How to choose an outdoor enclosure for Saudi conditions
IP rating, material, size, cooling and mounting: the five decisions that decide whether a cabinet survives a Riyadh summer or a Jeddah corniche.
Outdoor equipment often fails because of the cabinet rather than the device inside it: fine sand through a gap, a door seal baked by the sun, salt on the hinges. Work through these five choices in order and you will land on the right model code.
1. Pick the protection rating
The IP code (IEC 60529) has two digits. The first is protection against solids, the second against water. For outdoor sites in Saudi Arabia, the first digit should be 6, which means dust-tight. That matters as much for sand as it does for rain.
| Rating | What it means | Where we use it |
|---|---|---|
| IP65 | Dust-tight, protected against water jets | Wall-mount steel and 19″ outdoor racks |
| IP66 | Dust-tight, protected against powerful water jets | Stainless steel range, for washdown and storm exposure |
| IP20 | Finger-safe, no water protection | Indoor only, such as the 12U FTTH wall cabinet |
IP65 or IP66?
Both are dust-tight, so they pass the same dust test. The difference is the water test. IP65 is tested with a 6.3 mm nozzle delivering about 12.5 litres per minute. IP66 uses a 12.5 mm nozzle at about 100 litres per minute, roughly eight times the flow. For most rooftop, wall and pole sites IP65 is enough. Choose IP66 where the cabinet is hosed down or faces driving rain and sea spray.
Is IP65 enough for a sandstorm?
Yes. The 6 in IP65 means dust-tight, which covers fine sand. The rating only holds if every cable entry is sealed, so fit cable glands on every hole you use.
Impact protection: IK10
Impact matters too. All PLANET outdoor ranges are IK10. That is the highest rating in IEC 62262: the enclosure withstands a 20-joule impact, the same as a 5 kg mass dropped from 40 cm. Specify it for public spaces, car parks and street furniture.
2. Choose the material
304 or 316L stainless?
316L contains molybdenum, which resists chloride and salt corrosion better. Use it near the sea. 304 is fine inland. Both come with IP66 and IK10 protection in our stainless steel enclosures.
3. Size it for your equipment
Wall-mount model codes tell you the size directly. PL504023 is 50 cm high, 40 cm wide and 23 cm deep (500 × 400 × 230 mm). To pick one:
- Lay out every device on the mounting plate, including the power supply, breaker and surge protector.
- Check depth against your deepest device, plus its connectors and the cable bend radius.
- Leave free space around heat-producing devices so air can move.
- Match cable count to the gland plate. Plates range from none on the PL202015 up to a 3-gland configuration on the largest sizes.
For 19″ equipment, count rack units instead: the outdoor rack cabinets run from 4U to 18U, in 450 mm or 600 mm depth. Compare all 38 wall-mount sizes side by side in the filterable catalog or on the size chart.
4. Plan for heat
Heat is the biggest threat to electronics in a sealed box in the Saudi summer. Many switches, NVRs and power supplies are rated for about 40 °C, and summer air in much of the Kingdom is hotter than that before the sun even hits the cabinet, so check the operating temperature in your equipment’s datasheet. There are four levels of cooling, from simplest to most protective:
- Shade first. A protection hood or rain canopy keeps direct sun off the roof and door.
- Passive louvers. Side-mounted louvers let warm air escape with no power.
- Fan and filter kit. An upper fan draws air in and a lower louver exhausts it. A thermostat runs the fan only when needed. A fan can only cool to near outside air temperature, so it works best when the outside air is cooler than your equipment’s limit.
- TEC air conditioner. The FD-100W cools in a closed loop, so no outside dust or humidity enters. Use it when the cabinet must stay sealed or the outside air is too hot for a fan.
Does adding a fan lower the IP rating?
Any opening affects sealing, which is why the kit uses filtered intakes. If the cabinet must stay fully sealed, choose the TEC air conditioner instead. For a high-load cabinet, send us the equipment wattage and site location and we will run a thermal calculation.
5. Decide how to mount it
Every wall-mount model includes a wall kit. Pole brackets fit street and camera poles. 19″ racks stand on a welded base with four levelling feet and M10 anchor holes for concrete pads. Order cable glands with the enclosure so cable entry keeps its IP rating.
Quick picks by project
| Project | Start with | Add |
|---|---|---|
| CCTV pole with PoE switch | Wall-mount IP65, 150–200 mm deep | Pole kit, hood, cable glands |
| Coastal or port site | Stainless 316L IP66, or steel with C5 | Rain canopy |
| Desert or high-sun site | Stainless 304, or steel with hood | Fan and thermostat kit |
| Sealed industrial panel | Wall-mount IP65, 230–300 mm deep | TEC air conditioner |
| Outdoor 19″ equipment | Floor-standing rack, 4U–18U | Fan, door switch, sockets |
| FTTH in villas and hotels | 12U indoor wall cabinet | Micro ODF, patch panel |
Models mentioned in this guide
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