Tidying away the power adapter for your UniFi switch

You mount the switch neatly on the wall or put it in the meter cupboard, and then there's the power adapter. A black block that doesn't belong anywhere, usually hanging from its own plug or lying on the bottom of the cupboard in the dust.

Why it's more than clutter

An adapter hanging from its cable pulls constantly on two points: where the cable leaves the adapter, and the connector in the device. That's exactly where the wires break. It rarely goes all at once; first the connection drops out now and then when you knock it, and a few months later it's gone for good.

A power supply lying on the bottom of a cupboard has a different problem: it collects dust, and dust on a block that gets warm isn't a good combination.

What you're aiming for

• The weight doesn't hang on the cable. That's the most important point.
• Air around the adapter. It gets warm, even when nothing is happening.
• A loop behind the connector. Ten centimetres of slack, so you can move the switch without tugging on the little plug.
• Removable without tearing everything apart. When something goes wrong, you don't want to have to snip through three cable ties first.

A few ways to do it

1. A holder next to the switch. The adapter is held in place and the cable runs in a loop to the switch. This is what we do ourselves.
2. An open tray at the bottom of the cupboard. That works too, as long as the tray is open or has holes in it. A closed box traps the heat.
3. Velcro around a rail. Quick and free, but over time the adapter sags through it; check it every so often.

What not to do

Don't fix a power supply in place with a cable tie pulled tight around the cable close to the adapter. That's exactly the spot you were trying to take the strain off, and over time the tie cuts into the sheath.

Don't wind spare cable tightly around the adapter itself either. A coiled-up power cable pressed against a warm block is heat with nowhere to go.