ronwood

Over the last year I’ve had to replace several PoE switches & IP cams due to lightning. I can’t afford to keep replacing this equipment & need some help from the professionals. Here is my system: •IP cameras: ACTI KCM-5611’s, GeoVision BL3410’s, & misc. Geo 3MP domes, PTZ •Switch: ZyXEL GS1910-24HP PoE+ •UPS: CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD •Standalone surge protectors: APC PNET1GB •NVR: Custom PC tower Here is what I have done to try to eliminate the issue: •Whole house surge system installed at the meter base, by the utility company. •Extra ground rods installed at the meter base. •UPS with Automatic Voltage Regulation connected to the PoE switch & NVR. •Standalone surge protectors with 8’ ground rods connected to each IP camera that’s having surge issues. •Fiber optic internet service. None of my cameras are mounted to a metal surface or high up on a pole. They are either mounted under a vinyl soffit or to the side of a wood structure. The 3 cameras that are always going out during a storm are installed approximately 275 feet away with buried cat5 cable. Those 3 cameras have standalone APC surge protectors installed on each camera with 8 foot ground rods driven into the ground. Almost every time I have a lightning storm the ports on the PoE switch go out & at least one of the cameras connected to the 275 ft buried cable gets fried. The UPS will show an alert (surge/brownout), but the whole house surge protector (connected to the meter base) has never indicated a surge. Today we had a very small storm with some lightning in the sky. I immediately checked my system and noticed the UPS had an alert & most of the ports on the switch were fried. However, the meter base surge did not show any alerts and all of the IP cameras are fine. Does anyone know what could be causing this issue? …sorry for the long post

I thought the 520 had a built in microphone and speaker for two-way communication & the 521 only had a microphone (Listening only). But, after looking at the specs they both state, “Built-in microphone and speaker”??

Do you have an advice how to do it right? as Telecommunication systems I would like to know too. Power at the remote location is not an option.

Wow, so much great info on this forum! Thanks for everyone’s input. I have one more question: I’m thinking about installing a couple of 5MP IP cameras at the end of my drive. They will be powered by POE & overhead lines are not an option. The length will be about 300ft...very similar to what I tried in the past. Is there a better option than using shielded cat5 to prevent surge issues? (Properly installed cat5, not like I did in the past) What about fiber, can it be used with POE? How about the fiber connections?

At first, I didn’t have multiple ground rods (just a single grounding point at the meter base of the house). But after several POE switches being blown up, I added the POE Surge Protectors and separate ground rods (to the buried cat5). I’m using shielded cat5 cable. I got a spool of underground cable from the local phone company. It’s the same stuff they use. Its 12 pair…I just used 8 & cut the other 4 off. The switches I’ve tried are Cisco SG300-10MP and ZyXEL GS1910-24HP PoE+. I have several other IP cams on the same switch and never had the first problem with lightning/surges. Only the IP cameras connected to the buried cat5 cable gave me issues. Also, those cameras still work. For some reason the surge always came back to the POE switch and fried some of the ports. -When you do an install that requires a long underground span of cat5, maybe a driveway cam, what do you do to protect the switch and IP camera from lightning? Thanks for the help,

• I have Fiber Optic internet service so that was not the source of the problem. • The ground system at the house was checked numerous times by the power/utility company & certified electricians. All of them said the ground at the meter base was excellent. • The meter base also has a whole house surge system installed by the utility company…It’s never indicated a surge. • The 275ft buried cat5/RG-45 cable was attached to POE Surge protectors within 1-2 feet of the cable leaving the earth (Camera side & POE switch side). The protectors were attached to 8’ ground rods. I used these POE surge protectors - APC PNET1GB http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=PNET1GB • The cameras were mounted to a wood (not metal) building. • The POE switch, cameras, and NVR are connected to a Pure Sine Wave UPS. This model – Cyber Power CP1500PFCLCD - http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/pfc-sinewave-series/CP1500PFCLCD.html I’ve NEVER had damage to any of my other equipment (NVR, router, cameras, PC, TV’s, VOIP device, etc). Just the POE ports connected to the 275ft buried cable. After replacing FIVE fried poe switches, I unhooked the cameras connected to the buried cable…I’ve not had any issues since & we’ve had some bad lightning storms. Hope this helps someone not make the same costly mistakes I’ve made. I would still love to know how to eliminate this issue in the future and what I did wrong??

