The Hubris of Monopolies

I got a replacement cable modem this week due to a failure of the one I had. The field service tech mentioned he had rack mount brackets if I wanted, so I took him up on it so I could recover the shelf it was sitting on.

However, the design of my modem is stupid and pretentious, and must be laughed at. This is what you get from a company with no realistic competition at all. The designer was obviously a massive Battlestar fan.

I imagine the conversation at Technicolor/Vantiva/Arris went like this (note: I think this division was a Cisco acquisition):

Designer: "Behold! Your New Router!"

The scratches are mine. I made the mistake of prying the brackets back off...

Boss: "It's an interesting shape. But also says Business right on it. You know some customer's gonna want to rack mount that thing someday".

"On it boss! I'll coordinate with metal guys to make a bespoke bracket and mounting system".

Why not square those corners so we can ship some bog standard L shaped brackets that you screw into the sides?

Because rectangles are the past! Why even have a designer if you're just going to make everything a rectangle anyway?

... Weeks pass ...

Here you go. Brackets! Also "screws" are ugly and low class. We'll use a spring-tension system based on snapping the bracket into one corner and then bending the bracket to reach the other corner and hook the little nubs in the nub-holes. It's just like an archer stringing a bow. A solid steel bow.

See? Mounts right in the rack, no problemo.

No wonder these things get stupidly hot...

How do you get the bracket off?

Easy, by gripping the router tightly in one hand, applying firm upward tension on the steel bracket with one hand, and gently un-hooking the mounting nubs with one hand, of course. Just like an archer un-stringing a bow and you get the same bruise on your forearm. Designer Pro-Tip: Bring a Friend

Brilliant solution to a tricky constraint. Squares /are/ dumb, but not as dumb as screws. Here's your Innovation Bonus

Those brackets have to stand off the sides because that's the only airflow for the device. So they have to be far enough away that airflow can cool it. And these things get stupid hot. My 48 port Cisco with 2x 1100w supplies is cooler than this guy.

But that designer wasn't done with us yet...

M6 screws? Sounds like Communist Metric Propaganda to me. The holes in these brackets are just small enough that you must either re-drill them, or use American Yankee 10-32 screws. Of course when the field tech asked if I needed the bolts and cage nuts I was like "yeah, I got /boxes/ of them don't worry about it". I've spent a very long time meticulously purging 10-32 cage nuts out of my life because nothing will ever infuriate you more at 3am in a datacenter than trying to hold up a 2u device with one hand while screwing it in with the other only do have the nut be 10-32 and all the bolts in your teeth are M6. I can't remember the last time I unboxed a device to find it shipped with 10-32 hardware. Even when it does, the /bracket/ is agnostic. I can just throw the 10-32 hardware over my shoulder and use what I like. To have the bracket dictate the nut/bolt size is bonkers to me. And I've seen some real bonkers rail and bracket design from 25 years in datacenters.

For comparison, here's an example of bracket you get if you pay Cisco $10000 for a firewall or switch:

The "short" dimension of that is 1u, or 1.75 inches, so it's maybe 3, 3.5" in length. I don't have one in front of me. Very porous, allows for airflow. Mount it using whatever screws, pegs, pins you like. And definitely sturdy enough to hold switches weighing 15-20lb in place for decades.

Go on Amazon and search for "Cisco switch mounting bracket" and you can get either real or compatible ones for like $10, from infinite vendors. Search for these guys "CBR Bracket" part number "TCACBP11" and all you get are people trying to find them. No idea how much they cost to buy, they seem to be something you can only get from your ISP's installation tech.