Staircase Equipment Rack Upgrade with UniFi
A Greater LA home had an older equipment rack by the staircase, with tangled cable and a second cramped equipment space under the stairs. Gbit Tech installed a UniFi gateway, switches and recorder in the rack, then re-terminated and labeled the runs on patch panels.
A homeowner in Greater Los Angeles had an older equipment rack beside the staircase. Years of changes had left it with tangled cable and gear from several earlier installs, and the space under the stairs was just as crowded.
We installed the new UniFi equipment in the existing rack, then went through the in-wall runs one by one.
We primarily focus on UniFi, and we also service other systems. The existing home control and audio gear in this rack is looked after by the homeowner's own installer, so it stayed as it was and was kept tidy.
What stood in the way.
- An older rack with tangled cable and equipment from several earlier installs.
- Many in-wall runs with no clear record of where each one went.
- A second, cramped equipment space under the staircase.
- Existing home control and audio gear sharing the rack that had to stay in place and keep working.
- A lived-in house, so the finished work had to look tidy.
How we solved it.
The new UniFi gear went into the rack in stages. The in-wall runs were identified, re-terminated onto patch panels and labeled, with a label on every port. Short patch cables run between the panels and the switches. The existing in-wall cable was reused where it tested well. Under the staircase, the loose gear and cable were gathered into a closed wall enclosure.
The same UniFi system also covers Wi-Fi access points and UniFi Protect cameras, including a doorbell camera at the front door.
Key components installed:
What changed.
Every port is labeled, so the next technician can follow any run from the panel to the switch. The existing home control and audio gear sits below the UniFi gear, untouched.
What went in
- UniFi Dream Machine Pro Maxthe gateway and UniFi application host at the top of the rack
- Switch Pro Max switchestwo switches
- UniFi recorderstores UniFi Protect video in the rack
- Patch panelsthe in-wall runs land here, each port labeled
- Patch cablesshort cables between the panels and the switches
