APC by Schneider Electric AR3200 40U Dual-Compartment Colocation Rack Enclosure
Overview
The APC NetShelter SX AR3200 is a 40U freestanding rack enclosure purpose-built for colocation and multi-tenant data center environments where physical segregation of tenant equipment is a hard requirement. Spanning 600mm wide by 1070mm deep, it fits within standard data center floor tiles while providing two fully separated compartments — each occupying 20U — so two tenants can share a single rack footprint without sharing access. For data center infrastructure teams managing shared space, this removes the need to provision two separate cabinets while keeping tenant equipment physically isolated.
At 40U total across two 20U compartments, the AR3200 is the right call when colocation density is the constraint and you need to maximize usable rack units per square foot of white space. The 600mm width is deliberately compact — if your floor plan is already tight, this enclosure is dimensioned to fit where a wider cabinet cannot, without sacrificing the 1070mm depth that accommodates full-depth servers and network equipment in both compartments.
Key Features
- Dual 20U Compartments: Two segregated 20U bays within a single 40U enclosure let two tenants occupy one rack without physical access overlap — a practical alternative to provisioning two separate cabinets when floor space is the binding constraint in a colocation build-out.
- 600mm Width, 1070mm Depth: The narrow 600mm footprint preserves aisle width and fits within standard tile grid layouts, while the 1070mm depth is sufficient for full-depth 1U/2U servers, patch panels, and switching gear in both compartments simultaneously.
- Adjustable Vertical Mounting Rails: Rails adjust to accommodate equipment of varying depth — useful in colocation scenarios where tenant hardware mix is not known at install time. No re-drilling or secondary rail kits required for common 1U–4U equipment.
- Pre-Installed Casters: The enclosure ships with casters already fitted, so you can roll it into position on the data center floor before final placement — meaningful on large installs where you're positioning multiple units before cabling begins.
- Leveling Feet: Leveling feet compensate for floor irregularities and lock the rack in place once positioned, preventing movement after cabling. This is the detail that matters when an adjacent colo tenant cannot afford downtime from a rack that shifts.
- Baying Hardware Included: The kit includes baying hardware for mechanically joining adjacent enclosures — relevant when scaling from one AR3200 to a row of them, as baying eliminates side-panel gaps and improves airflow management between units without ordering additional hardware.
- Security-Enhanced Construction: Physical access controls are built into the enclosure design, supporting the tenant isolation requirement inherent in colocation deployments. Each compartment's access can be managed independently via the included door key.
- Complete Deployment Kit: Baying hardware, door key, rack mounting hardware, roof, documentation CD, and installation guide are all included — no line-item accessories needed to make the enclosure operational on day one.
Integration & Compatibility
The AR3200 integrates with the broader APC by Schneider Electric NetShelter SX product family, meaning accessories — blanking panels, cable managers, power distribution units, and air containment components — designed for the SX line are compatible. Baying hardware in the box enables row-level integration with adjacent NetShelter SX enclosures, which is the standard expansion path when colocation density grows beyond a single cabinet. For teams running structured power and cooling infrastructure alongside the enclosure, the roof panel and overall cabinet geometry are designed to work with APC's overhead cable trays and hot/cold aisle containment systems common in enterprise data centers.
What's in the Box
- 1x APC NetShelter SX AR3200 40U Colocation Rack Enclosure
- Adjustable vertical mounting rails
- Baying hardware
- Documentation CD
- Door key
- Installation guide
- Leveling feet
- Pre-installed casters
- Rack mounting hardware
- Roof
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the total usable rack space in the AR3200, and how is it divided?
A: The AR3200 provides 40U of total rack space divided into two 20U compartments. Each compartment is independently accessible, making it suitable for colocation environments where two tenants share a single enclosure footprint.
Q: What are the external dimensions of the AR3200?
A: The AR3200 is 600mm wide and 1070mm deep. This compact width is designed to optimize data center floor space while the 1070mm depth accommodates full-depth server and networking equipment.
Q: Does the AR3200 come with everything needed for installation?
A: Yes. The enclosure includes adjustable vertical mounting rails, baying hardware, door key, rack mounting hardware, roof, leveling feet, pre-installed casters, documentation CD, and an installation guide. No additional accessory kits are required for basic deployment.
Q: Can multiple AR3200 units be joined together in a row?
A: Yes. Baying hardware is included in the box specifically for this purpose. Mechanically joining adjacent AR3200 units eliminates side-panel gaps and supports row-level airflow management without ordering additional hardware.
Q: Is the AR3200 compatible with other NetShelter SX accessories?
A: The AR3200 is part of the APC NetShelter SX product family. Accessories designed for the SX line — including blanking panels, cable managers, and PDUs — are compatible with this enclosure.
Q: Can the AR3200 be moved after it is installed and cabled?
A: The pre-installed casters allow the enclosure to be rolled into position before final placement. Once positioned, the leveling feet lock the rack in place and prevent movement after cabling is complete.
The AR3200 is one of those enclosures that solves a very specific problem — you have a colocation environment, two tenants need to share physical infrastructure, and you cannot afford to dedicate separate 40U cabinets to each. The dual 20U compartment layout within a single 600mm-wide footprint is exactly the answer, and it is one of the few APC NetShelter SX configurations that addresses multi-tenancy at the enclosure level rather than requiring you to engineer around it.
Technical Highlights:
- Dual 20U Compartments: Each tenant gets 20U of independently accessible space within the same 600mm enclosure width — no shared access, no separate cabinet provisioning. At full population, that is 40U of usable mounting space from one floor tile footprint.
- 600mm Width x 1070mm Depth: The 600mm width fits standard data center grid layouts without consuming extra tile space, while the 1070mm depth clears the minimum for full-depth 1U/2U servers and top-of-rack switches in both compartments without rail extension kits.
- Baying Hardware Included: Row-level expansion does not require a separate accessory order — the baying hardware ships in the box, which matters when you are deploying multiple AR3200 units in a colo row and want consistent airflow management between cabinets from day one.
Deployment Considerations:
- Pre-installed casters and leveling feet are both present, but sequencing matters — position with casters, then engage the leveling feet before you begin cabling. Trying to adjust feet after cable runs are complete is a time sink in dense colo rows.
- The 20U-per-compartment limit is a hard constraint. If either tenant's equipment list exceeds 20U, the AR3200 is not the right enclosure — you will need a deeper per-tenant cabinet rather than a shared colocation unit.
The AR3200 is the correct specification for managed colocation providers deploying shared infrastructure in enterprise or carrier-neutral data centers where per-tenant rack-unit allocation is small, physical security segregation is contractually required, and floor space efficiency is a primary design constraint.
