Network providers have a plethora of enclosure options to choose from for their communications networks.
There are shelters and cabinets. Pad- or pole-mounted or below-grade. PON or active. Only one of those options (shelters) is large enough to accommodate a person and a large amount of equipment inside.
Let’s take a closer look at American Products lightweight metal shelter solutions, including how they’re made, how they can help a variety of network providers achieve their goals and how our team can tailor the enclosure to meet the provider’s needs just right.
Application
Most American Products shelter enclosures are designed and built for communications organizations. Telecommunications, cable TV, utility providers, satellite communications providers and wireless internet service providers (WISP) have all come to American Products to craft enclosure solutions for their network expansions. The enclosures have helped them do everything from deploy fiber to connect utilities to store power.
When is a shelter more appropriate than just a cabinet?
Some providers order shelters to accommodate a large amount of equipment at once. Others order them to provide a convenient walk-in shelter for their field techs, a decision which is often based on the area’s environment. For example, a company might choose shelters over cabinets in an area with very harsh winters to protect their techs during inclement weather. Another organization, though, might order shelters because they plan to deploy their enclosures in next to an open field or unpaved road, i.e., an area that is going to be dusty. In that case, the organization chooses a shelter so the tech can go inside and shut the door, mitigating the amount of dust that can get into the enclosure during a service visit to protect the equipment inside as well as the tech.
And then, some organizations just prefer to purchase cabinets or shelters over the other, or they make the decision based on budget.
In other words, if the provider wants to store a lot of equipment in one spot or protect their field techs at the site from the environment, a shelter is ideal. Otherwise, it’s solely up to the provider and what they prefer or what their budget allows.
Construction
While other organizations offer enclosures in various construction materials, American Products focuses on producing high-quality lightweight metal shelter solutions. We build most of our shelters with heavy-duty 14-gauge galvanized steel walls, floors and ceilings, along with 12-gauge steel for the ceiling joists. This makes the shelters extremely corrosion resistant and able to stand up to sever weather conditions. In turn, every American Products shelter is rated to withstand up to 155MPH winds.
We also powder coat all the exterior panels on all shelters, which makes them even more corrosion resistant. We can also apply an aggregate exterior at the customer’s request. If the shelter is going to be deployed to a coastal area or some other extremely caustic environment, we can also use aluminum for the construction.
Regardless the materials used in construction, every American Products shelter meets all standard state and federal building codes and provide NEMA protection.
We don’t use any wood in our shelter structures, ensuring providers will never have to worry about humidity, wood rot or insect infestations, especially termites. This helps produce a long-lasting shelter the provider can rely on to protect their network for years to come.
Using metal over concrete also helps with shipping–we can ship multiple shelters at once and they can be more easily deployed to rural locations. Concrete is extremely heavy, so a shelter made of it will cost significantly more to ship and require much larger equipment to unload and set up.
American Products shelters are insulated to meet all applicable national and local codes and standards, which will help protect valuable equipment inside from extreme temperatures.
Integration
At American Products, we prefer to work with our customers to develop enclosure solutions.
That means we offer a variety of optional add-ons that we integrate in the factory, resulting in the provider receiving a turn-key solution ready to deploy.
The alternative to factory integration is for the customer to add their chosen components when the shelter reaches them or their site. In that case, it’s the responsibility of the provider to order the components and schedule the installation, often in the field. That’s just one of the benefits of opting for factory integration.
In addition, factory integration allows the American Products team to control the quality of the shelter in every aspect. We can install the optional components in a secure setting without any disruptions from the environment, and then we can test the installations in house to ensure everything is working when it reaches the customer’s site.
Factory integration is especially good for providers who want a shelter for fiber networks. American Products has a team of Fiber Optic Association (FOA) trained technicians who perform all fiber integration in a special room. Again, this ensures all components get tested before shipping.
In addition to improved quality, in-house integration produces a high level of quality repeatability. This means that if a provider orders 20 shelters, every one of those shelters will be designed, built and outfitted the exact same as the others. When they send a tech out to one shelter, that tech can expect to find all the same equipment in the same positions and same setup as all the other shelters. If the provider opted to integrate the equipment themselves, the equipment could be different from shelter to shelter and even if it was the same, it might be in different spots and set up differently, which can be confusing.
In the end, American Products doesn’t just produce enclosures, we work with network providers to design and develop complete lightweight metal shelter solutions that will help them expand and enhance their network with confidence. We offer a variety of shelter sizes and features, as well as an in-house team of talented engineers, designers, integrators, welders and more who can help you find the enclosure that fits your network’s needs best.
You can check out the entire line of enclosures in our Digital Catalog or browse shelter options. If you’re interested in talking to a sales specialist, please contact us at 417.323.6312.