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributes to this forum. I'm usually on here several times per week trying to learn from the experts.

If these cams are on their own ground rod, that is probably part of the issue. You want everything tied to a common ground so all equipment is at the same voltage potential. Separate ground rods are going to be at different potentials during a surge event which is going to cause current to flow(unless they are tied together with some heavy copper) EDIT: just realized this is a pretty old thread....but still helpful for reference purposes Since my last post, I’ve removed the cameras that were connected to the 275ft buried Cat5. No matter what I tried, the POE switch was always damaged during thunder/lightning storms. However, the cameras were never damaged?? Here’s what I had – Each camera had surge protectors and 8’ ground rods installed at each end of the Cat5 cable where it left the earth (2 protectors & 2 ground rods per camera). I’m still open to all suggestions? What success stories do other people have with POE cameras & switches attached to buried Cat5? What is the best method to connect / stream IP cams from one building to another building, gate, etc.?

The RG45 protectors I have claim to be for PoE. Their website states “Data Lines Protected (multi-line only) 1-8”. See below link for the specs. APC PNET1GB http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=pnet1gb&tab=models The RG45 protectors are only installed at the camera end, not where it enters the house…an expensive lesson learned. We’ve not had a serious lightning storm since I installed them, but this last small storm did NOT get the cameras. Just the PoE switch was damaged. It burnt out 16 of the 24 ports. The 8 ports still working are connected to cameras that are attached to the house, not the 275 ft buried cables. I’ve never had a lightning issue with the other cams, NVR, router, etc. Just the PoE switch and the cameras connected to the 3 buried Cat5 cables. 1) When installing the RG45 protectors where it enters the house should I install a separate ground rod or can I connect it to the ground wire from an existing electrical outlet, junction box, etc? 2) At the camera end, are you saying its best to place the RG45 protectors away from the camera & as close to the earth / ground rod as possible? Right now the RG45 protector is approx. 1-2 ft from the camera and approx 8 ft from the earth. 3) All the cameras are metal. Can I just jump a wire from the camera housing to where the RG45 protector connects to the ground rod? What gauge of wire? 4) If anyone knows of a better RG45 protector than I have (APC PNET1GB) please let me know. Thanks for all the helpful advice!

This camera was basically taken out of the box, tested, & put back into the box. All factory accessories are included (box, software CD, paperwork, etc.) KCM-5211E 18x Zoom H.264 4-Megapixel IP IR D/N PoE Outdoor Box Camera with ExDR Main Features • 1/3.2" Progressive Scan CMOS • Day and night function with mechanical IR cut filter • Minimum illumination 0 lux with IR LED on • 18 x optical zoom • Built-in f4.7-84.6 mm / F1.6 Megapixel DC iris zoom lens • 8 fps at 2032 x 1920 resolution (1650 TV lines) • Selectable H.264, MPEG-4 SP, MJPEG compressions with dual streaming • Up to 4 cropped regions as independent channels • Serial port for external pan & tilt scanner • Two-way audio • Weatherproof IP66 rated casing • ExDR (Extreme Dynamic Range) • 2D+3D Digital noise reduction • Video Motion Detection • MicroSD/ MicroSDHC card slot for local storage • Powered by PoE Class 3 / DC 12V

SOLD

buellwinkle, Thanks for the reply. I've read several of your reviews...your site is very helpful & informative.

I’m looking for a very low power consumption solution for recording a single IP camera. Everything must be 12 volt compliant. The system will be powered by several deep cycle batteries. Remote access is not needed. I would like to record directly from the IP cam to a 1TB storage, without using a PC/NVR, switch, router, etc. Basically, just the camera & storage. I already have ACTi & Axis cams I, but I can change them if needed. Does anybody have any recommendations?

I want to add a single 3 or 5 mega pixel IP camera to a building located approx. 800 feet away from my PC based NVR. The building does not have power & the cables (Cat5, etc) will have to be buried. All of my current cameras are 12v and powered by POE using a Cisco SG300-10MP switch. (http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps10898/data_sheet_c78-610061.html) I have one port/slot left on the switch. Is it possible to use my existing switch, with some type of booster or external power source? Budget is around $500, minus the camera. Any & all suggestions are welcome.

