I’ve got type 2,3,4 SPD(s) installed. What I don’t have is shielded cable. I’m using OSP that’s gel filled. I now know I messed up. I’ve got two runs outside that are about 200 feet each. One is a PTZ on a wooden pole, the other a PTZ on a steel pole. Should these be considered isolated and therefore have a ground rod installed at each pole? Or, is the ground at the POE switch enough?
The cameras are connected, powered, and grounded on the home side. You do not want to ground the camera at the other end as this will surely create a voltage (difference) potential.
This is why using shielded cable negates the need to ground anything as the drain wire inside the Ethernet cable provides this single point ground at the service panel.
At 200 feet you literally have a giant antenna just waiting for God to make a collect call via lightning!
Some things to consider for the long term and if and when you decide to upgrade your network. Purchase a switch that has SFP+ fibre uplink ports.
Connecting other switches via fibre will negate surge / lightning damage. Keeping in mind what I stated about armoured fibre cable.
If your switch doesn’t have any fibre ports you may consider adding in a media converter / small switch. This will help isolate the switch from the Ethernet line.
If there was power at either end of the PTZ you could also use a PtP Wireless bridge. This assumes good LOS (Line of Sight) and would negate lightning coming into the homes networks infrastructure.
You may also consider lightning solutions that reduce the incidence of lightning or in the worst case absorb the strike directly and shunting to ground the high voltage strike.
Lightning rods, can be made easily by anyone and than properly grounded. The lightning whiskers that you see on telecommunications towers help to dissipate the charged ions that come.
Proactive lightning solutions generate positive / negative ions into the immediate area. This reduces the incidence of lightning in that specific area because there is no potential for attraction.
As it relates to the steel pole the hardest part to accept is the camera is already at a different potential!
So one of the first steps is to insulate / isolate the camera from the metal pole. Which you’re going to find extremely challenging because it’s connected with metal.
Regardless the pole needs to be properly grounded with a ground bar with at least 10 AWG stranded / solid copper wire based on the NEC / CEC codes that apply to you.
Clean the area where the grounding bolt will be. Apply dielectric grease to the area and all fasteners.
A star washer must be used to attach to the metal pole. Once affixed measure the resistance from the pole to earth rod.
You should see below 25 Ohms if everything is properly installed.
The wooden pole you can simply attach any of the lightning solutions I have suggested.
Lastly, some of the more reputable SPD makers for Ethernet are AETEK, Citel, Ditek.
