On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 20:24:51 +0000, "R.P. Aditya" <aditya@grot.org> said: I have a bunch of cat5 buried about 1 ft below the surface connecting multiple buildings on a campus (short runs) and lightning strikes nearby have caused surges along one or more of the cables and burnt out switch ports. I would like to protect the switch ports -- there seem to be lots of products on the market.
Anyone have recommendations (tested/practical is best :-)?
The APC Protectnet PNET1 and PRM24 seem quite nice and not too expensive -- if they work....pros? cons?
Thanks to everyone who replied on- and off-list. The installation in question is in a condo development and was done by licensed electricians and the residents were lead to believe that it was code compliant. The cat5 cabling is double-sheathed with a moisture barrier. As you can well imagine, the residents are very cost-concious. My preference is that fiber be run in conduits, however even running cat5 in grounded conduit is a big hassle as it will involve cutting across pavement etc. (I fully appreciate the danger from potential difference between buildings and copper being a good conducter etc., but I had to ask a leading question in order to document the problem such that sufficient notice would be paid by the residents -- I believe I have that now). The short-term solution seems to be using the APC PNET1s/Tripplite DNET1/etc. in each unit and tying them to the water main as an inexpensive, immediate step while funds are allocated for conduit, labor etc.. Thanks, Adi