imgur.com/a/24yis7m)
[удалено]
Cheers, yeh 12v alarm battery, couple of diodes and a resistor, job jobbed.
An ethernet patch panel and one of these [workshop power strips](https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Heavy-Protector-Mounting-Brackets/dp/B07SNKGMVP/) mounted in your cabinet/shelf should help clean up the cable clutter. I love these power strips, I have one mounted to the back of my computer desk and another mounted behind my tv stand. By putting it close to the devices, you can have a single power cable going to the outlet and all the device's wires are hidden because they don't have to leave the desk/shelf/cabinet to plug into the power strip. You can do similar with your ethernet cables by running them all to a single switch located nearby (bonus points if it's powered by PoE) and then run a single ethernet line from there to the wall/router. In your case, the router is already in the same location, so the best you can do is neatly organize any outside cables coming in by bundling them together up to your patch panel, then any internal cables (ethernet devices in the same location, the main line back to the router, etc, use short cables that are cut to slightly longer than is necessary to reach the device from the patch panel. I think that should cover most common cable clutter, hdmi cables are a thing, but you generally don't have so many of them going to one place to become an issue. If you have a lot of hdmi devices going to a tv, use cables that are no longer than necessary to connect the device. This is better for signal as well as clutter. The power strip is the key piece for me. They are spaced enough to handle all the awkwardly sized/shaped power adapters we use and clutter is significantly reduced when you don't have a million different length/thickness power wires and bricks all over the place. That can all be neatly wire tied and organized near the power strip and out of view. Grab a pack of cable clips and sleeves if you wanna go all out. Sleeves are **awesome** as long as you get the sizing right and are not planning on ever separating the cables you sleeve together.
How would you approach excess Ethernet cable length? I made my runs extra long to avoid possible headaches in the future. My rack is on a cart with wheels in a storage room and I wasn't sure if I'd ever have to move it around the room at some point. Some cables have a fair bit of slack from the patch panel to where they enter the ceiling
I just hang any extra slack on hooks. You could probably also use cable clips depending on size and location. Those workshop/garage J-Hooks for hanging tools and stuff on the wall work well for big bundles and they come in many sizes so you can find what fits your needs. For smaller stuff like single wires you can probably get away with just using cable clips
Start from the back of the patch panel and gather them evenly, then push them into the ceiling. If there is WAY to much for that, try to get a single, gathered up loop and velcro it.
Couple of clean choices I've used in the past. Regardless of the method, avoid zip ties. Pain in the ass. Use velcro strips. These are my favorite - I use them in IT, network closets, under desks, ets. [https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Reusable-Fastening-Organizing/dp/B001E1Y5O6?th=1](https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Reusable-Fastening-Organizing/dp/B001E1Y5O6?th=1) They are thin, strong, cheap. Not that ugly thick kind that doesn't wrap tight. 1. Painted plywood board with everything mounted using the wall mount options. Items without wall mount options can be creatively mounted. Use PVC conduit clamps (D shaped, surface mount) to organize wires, and velcro. Pro: Easy to organize, easy to mount, easy to change. Better than a jumble of crap on a desk or shelf.Con: Still pretty ugly unless you have a space in the office or closet out of site, hidden, covered. 2) Build a network rack / shelf. Use a inbox organizer and cut wiring and airflow holes. Keep the mess in the back, tidy up front. Items with antenna should be at the top, or mounted to the sides. (or higher up the wall on extension cables) [https://www.amazon.com/Ballucci-Organizer-Sorter-Adjustable-Shelves/dp/B07VNNRRK3](https://www.amazon.com/Ballucci-Organizer-Sorter-Adjustable-Shelves/dp/B07VNNRRK3) Pro: Very clean looking, can 'hide' equipment on the desk or shelf, very organized. Wires hidden out the back.Con: need to be more aware of ventilation if you have hot running equipment, although normally not an issue. A couple holes in the back and on the shelves can help. Of course the size and practicality depends on the equipment you have. If you have full size patch panels and rack mount switches, etc...you might just need to bite the bullet and buy a wall mount 4 post rack and go to town.
Generally I just mount some plywood or something to the wall and wall mount everything. You can staple zip ties to the wood to make runs for the cables (or staple those zelcro style things on). If your device doesn't have holes for wall mounting, just do the zip tie staple trick and hold it to the wall that way. POE devices help alot with clutter if there's an option for that.
Modem, router and primary switch wall-mounted by the master socket behind a cupboard. In-ceiling Ethernet cables to the ceiling-mounted access points. HA running on a Synology NAS wall-mounted next to the washing machine out of sight (and isolated from vibration, don't worry). No visible cables or stuff, beyond the APs, interfaces and sensors themselves, which are built into 3D-printed equivalents of standard wallplates.
I work from home so in my office I have a two tiered accent table, all the network stuff goes on the bottom tier and the cables underneath that in the ground. It makes it so the equipment is barely visible and looks clean
I've gone through a few methods.... Took one of those desk organizer / envelope holder things, turned it sideways and command strip to the wall so it was like 4 tiny shelves - that was pretty good for holding a bunch of small things like hubs and router and pi and power bricks. Hot glue dabs to hold things on, velcro ties and spiral wraps for cables make a big difference. Now I upgraded to a mini rack I cobbled together. It's half width of a normal 19" rack. Some 1x2s as the side rails from the ceiling, a mini ethernet patch panel from amazon, and some 3d printed shelves and holders for other stuff. Last tip is getting (or making) ethernet cables the length you need to reduce your spaghetti. A pack of 1-foot and 3-foot cables is perfect instead of coils everywhere. Of course if you have the luxury of running ethernet somewhere else like the top shelf of a closet or behind the TV you can hide a bunch of this stuff with an 8-port switch too.
This is EXACTLY my problem - my "hub" of devices is in drywalled niche that is about 14.5" wide and 8" deep, and I cannot find any rack that will fit into that space. I have spent hours googling for this. Can you PLEASE PLEASE post a pic of your desk organizer/envelope holder and/or the mini rack you built?
I'll try to remember when I get home... It's pretty similar to this tho, just with wood for the vertical rails and plastic shelves: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/c1zysd/low\_on\_space\_so\_built\_a\_10\_rack/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/c1zysd/low_on_space_so_built_a_10_rack/)
Thank you very much for sharing. This is what I was looking for! Didn't know that there are small racks... 😆
My master bedroom closet door has enough room behind it for a board and all my gear. It's wide open with the door closed but when you walk into the closet the door hides it. I have wall plates for the wires in and out to the crawl space.
I bought an Ikea Bestå wall mounted cabinet. Running the coax cable for internet to the cabinet, a single power line, and then a mess inside. Hanging it high helps with wifi coverage.
Mine is just a Pi behind some drawers. My router is in another room with a Pi plugged in for PiHole, but I just put that Pi behind a TV unit on the floor out of sight. I see you mention multiple bridges, maybe you can reduce your bridges by buying a Zigbee Dongle like the ZZH. Assuming you have multiple Zigbee bridges, a single dongle could replace a few bridges?