jeromephone 6 Posted April 17, 2013 I have Geovision bullet cameras mounted on metal light poles in a parking lot. I have lightening protection on the lines going into the building but I have lost 3 cameras in the past couple of months due to lightening or surges. Cameras are mounted directly to the metal poles should I isolate them from the poles by putting in a non conductive material between the camera and the pole or is that not worth the trouble. This is a newer install so light poles should be installed according to code so grounding etc should be ok. I have POE for these cameras mounted in weatherproof boxes near the cameras these appear to be ok and the cable checks OK. Any suggestions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the toss 0 Posted April 18, 2013 I don't know why people think that just because a pole is earthed then anything attatched to the pole will be immune from lightning. One way to think of it is a dam bursting. MOST of the water will take the path of least resistance but some will find an alternative route to flow. So with lightning most of the energy will go directly to earth via the pole. But as with any conductor it is not perfect and that energy isn't going to line up and wait its turn to get to earth. Everything on that pole will assume the lightning strike voltage and initially that will involve current flow. Read up on lightning strike voltage gradients. A good insulator may give some protection in the event of a close strike but in the event of a direct hit anything on that pole is cactus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeromephone 6 Posted April 18, 2013 I got to look at the cameras today. The connectors on the cameras are completely cooked but the cams show no evidence of a direct hit. It looks like we have some kind of problem of the cable getting a surge which is going only to the camera side. Nothing going through the protection back to the building. I am thinking of isolating the camera and putting a second lighting pro from the POE switch at one end and another right at the camera. I think at this point I need to get an electrician to look at the problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Horizon 0 Posted April 18, 2013 Hi jeromephone. Yes, provide protection at the camera end of the cable as well. You need to prevent the surge from getting into the camera. They're probably being induced into your cable from near by strikes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ak357 0 Posted April 18, 2013 Hi jeromephone.Yes, provide protection at the camera end of the cable as well. You need to prevent the surge from getting into the camera. They're probably being induced into your cable from near by strikes. What are u using for protection at camera and/or NVR end ? Thx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
