Cabinets for telecommunications & edge network nodes

Server and network equipment outdoors

Networks are growing in a decentralised way: computing power and switching are moving closer to the user, to the network node, to the individual site. More and more often, active 19″ equipment no longer sits in an air-conditioned equipment room but outdoors — as a network node at the roadside, as an edge node at the base station, as a telecoms distribution cabinet at the connection point. For this continuously running active equipment, a weatherproof empty enclosure is not enough: switches, servers and switching equipment generate waste heat around the clock, and it is precisely this heat that the enclosure has to dissipate reliably in summer and winter alike.

For this, ZPAS supplies weatherproof aluminium outdoor cabinets with a genuine 19″ interior fit-out — not just the shell, but the frame for active equipment, combined with active climate control (cooling unit or heat pump) instead of mere ventilation. IP54/55 against dust and water, IK10 against impact and vandalism, plus space for UPS and battery backup — so that the site stays online even during a power failure. Because every site has different rack units, heat loads and installation conditions, the cabinets are built on a project basis as special sizes, direct from our own production.

Typical applications for outdoor servers & telecoms

Requirements for outdoor server equipment — clearly classified

Active equipment outdoors has different requirements from a rack in an equipment room. Four points determine long-term, trouble-free operation — clearly separated here into standard and project-specific design:

Key technical data

19″ equipment outdoors: the typical pitfalls

Servers, switches and transmission equipment are built for air-conditioned indoor rooms. Anyone operating them outdoors at network nodes, edge sites or handover points has to reproduce the server room climate inside the cabinet — and this is exactly where simple outdoor enclosures fail. Three points determine continuous operation:

First, climate control. Active IT equipment generates heat continuously, and in summer the solar load is added. An outdoor server cabinet needs a cooling unit that works independently of the outdoor temperature — and in winter, frost protection so that displays, hard drives and batteries do not drop below their approved temperature. Second, condensation: temperature changes between day and night drive the humidity in the cabinet to the dew point; without a sealed shell (IP54/55) and thermostat-controlled heating, water condenses on circuit boards. Third, the interior fit-out: a genuine 19″ mounting level with a defined load capacity, cable management and space for UPS and battery — improvised retrofits cost time at every maintenance visit.

Then there is the reality of the site: pollen and dust clog open ventilation concepts, vandalism has to be expected at freely accessible sites (IK10, multi-point locking), and maintenance takes place in all weathers — doors that open wide and side panels that can be removed without tools then pay off. Relevant for transmission equipment: the EMC-compliant version with a conductive surface and a clean earthing concept.

ZPAS builds the complete cabinet ready for operation: 19″ level, climate control according to heat load (CVO cooling unit or AHP heat pump), battery compartment, cable entries — as a one-off or as a series for network expansion. You can calculate the heat balance of your site in advance with the cooling & heating capacity calculator.

Why ZPAS for outdoor servers & telecoms

ZPAS is a European manufacturer of enclosure and cabinet systems with over 50 years of experience and its own design department (80+ engineers). For outdoor server and telecoms cabinets, this means: a genuine 19″ interior fit-out instead of an empty enclosure, active climate control according to the calculated heat load, UPS and battery space separated from the active equipment — and any special size, series or one-off, ready for operation from the factory. You can put together your specific design — dimensions, rack units, degree of protection, climate control and accessories — in just a few minutes in the outdoor cabinet configurator.

Planning checklist: outdoor server cabinet

Before 19″ equipment moves outdoors, these points should be clarified:

• U requirement: Add up the rack units of all devices, add 1–2 U for PDU and cable management, and plan a 20–30 % reserve.
• Load capacity & UPS: Batteries and UPS are heavy — design the load capacity of the mounting level and the structural strength of the plinth accordingly.
• Climate control: Size the cooling unit independently of the outdoor temperature (summer) and provide frost protection (winter) — both belong in the concept, not in a retrofit.
• Condensation: Thermostat-controlled heating against falling below the dew point — essential with day-night temperature changes.
• Sealing: IP54/55 against dust, pollen and driving rain; do not forget sealed cable entries.
• Maintenance: Door opening angle, access from one or two sides, side panels removable without tools — this determines every later service call.
• Monitoring: Temperature and door sensors connected to the control centre turn faults into plannable call-outs.

ZPAS supplies the cabinet fully assembled and ready for operation — 19″ level, climate control, battery compartment, cabling preparation — as a one-off or as a series for network expansion.

Frequently asked questions — outdoor server cabinet & telecommunications

Can a 19″ interior fit-out be operated weatherproof outdoors?

Yes. We supply a genuine 19″ interior fit-out — frame, profiles, swing frame — in a weatherproof aluminium outdoor cabinet with IP54/55 and IK10. This allows active server, network and edge equipment to run permanently outdoors without the need for a dedicated equipment room. The enclosure is rack and weather protection in one.

Is ventilation enough for continuously running servers, or is active climate control needed?

Continuously running active equipment generates waste heat around the clock — with summer outdoor temperatures and full sun, simple ventilation is no longer sufficient. That is why we rely on active climate control: a cooling unit (CVO) or a reversible heat pump (AHP) cools in summer and heats in winter, closed and without dust ingress. The double-walled SZD version additionally buffers the solar load passively. The cooling & heating capacity calculator determines the right design.

Can UPS and battery backup be integrated?

Yes. We provide a separate UPS/battery compartment with its own ventilation so that the emergency power supply bridges the site during a power failure without thermally affecting the active equipment. Power distribution units (PDU), monitoring and electronic locks are included in the interior fit-out on a project basis.

Which rack units and special sizes are possible?

Dimensions and rack units depend on your equipment — from a compact edge node to a bayable outdoor equipment room. As a manufacturer with our own design department, we produce any special size: tell us the dimensions, U, cooling requirements and mounting type, and we will design the cabinet to fit exactly.

How is condensation prevented in an outdoor server cabinet?

Through the combination of a sealed shell (IP54/55), thermostat-controlled enclosure heating and well-designed air routing: the heater keeps the internal temperature above the dew point so that no water condenses on circuit boards and connectors when temperatures change between day and night.