On Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:24:39 +1200 (NZST) "Mark Foster" <blakjak@blakjak.net> wrote:
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?
Adi,
Is there a reason that your between-building runs aren't being done with Fibre? It being non-conductive is one immediate advantage....
I would agree with Mark. Even buried copper can make an excellent guide for lightning to come right into your equipment, and it can only be isolated so much. (Remember, the electrical potential of the ground can vary over a cable run, and will vary if there are elevation changes.) Fiber is the way to go. Regards Marshall Eubanks
Also if your grounding is inadequate you may like to take a squiz at the ISO or TIA Standards as they pertain to cabling. In NZ we have a variety of standards which all point back to ISO, the ANSI equivalents are TIA/EIA 568-B (Cabling), TIA/EIA-569-A (Pathways and Spaces) and TIA/EIA-607-A (Electrical Wiring, relevant as it pertains to Earthing etc).
Even for short runs, If I need to run between buildings externally I won't even look at copper.
Mark.