APC by Schneider Electric AP9567 Vertical 0U Rack Power Distribution Unit
Overview
The APC by Schneider Electric AP9567 is a vertical 0U power distribution unit designed to mount inside standard equipment racks without consuming any rack unit space — a practical solution when every U counts in dense surveillance, networking, or AV closets. With 14 NEMA 5-15R receptacles drawing from a single NEMA 5-15P input at 120V/15A, it distributes up to 1800VA of capacity across a full row of devices. The 3.6-meter input cord provides enough reach to hit most raised-floor or overhead-power drops without an extension. If you're fitting out a rack with NVRs, PoE switches, managed switches, or IP intercom controllers that run on standard 15A circuits, the AP9567 handles the load distribution cleanly in a vertical strip format.
This is a basic, non-switched, non-metered PDU — no network management, no per-outlet switching, no current monitoring. That's not a limitation for every deployment; it's a deliberate fit for environments where cost and simplicity matter more than remote control. For managed deployments requiring outlet-level switching or remote monitoring, a higher-tier power distribution unit from the APC lineup would be the right move.
Key Features
- 14 NEMA 5-15R Outlets: Fourteen standard 15A receptacles in a single vertical strip means one PDU covers an entire rack column — no daisy-chaining, no separate strips fighting for U-space. Each outlet accepts any North American 3-prong device without adapters.
- 1800VA / 15A Load Capacity: The 15-amp circuit ceiling is the practical limit of a standard NEMA 5-15P branch circuit. At 1800VA, you have roughly 120W per outlet if all 14 are loaded equally — enough headroom for NVR power bricks, managed switches, and server appliances, but you'll want to run a load calculation before wiring in high-draw UPS bypass or GPU-heavy edge servers.
- 0U Vertical Form Factor: Mounts vertically inside the rack cabinet along the side channels, consuming zero rack units. This is the key differentiator over horizontal PDUs — a rack with eight 1U switches, two 2U NVRs, and a 4U server leaves no spare U for horizontal strips; the AP9567 occupies none.
- 3.6-Meter Input Cord: The 3.6m (approximately 11.8 ft) cord is longer than the typical 2m stub, which matters when the power drop is at the bottom of a floor-mount rack or when the rack is positioned away from the closest PDU outlet. Fewer extension cords in the path means fewer failure points.
- 120V / 50–60Hz Input: Compatible with standard North American branch circuits. The 50–60Hz frequency tolerance means it functions on both 60Hz domestic power and 50Hz installations found in some international facilities using North American plug standards.
- cUL/CSA/ETI/UL 1363 Listed: Carries cUL, CSA, ETI, and UL 1363 safety listings — the UL 1363 standard specifically covers relocatable power taps, confirming the unit has been independently evaluated for overcurrent, leakage, and mechanical safety. This matters for compliance-driven environments (data centers, healthcare, government) where AHJ sign-off requires listed equipment.
- 0–45°C Operating Range: Rated to operate in ambient temperatures up to 45°C. Standard enclosed rack environments rarely exceed 40°C at the PDU level, so this provides a small but real thermal margin. The extended storage range (−25°C to 65°C) means staging the unit in an unheated warehouse or vehicle before deployment won't degrade it.
- 0–95% RH Operating Humidity: Non-condensing humidity tolerance from 0 to 95% suits both climate-controlled data rooms and less-controlled IDF closets or warehouse edge locations where humidity management is imperfect.
Integration and Compatibility
The AP9567 integrates into any standard rack cabinet with vertical mounting channels — no proprietary mounting hardware. The NEMA 5-15P input connects to any standard 15A North American branch circuit or to the output of a compatible UPS battery backup unit with NEMA 5-15R or 5-20R outlets (via appropriate adapter). Because this is a basic PDU with no management interface, there is nothing to configure, no firmware to maintain, and no network segment to provision — it simply distributes power. This makes it compatible with every NVR, switch, server, or appliance that runs on 120V/15A, including APC by Schneider Electric's broader lineup of UPS and power management hardware. If your rack infrastructure includes network switches and surveillance recorders running 24/7, the non-switched format keeps things simple and eliminates the risk of remote outlet misconfiguration cutting power to critical devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the maximum load the AP9567 can support?
A: The AP9567 is rated for 1800VA / 15A at 120V. This is determined by the NEMA 5-15P input circuit. To avoid tripping the branch circuit breaker, keep total load at or below 80% of the 15A rating — approximately 12A or 1440VA under continuous operation, per standard NEC guidance.
Q: Does the AP9567 include surge protection or any power conditioning?
A: No. The AP9567 is a basic power strip/PDU with no surge suppression, filtering, or conditioning. If surge protection is required, pair it with an upstream UPS or a dedicated surge-protection device on the branch circuit.
Q: Can the AP9567 be mounted horizontally in a rack?
A: The AP9567 is designed as a vertical 0U unit that mounts along the interior side channels of a rack cabinet. It does not occupy rack units. Horizontal rack mounting is not the intended configuration for this model.
Q: What safety certifications does the AP9567 carry?
A: The AP9567 is listed under cUL, CSA, ETI, and UL 1363. UL 1363 is the standard for relocatable power taps, covering safety requirements for overcurrent protection, mechanical durability, and leakage current — relevant for AHJ approval in commercial and government installations.
Q: What is the input cord length on the AP9567?
A: The AP9567 includes a 3.6-meter (approximately 11.8-foot) input cord terminated with a NEMA 5-15P plug.
Q: Is the AP9567 compatible with international power systems?
A: The AP9567 is designed for 120V North American circuits with NEMA 5-15 plug/outlet configuration. It accepts 50–60Hz input frequency, so it can operate on 50Hz power infrastructure, but requires a 120V source and NEMA-standard connections — it is not suitable for 230V European or international power without a step-down transformer.
The AP9567 earns its place in a rack build specifically because of its 0U vertical form factor paired with 14 outlets on a single 15A/1800VA circuit — I reach for it when a rack is already packed with 1U and 2U gear and there's no horizontal space left to run a traditional power strip. It's a workhorse unit, nothing more.
Technical Highlights:
- 14-Outlet Density: Fourteen NEMA 5-15R receptacles on a single vertical strip eliminates the need for multiple horizontal PDUs competing for rack space — relevant when a rack holds NVRs, PoE switches, and access control servers simultaneously.
- 1800VA Circuit Rating: At 15A/120V, the practical continuous load ceiling per NEC 80% rule is 1440VA. Running a load calc before commissioning is non-negotiable — overloading the branch circuit trips the upstream breaker and takes down everything on the PDU simultaneously.
- UL 1363 Listing: This specific listing covers relocatable power taps and is the credential AHJs most commonly ask for in commercial rack installations — cUL/CSA coverage extends that acceptance into Canadian-jurisdiction projects.
Deployment Considerations:
- The 3.6m input cord is long enough to reach most overhead or floor-level power drops in a standard 42U floor cabinet without adding an extension, but plan your cable management before installation — a 3.6m cord in a tidy rack needs a dedicated routing path, not a coil stuffed behind the gear.
- This unit has no management interface and no per-outlet circuit protection. A single overload event trips the branch breaker and cuts all 14 outlets simultaneously. For any deployment where individual circuit isolation matters — or where remote outlet cycling is needed to reboot hung devices — a switched or metered PDU is the correct choice instead.
The AP9567 is the right call for a compact surveillance or network equipment rack with predominantly 120V/15A loads where budget is tight, management overhead is unwanted, and 0U vertical mounting is the only viable power distribution geometry.