Has anyone had any experience using the Veracity Ethernet and POE over Coax converter? Will this work for my application & is a reliable product? http://www.veracityglobal.com/products/ethernet-over-coax/highwire-powerstar.aspx -Soundy, do you have any experience with the GEM Elec brand? I contacted the company & their rep didn’t know if it would work for my situation. Thanks to everyone, for the advice.

I had a similar issue, but with a different camera manufacture, GeoVision. After several months of emails & talking with the company, they finally admitted to changing the coating on their acrylic domes/covers. I was able to confirm it was the acrylic covers by exchanging them with my older cameras (same model, different manufacture date). When I did this, the older cameras had the IR issue & the new cameras worked perfectly. The changes made to the acrylic covers caused severe IR reflection issues in total darkness. However, if there was any exterior lighting present (external IR, flood, etc) the IR reflection was not noticeable. GeoVision finally corrected the problem & sent me replacement covers (7 months later). The latest version of acrylic covers are working great so far. If you have tried everyone’s suggestions & still have the issue you may want to find someone who has the same model of camera & exchange the lens cover.

I’d like to hear from anyone who has experience dealing with GeoVision’s (usavisionsys) RMA department. What was the turnaround time? Did they repair or replace the item? Who did you contact; please provide a contact number for the RMA dept. if possible? Any help will be greatly appreciated…I’ve been trying to get a DOA camera repaired or replaced for over 2 months.

I emailed GeoVision’s Taiwan location, because I thought I was being lied to about my camera being sent to Taiwan for repair. Turns out it’s actually in Taiwan! They emailed me back stating, “It has been diagnose with power failure. The power supply has been changed and ready to ship back to you.” …the shipping has to cost more than it did to make the camera.

usavisionsys (GeoVision) told me the company was an authorized distributer. I'm not sure if I can post the name on this forum?, but it’s a large internet based company...no geo dealers are in my area. I spoke with GeoVision again yesterday. They said my camera was sent to Taiwan for repair??? They said it typically takes 4 weeks before the camera is shipped back to them in CA. Once they receive my camera they will mail it back to me. Horrible, horrible customer service!

The camera was bought from an authorized GeoVision dealer. I sent the seller over 12 emails, but they keep blaming GeoVision. I also contacted GeoVision several times about the issue, including emailing their headquarters in Taiwan. So far, nothing has been done. GeoVision has the defective camera. The last email I received said it would be an additional 4-6 weeks before it was repaired. I think that is unacceptable. The last phone conversation I had with “Scott” at GeoVision was not very pleasant. While speaking with him, he remembered recently quoting a system for my agency. I told him we had used another company, because of the warranty problems I was experiencing. He then stated, “So you are asking me to do you a favor!, but you are not going to buy from us?” I have saved every email & have most of the phone conversations recorded.

Ok, thanks for the reply. That’s what I was afraid of. It took almost 2 months to get a RMA for a camera that was broken upon arrival. Now I’m being told it will be an additional 4-6 weeks for the repair! I’ve contacted both GeoVision and the company I bought the cameras from, but I keep getting the runaround. I was hoping someone on here could point me in the right direction or recommend how I can get this resolved? Is this typical for GeoVision? I’m out over $1,000.00…please help.

I’m starting out with 2 GeoVision GV-VD320D cameras (3mega pixel - recording 20 fps at 2048 x 1536) & depending on their performance will be adding 6 more of them. I need a POE switch that will smoothly handle 8- 3 mega pixel cameras at the same time. If possible, I would like to stay under $350 for the switch, but I’m willing to spend more. Also, I haven’t ordered the cameras yet…I would like to purchase some of the equipment from people who contribute on this forum. So, if someone on here is a GeoVision dealer and wants to pm me with a price quote, feel free. Thanks, fyi I’ve already read this thread http://www.cctvforum.com/about18527.html

I purchased a Zyxel ES2108PWR switch…I also ordered the cameras from the same company. Not sure if this post got a lot of views from anyone who sells GeoVision cameras, because I never got the first pm? Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone on this forum for contributing their knowledge, time, & experience.

Still needing 2 of the GeoVision GV-VD322D cameras. I have not received any pm’s, does anybody on here sell GeoVision? Thanks,

Thanks for the quick response, but I don’t think the SFE1000P is still available. Also, I’m looking for a POE switch that will provide full power (15.4W) on all 8 channels/ports. I’m still looking if anyone has any suggestions. If anyone has seen or tested any of the GeoVision mega pixel cameras, please let me know what you thought.