Outdoor Enclosures

One of the biggest challenges of terminating your telecommunications equipment outdoors is finding outdoor enclosures that will be able to properly withstand the elements. Temperature, moisture, ice, shock hazards, and UV damage are all potential dangers to consider before purchasing an outdoor enclosure or cabinet. On top of all that, network hardware generates excess heat on its own, meaning you might need to consider a temperature solution that manages airflow with cooling technology.

At American Products, we offer a variety of outdoor enclosures for telecommunications equipment. If one of our standard products doesn’t quite meet your application requirements, we can modify the design to create the ideal outdoor product for your needs. We can also collaborate with you and your team to create new products built to your specifications. Before you purchase any telecommunications cabinet, consider the following:

NEMA Ratings for Outdoor Enclosures

Finding outdoor enclosures that meet all of your application requirements is made simpler through NEMA ratings. Cabinets with a 3, 3R, 3S, 3X, 3RX, 3SX, 4, 4X, 6, or 6P NEMA standard are all properly made to withstand the outdoor elements to varying degrees. The key is to select the enclosure rating that best meets your environmental needs, and then find an appropriate enclosure with that rating. American Products manufactures metal cabinets and enclosures that meet or are designed to NEMA type 3R, 4, and 6.

External Features

Also, keep in mind that if you are going to connect external features, such as a cable or antenna, it may be necessary to modify your enclosure for the outdoors. Every cutout you add to the cabinet provides an opportunity for water or other contaminants to seep in. Using the right accessories, such as cable glands, can help seal out dust, dirt, and damaging liquids.

Outdoor Environmental Factors

Additionally, to ensure the performance and reliability of your equipment and to give it the best chance at a long lifespan, you must consider outdoor environmental factors. These factors include variations in the internal operating temperature with temperature extremes, water, and dust ingress at cabling connections. Other dynamic factors include moisture, condensation, chemicals, and corrosive gases that can affect internal component and material selection. Don’t forget about the panel layout and design and the need for environmental conditioning (cooling and heating).

Climate Control

For electronics to survive in an outdoor enclosure, they typically require climate control.

Whether you’re keeping your electronic systems and components cool in the summer or warm in the winter, outfitting your outdoor enclosures with the appropriate heating and cooling features will help protect your investment. Look through our catalog of products to learn more about your heating and cooling options.

Our Products

	AP FORT®	MINIFORT®	INDEPENDENCE®		FREEDOM™		PATRIOT®	MINUTEMAN™	UTILITY™	BATTERY™	AP LIBERTY®	AP NAUTILUS®
Bays	1	1	1	2 - 3	1	2 - 3	2	1	1	1 - 2	1	1
NEMA	3R*	3R	3R	3R	4*	4*	3R*	1*	3R* / 4*	3R* / 4*	4*	6
ETL		50 / 50E				50 / 50E					50 / 50E
Indoor								X
Outdoor	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X	X	X	X
Fiber / FTTx	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X		X	X
CATV	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X		X	X
Cellular Base	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Satellite / Microwave	X		X	X	X	X	X
Gen. Industry	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Headend	X			X	X	X
OLT	X		X	X	X	X	X
PON Fiber	X	X		X	X	X					X	X
Active Fiber	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Radio/Basestation		X	X		X			X
Curbside											X	X
DAS / Small Cell		X	X		X	X		X	X
CCTV		X						X	X
Battery Backup	X	X	X	X	X	X	X			X
SAN / Edge	X			X		X
Backhaul		X	X		X		X				X
*Designed To Spec.

Application	Product Series / NEMA
Indoor	AP MINUTEMAN™ / 1*
Outdoor	AP FORT® / 3R* AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP FREEDOM™ / 4* AP LIBERTY® / 4* - ETL AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP NAUTILUS® / 6 AP PATRIOT® / 3R* AP UTILITY™ / 4
Fiber / FTTx	AP FORT® / 3R* AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP FREEDOM™ / 4* AP LIBERTY® / 4* - ETL AP NAUTILUS® / 6 AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R AP PATRIOT® / 3R* AP UTILITY™ / 4
CATV	AP FORT® / 3R* AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP FREEDOM™ / 4* AP LIBERTY® / 4* - ETL AP NAUTILUS® / 6 AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R AP PATRIOT® / 3R* AP UTILITY™ / 4
Cellular Base Station	AP FORT® / 3R* AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R AP PATRIOT® / 3R* AP UTILITY™ / 4
Satellite / Microwave Base Station	AP FORT® / 3R* AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R AP PATRIOT® / 3R* AP UTILITY™ / 4
General Industry	AP FORT® / 3R* AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP FREEDOM™ / 4* AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R AP PATRIOT® / 3R* AP UTILITY™ / 4
Headend	AP FORT® / 3R* AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R
OLT	AP FORT® / 3R* AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP FREEDOM™ / 4* AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R AP PATRIOT® / 3R*
PON Fiber Dist	AP FORT® / 3R* AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP LIBERTY® / 4* - ETL AP NAUTILUS® / 6 AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R
Active Fiber Dist	AP FORT® / 3R* AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP INDEPENDENCE® / 3R AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R
Repeater	AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP MINUTEMAN™ /1*
Curbside	AP LIBERTY® / 4* - ETL AP NAUTILUS® / 6
DAS / Small Cell	AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP FREEDOM™ / 4* AP MINUTEMAN™ / 1* AP UTILITY™ / 4
CCTV	AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL
Battery Backup	AP FORT® / 3R* AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP INDEPENDENCE® Single Bay / 3R AP FREEDOM™ / 4* AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R
SAN / Edge	AP FORT® / 3R* AP INDEPENDENCE® Multibay / 3R
Backhaul	AP MINIFORT® / 3R - ETL AP LIBERTY® / 4* - ETL AP NAUTILUS® / 6 AP UTILITY™ / 4
* Designed To Specification

Does your enclosure need a cooling system? What about corrosion resistance or a water- and dust-tight seal? Determining which features are necessary will help you select the proper enclosure and material to protect your equipment against the elements. Our outdoor enclosures include the AP FORT™, AP MINIFORT®, AP INDEPENDENCE™, AP LIBERTY®, AP NAUTILUS™, AP INDEPENDENCE™ Multibay, AP PATRIOT™, Small Telco, and Freedom series cabinets. You can compare these outdoor enclosures today or contact us with any questions. Remember, our experts will work with you to select or design an outdoor electronics enclosure that meets your unique application’s requirements.