APC by Schneider Electric Rack PDU 2G Metered-by-outlet Zerou 11.0KW 230V (21) C13 & (3) - AP8481

APC by Schneider Electric AP8481 0U Vertical Metered-by-Outlet Rack PDU

Overview

The APC by Schneider Electric AP8481 is a 0U vertical rack PDU delivering 11.0kW at 230V across 24 outlets — 21 IEC C13 and 3 IEC C19 — with per-outlet current, power, and voltage metering accessible over web, SNMP, or Telnet. Designed for high-density server and network equipment cabinets, it mounts vertically in the rack's zero-U space, preserving every usable rack unit for active equipment. The IEC 309 input connection (16A 3P+N+PE) is the standard for three-phase European and international power distribution infrastructure, which means it drops into existing raised-floor and in-row cooling environments without adapter gymnastics.

Where a basic switched or metered PDU shows you aggregate load, the AP8481 gives you per-outlet visibility — critical when you need to charge back power costs by tenant, identify rogue-load devices, or catch a failing power supply before it takes down a rack. For network infrastructure teams managing mixed compute and storage loads, that granularity is the difference between a spreadsheet guess and a real measurement.

Key Features

• Per-Outlet Metering (Current, Power, Voltage): Every one of the 24 outlets reports individually — not just aggregate rack draw. When a server's power supply starts degrading or a new device pulls more than spec, you see it at the outlet level before it becomes a capacity or billing problem. This is the core reason to choose a metered-by-outlet unit over a basic metered PDU.
• 11.0kW / 11,040 VA at 230V: Sized for high-density racks running blade chassis, GPU compute nodes, or dense storage arrays. At 16A maximum input per phase, you get the full rated load without tripping branch circuit breakers — provided upstream circuits are correctly provisioned at IEC 309 16A 3P+N+PE.
• 24 Outlets — 21×C13 + 3×C19: The C13/C19 mix covers the real-world rack: standard 1U and 2U servers, switches, and KVM units on C13; high-draw UPS, PDU input cords, and large storage controllers on the three C19 positions. No need for adapters or outlet expanders for typical mixed racks.
• 0U Vertical Mounting: Installs in the vertical channel of a standard two-post or four-post open-frame rack, consuming zero rack units. In cabinets where every U counts — colocation cages, dense edge deployments — this is the only PDU form factor worth specifying.
• IEC 309 Input Connection: The 1.83m input cable terminates in an IEC 309 16A 3P+N+PE connector, the international standard for three-phase power feeds. This plugs directly into in-row PDU panels and data center distribution boards without custom wiring, which keeps commissioning time short.
• Web, SNMP, and Telnet Management: Three management paths mean the AP8481 integrates into whatever monitoring stack is already in place — whether that's a full SNMP-based NMS, a lightweight web dashboard, or a scripted Telnet poller for legacy environments. Per-outlet readings are accessible over all three interfaces.
• LED Indicators: Local status visibility at the rack face without pulling up a dashboard. Useful during physical commissioning and troubleshooting when a laptop or tablet isn't immediately at hand.
• 50–60 Hz Input Frequency: Accepts both 50Hz (European standard) and 60Hz (North American standard) input, which matters for deployments that span geographies or for equipment that moves between regions.

Integration & Compatibility

The AP8481 is managed via standard SNMP, which means it integrates with Nagios, PRTG, SolarWinds, Zabbix, and any other NMS that supports SNMP traps and polling. The web interface provides a browser-accessible dashboard for direct management without requiring a separate management server. Telnet access supports scripted polling and integration with older infrastructure management tools.

Input power is supplied via IEC 309 16A 3P+N+PE or IEC 309 20A 3P+N+E — confirm which receptacle type is installed in the target rack before ordering. The 1.83m cable length is sufficient for most two-post and four-post rack installations but measure the distance from your distribution panel to the PDU mounting position in taller cabinets. Output voltage is 230V nominal; confirm all connected equipment accepts 230V input before deployment.

For data center environments managing multiple PDUs, APC's EcoStruxure IT and power management platforms support centralized monitoring of AP8481 units alongside UPS devices, providing a unified view of power chain health from UPS through PDU to outlet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the maximum load the AP8481 can handle?

A: The AP8481 is rated for 11,040 VA (11.0kW) at 230V nominal output, with a maximum input current of 16A per phase via the IEC 309 16A 3P+N+PE connector.

Q: How does per-outlet metering differ from standard metered PDUs?

A: A standard metered PDU reports aggregate current for the entire unit. The AP8481's metered-by-outlet design reports current, power, and voltage individually at each of the 24 outlets — enabling per-device power accounting, tenant billing, and early detection of failing power supplies or overcurrent conditions.

Q: What rack space does the AP8481 consume?

A: The AP8481 is a 0U vertical PDU. It mounts in the vertical channel of a two-post or four-post rack and consumes zero rack units, leaving all horizontal rack space available for active equipment.

Q: What input connector does the AP8481 use?

A: The AP8481 uses an IEC 309 input connection — specifically IEC 309 16A 3P+N+PE or IEC 309 20A 3P+N+E. Verify which receptacle type is available at the target installation point before ordering.

Q: Which management protocols does the AP8481 support?

A: The AP8481 supports web-based management, SNMP, and Telnet. SNMP integration is compatible with standard network management platforms including Nagios, PRTG, SolarWinds, and Zabbix.

Q: Can the AP8481 be used in North American 60Hz facilities?

A: The AP8481 accepts 50–60Hz input frequency, but its nominal input and output voltages are 400V input / 230V output, which is the European three-phase standard. It is not designed for North American 120/208V infrastructure without step-up/step-down transformation.

James Everett

The AP8481 earns its place in high-density racks specifically because of its metered-by-outlet architecture — not just the 11,040 VA capacity. In colocation and multi-tenant environments, per-outlet power visibility at each of the 24 positions means you can actually bill by device rather than estimate by rack, and you catch a degrading server PSU drawing 20% above spec before it cascades into an overload event.

Technical Highlights:

• 11,040 VA at 230V / 16A per phase: Sufficient headroom for fully populated blade chassis or GPU compute rows without approaching the branch circuit breaker limit on a properly provisioned IEC 309 16A 3P+N+PE feed.
• 21×C13 + 3×C19 outlet mix: The three C19 positions handle high-draw tail-end loads (large UPS bypass, high-wattage storage controllers) while 21 C13 positions cover standard 1U/2U compute and networking gear — this ratio matches how most dense racks actually populate.
• SNMP + Web + Telnet management: Three independent management paths prevent a single-protocol outage from blinding you to outlet-level power data; SNMP polling integrates directly into existing NMS platforms without additional agents.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm the target rack has the correct IEC 309 receptacle type installed — the AP8481 supports both 16A 3P+N+PE and 20A 3P+N+E inputs, but these are physically different connectors. Getting this wrong at commissioning means a return trip with the right cable.
• The 1.83m input cable covers most standard rack heights, but in taller 47U or 48U cabinets with bottom-mounted distribution panels, measure the actual cable run before assuming it reaches — a short cable on a vertical PDU in a tall cabinet is a common field gotcha.

This unit is the right call for European and international colocation deployments, high-density server rooms, and any environment where per-outlet power chargeback or granular anomaly detection is a hard requirement — not a nice-to-have.