The first thing you need to buy when you set up your home system hub is an equipment rack.

In my case, I decided to put all of the equipment into a closet in the hallway near the middle of the house. We ran all of the wiring to the closet via the crawlspace and attic. There is a maze of cat6, rg6 and speaker wire coming into the closet through holes located back and to one side of the closet. Our electrician installed 2 outlets (one high and one low) on the back wall to the same side as the wire entry holes.

For the equipment rack we selected the Avrak Avtrak AT-72 which is 72" high giving us a full height rack for lots of equipment and storage.

This rack was an absolute breeze to install --- even for me --- so professional installers will have no problem whatsoever. All you do is line up the base on the floor and screw down the tracks (there are 4 heavy duty roller tracks on the AT-72). In our closet I needed to build a support for the top track at the correct height and mount the top rail. Once this was in place it took 2 of us to lift the rack (it's a solid piece of work) into position where it clicked into place on the base and slid nicely into the top rail. That's it --- ready to go. The rack smoothly slides in and out of the closet and rotates 360 degrees to allow you to get at the back of your equipment for wiring.

There are several pre-mounted equipment shelves that are fully adjustable so you can mount all sizes and shapes of equipment. In our case the rack holds not only the entertainment equipment (receiver, cable box and DVD player) but also the home network equipment that runs the offices as well as the printer and storage of DVD's, CD's and even a few printer supplies. There is still room for additional equipment when the time comes.

On the back of the rack there are 4 cable management loops on each shelf so there is no excuse for a messy installation.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the Avtrak. Even with the heavy equipment in place it glides in and out of the closet with ease. All you really need to be careful about is that you give yourself enough clearance in the enclosure for all the wire to neatly fold away behind and beside the unit. Remember that the wire takes up space behind the rack and allow for that --- not only when it stows away but also when it rotates.

Here are some specs and info from the Avrak web site and there is complete installation details there so you can lay out your enclosure with confidence while waiting for the rack to be delivered.

Pulls our and rotates outside of your enclosures.
If you have a tight space, then this is the rack for you. Our unique Avtrak carriage assembly pulls out a full 19 inches which allows the rack to rotate 360° outside your enclosure for complete access to the back of your components. Remember with no extra legs or support stands needed, just walk up, pull and rotate…its just that simple.

Engineered for maximum strength.
The carriage system is guaranteed for the rated weight capacity. Solid aluminum side panels offer maximum strength and durability. The top of the rack only needs to be stabilized by a single track, which carries no weight. With the Avtrak system there is no external tracking or support legs required for access.

Standard or Custom height.
Available in standard sizes ranging from 30” to a very tall 72” and along with our custom height option, Avtrak truly is versatile.

Infinitely adjustable shelves.
Our shelves mount to the rack via 4 channels in the side panels and lock securely in place with steel bolts and cross dowels. Shelves can be moved, removed or added precisely and easily. Standard shelves are a full ¾” thick with heavy duty Avoptions available.