Ground IP cam and also use lightening arrester?

trauts14

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I have an IR illuminator and an IP cam both installed on a tree. They are approx 3 feet apart. If I use a copper grouding kit to ground the cam chasis and the IR illumninator, should I also deploy a cat5 lightening arrestor for the cam and a surge suppressor for the illuminator where it is plugged in?
 

nayr

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you should use two of em, one on the tree, and one inside.. and shielded cabling w/shielded connectors..

but even then if that tree gets hit your gona take some damage
 

trauts14

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Thank you Nayr. I can deal with camera loss, but I want to avoid a house fire. If the cam and illuminator are grounded at the tree properly, I could still get residual current that would flow from the tree/cam straight to my network switch....is that correct?






you should use two of em, one on the tree, and one inside.. and shielded cabling w/shielded connectors..

but even then if that tree gets hit your gona take some damage
 

nayr

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yeah the arrestor will try to sink the current into ground, put one of these on the exterior of your house where the ethernet runs in.. then use a heavy duty strap into your service entry grounding rod
 
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trauts14

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Nayr, I received the arrestor you linked. would it be safe and advised to put the arrestor on the tree beside the illuminator and the cam, then tie all 3 devices to the grounding kit/rod that goes in the lawn/ground near the tree? in reference to a 2nd arrestor, can it go inside the house near my POE switch, or to avoid accident does it have to go outside.
BTW, why is a 2nd arrestor needed? Is it because 2 are better than 1?
 

nayr

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two is needed because your attaching it to a tree thats more likely to be hit than your house.. you wanna hammer a grounding rod in and connect that to the bottom of the tree then run up it.

the one on the house is to help catch anything that blew past the first one before it goes into your house.. a second ground sink and it'll vaporize your ethernet cable before doing much more damage.
 

trauts14

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Thank you. With UNSHIELDED cable, the multiple arrestors and grounding kit are worthless is that right?
 

nayr

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no it still protects the cabling, shielding just bonds all the grounds together so the one at the house dont look any more attractive (less resistance) than the one you put in at the tree.. you cant really overkill lightning protection when your attached to the most likely thing to get struck.
 

trauts14

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Thank you. Can you suggest a grounding kit that would work for my application. All devices are approx 10-12 feet high on a tree. I know Lowe's and home depot sell kits, but I'm not sure if they are designed for lightning strikes and I want to purchase something sufficient. Thank you for your assistance.
 

wantafastz28

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No one can guarantee safety from a lightning hit(even if you consult an electrical engineer). You could be doing all this, and the lightning could hit your house instead of the tree and it was all for nothing. For piece of mind, I think you have already gone over kill with 2 arrestors and a ground rod(it helps, but once again nothing is guaranteed). I've seen power poles with a #4 copper ground wire to a ground rod, and connected to the system neutral, and STILL have the pole catch on fire. Also seen microwave towers hold up well with a crows foot type grounding system, but that was honestly because the soil was good. If you think, a couple arresters and ground rod will prevent a fire from this, ...you aren't being realistic.
 

trauts14

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That video is crazy! Even with low impedance ground systems, that much juice trying to travel through any wire/rod is too much and that energy is transferred to heat/fire.



No one can guarantee safety from a lightning hit(even if you consult an electrical engineer). You could be doing all this, and the lightning could hit your house instead of the tree and it was all for nothing. For piece of mind, I think you have already gone over kill with 2 arrestors and a ground rod(it helps, but once again nothing is guaranteed). I've seen power poles with a #4 copper ground wire to a ground rod, and connected to the system neutral, and STILL have the pole catch on fire. Also seen microwave towers hold up well with a crows foot type grounding system, but that was honestly because the soil was good. If you think, a couple arresters and ground rod will prevent a fire from this, ...you aren't being realistic.
 

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No one can guarantee safety from a lightning hit(even if you consult an electrical engineer). You could be doing all this, and the lightning could hit your house instead of the tree and it was all for nothing. For piece of mind, I think you have already gone over kill with 2 arrestors and a ground rod(it helps, but once again nothing is guaranteed). I've seen power poles with a #4 copper ground wire to a ground rod, and connected to the system neutral, and STILL have the pole catch on fire. Also seen microwave towers hold up well with a crows foot type grounding system, but that was honestly because the soil was good. If you think, a couple arresters and ground rod will prevent a fire from this, ...you aren't being realistic.
wow that was clearly directed by Michael Bay haha
 
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