The Loft Datacenter: II

OK now for some practicalities.

1. The wireless router sometimes locks out and stops picking up connections from the laptops, so it would be ideal to be able to disconnect and restart it.
2. Access to the NAS box over the wireless network appears not to be reliable so the option to have access to a hard Ethernet connection and power for the laptops is required.
3. The house is divided by a large chimney and the loft hatch is on a wall with access up the side of chimney about 3ft to the loft level.
4. The UPS is heavy and needs to be across a couple of beams to support its weight.

With all this in mind, the IT needs to stay at the level of the loft roof beams but the power and Ethernet needs to be accessible from floor level. I could arrange a neat cable box in one of the upstairs rooms but the work required would be relatively involved and too intrusive on the fabric of the building for a small benefit (a couple of power switches and an Ethernet port).

Instead I've chosen to put in a shelf half-way up that the laptops could be parked on for hard access to the NAS. Also the power can be fed down from the UPS to the 4-gang extension lead, this will give a power point for the laptops and access to the wireless router power for restarts.

Out with the jigsaw and a surplus piece of dismantled cupboard was cut to size. One edge rests on the stepped chimney breast and the opposite edge on two corner blocks screwed to the wall studs. The advantage of this is that the shelf can be lifted out of the way if necessary.

Next the provision of power.