APC NetShelter Rack Automatic Transfer Switch 2U 30A 120V Dual Input 16 Outlets AP4453A

Key Features

• Rack automatic transfer switch: two independent power sources feeding one set of outlets, with automatic changeover if the primary source fails.
• Rated 30 A at 120 V AC, 1 phase, derated to 24 A for North American continuous use.
• Input is 2 x NEMA L5-30P, so each cord goes to a separate circuit or a separate UPS.
• Output is 16 x NEMA 5-20R.
• 2U rack-mount body measuring 3.5 x 17.008 x 9.3 in (88 x 432 x 236 mm), weighing 13.96 lb (6.33 kg).
• Integrated network management card is field-replaceable, so a failed management path does not mean replacing the whole transfer switch.
• Managed through a secure web interface, SNMP or the command line, with gigabit Ethernet on the management port.
• Network Port Sharing lets a group of transfer switches be reached through one address rather than one address each.
• APC states that up to 32 rack transfer switches can be connected and managed from a single IP address.
• Backed by 24 months.

Key Specifications

• Product type: Rack automatic transfer switch
• Rated current: 30 A (regulatory derated input current, North America: 24 A)
• Input voltage: 120 V AC, 1 phase
• Input connections: 2 x NEMA L5-30P
• Output connections: 16 x NEMA 5-20R
• Form factor: 2U rack-mount
• Dimensions: 3.5 x 17.008 x 9.3 in (88 x 432 x 236 mm)
• Net weight: 13.96 lb (6.33 kg)
• Management: Integrated field-replaceable Network Management Card; web, SNMP and CLI
• Supplied with: Mounting Hardware and Rack Mounting brackets
• Warranty: 24 months

What this switch is

The AP4453A is APC's rack automatic transfer switch, and it solves a problem a UPS on its own cannot. It takes two independent power sources and feeds one set of outlets from whichever of them is healthy, changing over automatically when the primary source fails. The equipment it protects is the kind with only one power supply. A dual-corded server already has redundancy built in and can take a feed from each side of the room. A single-corded switch, appliance or storage shelf cannot, and it will go down with whichever circuit it happens to be plugged into.

Inputs and rating

Rated current is 30 A at 120 V AC, 1 phase. APC derates that to 24 A for continuous North American use, which is the figure to design the circuit against. The input side is 2 x NEMA L5-30P. The point of the two inputs is that they must come from genuinely separate sources. Two cords into the same PDU, or two circuits off the same breaker panel leg, gives the appearance of redundancy without the substance. The usual arrangements are one feed from a UPS and one from utility, or one feed from each of two UPS units, or one from each of two independent branch circuits.

Outlet configuration

The output is 16 x NEMA 5-20R, all fed from whichever input is currently selected. Note for anyone cross-checking against APC's series brochure: that document transcribes this model's outlet row incorrectly. The part's own data sheet and Schneider's product page both give 16, and that is the figure used here. Match the receptacle type against the equipment before ordering. There is no adapter that makes a transfer switch safer, and a pigtail on the output of a resilience device rather defeats the exercise.

Network management

Yes - integrated, field-replaceable Network Management Card. "Connect and manage up to 32 Rack ATSs from one IP address" and "Minimized downtime disruption with Field-replaceable NMC". "Integrated Network Management Card(NMC)/Display Module can be replaced in the field", "New Rack ATSs utilize APC embedded Network Management Card 3 (NMC3) with enhanced security features", "Users can access and configure Rack ATS through secure Web UI, SNMP, CLI", "Gigabit Ethernet Support", "Network Port Sharing(NPS)"

Rack fit and size

This is a 2U rack-mount unit measuring 3.5 x 17.008 x 9.3 in (88 x 432 x 236 mm). Net weight is 13.96 lb (6.33 kg). It mounts like any other rack device on the supplied brackets. Give some thought to where it sits relative to the equipment it feeds, because every one of those cords has to reach it, and a transfer switch at the wrong end of a tall cabinet turns into a cable management problem. Rear access matters as well: both input cords land on the same face, and they want dressing to separate paths so that work on one source cannot disturb the other.

In the box

APC lists mounting hardware and rack mounting brackets with this part number. Warranty is 24 months. APC publishes no itemised list beyond that, and in particular does not confirm input or output power cords as included, so we do not claim any. Assume you are supplying the cords and budget for them. If you want the carton contents confirmed against the stock we hold before you raise a purchase order, ask us and we will check. Plan the cords at the same time as the switch rather than after it. Two input cords have to reach two genuinely separate sources, which is often further than the standard length that comes with rack equipment, and the output cords all have to reach back from the same point in the cabinet.

If there is single-corded equipment in your rack that has to survive losing one power source, the APC AP4453A is how you give it two, and we hold it in stock. Contact us to learn more or secure this solution for your business today.