Lightning strikes

Smilingreen

Smilingreen

Known around here
Sep 17, 2021
3,768
14,947
Tennessee USA
&%#!!@!! Damn lightning just took the POE out of my 16 port switch....... The TP Link Switch is working, but I seem to have lost the POE+ capability of it. Heavy thunder storm was rolling in and I was in the process of shutting everything down when I heard a very loud "SNAP" sound coming from the direction of the switch. I looked up and the switch was off, then it powered back up, minus 3 of my cameras. Lost all POE+ capability. Not expensive enough to turn into my home owners policy...... :banghead::banghead:


IMG_9141.JPG
 
  • Sad
  • Wow
Reactions: Jessie.slimer, duplo, Flintstone61 and 9 others
So far, I’ve been lucky in that respect. My cameras are distributed among 4 different switches, so, hopefully, when that day comes, I’ll only lose one or two. My system went down 2 weeks ago due to lightning, but the only casualty after I reset a tripped GFI breaker was a TP Link power line adapter used for a feed from my barn. $50 replacement restored those 2 cameras.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessie.slimer, Flintstone61, Smilingreen and 5 others
I feel your pain...I've lost so much crap over the last few years to lightning; I totally know where you're coming from.
Replacing a 65 foot run of CAT-5e in the attic (which connected the 2 ends of the house) with fiber and TP-LINK media converters this past Sept. of '22 seems to have cured the situation...that metallic cable in the attic was literally an antenna for ESD/static from nearby lightning strikes.

I still unplug stuff if I'm here and it looks real bad, including power.
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: Lawnboy1, Jessie.slimer, Flintstone61 and 6 others
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.
  • Like
Reactions: Jessie.slimer, Smilingreen, JDreaming and 1 other person
  • Like
Reactions: CanCuba, JDreaming, Ssayer and 2 others
[QUOTE



Write your reply...
Preview
David L said:
Washttps://www.zoro.com/square-d-surge-protection-device-1-phase-120240v-hepd80/i/G4618844/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping%20feed&utm_content=free%20google%20shopping%20clicks&gclid=Cj0KCQjwy9-kBhCHARIsAHpBjHjTUvL5_LZWv_2g8LagIBCMheeACyh23pqSzmSa-9SpNZTwiy-4660aApFpEALw_wcB looking at the Home Surge Protectors...
Click to expand...
I have a Square D electrical panel, so I installed one of their whole house surge protectors. It installs on the panel and needs a double pole breaker to work.

="David L, post: 776704, member: 80364"]
Was looking at the Home Surge Protectors...
[/QUOTE]
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessie.slimer, David L and JDreaming
TonyR said:
I feel your pain...I've lost so much crap over the last few years to lightning; I totally know where you're coming from.
Replacing a 65 foot run of CAT-5e in the attic (which connected the 2 ends of the house) with fiber and TP-LINK media converters this past Sept. of '22 seems to have cured the situation...that metallic cable in the attic was literally an antenna for ESD/static from nearby lightning strikes.

I still unplug stuff if I'm here and it looks real bad, including power.
Click to expand...
Curious, was the previous attic cable shielded?
 
  • Like
Reactions: EMPIRETECANDY, JDreaming and Smilingreen
None of my CAT5E cables are shielded. I wonder if shielding will help in this situation? New 16 port POE+ switch will be here tomorrow. Funny, the switch that took the hit works fine as just a plain o"l switch, it just lost the POE+ portion. Must have fried some filter caps or something in the DC voltage section for the POE+. I'll crack it open after the new switch is in place and post some pics. As loud as that snap was, I should be able to see where it arced over or exploded some filter caps.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JDreaming and looney2ns
looney2ns said:
Curious, was the previous attic cable shielded?
Click to expand...
It was not; about the time I decided to replace it with shielded Ubiquiti ToughCable Pro I figured it was just as easy to pull in the fiber instead. It's very likely that shielded with a Ubiquiti ETH-SP on each end would have helped in the ESD category.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessie.slimer, JDreaming, looney2ns and 1 other person
TonyR said:
It was not; about the time I decided to replace it with shielded Ubiquiti ToughCable Pro I figured it was just as easy to pull in the fiber instead. It's very likely that shielded with a Ubiquiti ETH-SP on each end would have helped in the ESD category.
Click to expand...
I have one camera that is mounted to a steel truss on my carport. I probably wouldn't want to ground both ends of the Cat cable, due to a ground potential issue. I would much rather just ground at the switch end, into a ground bar that has a PE ground, tied directly to the ground rod for my electrical service. The Ubiquiti ETH-SP calls for a #16 ground wire. Seems kind of small, IMO. I am more a fan of #12 to the groundbar and then a #10 tied directly to the ground rod. What's your thoughts?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lawnboy1, sdkid, garycrist and 1 other person
Smilingreen said:
I have one camera that is mounted to a steel truss on my carport. I probably wouldn't want to ground both ends of the Cat cable, due to a ground potential issue. I would much rather just ground at the switch end, into a ground bar that has a PE ground, tied directly to the ground rod for my electrical service. The Ubiquiti ETH-SP calls for a #16 ground wire. Seems kind of small, IMO. I am more a fan of #12 to the groundbar and then a #10 tied directly to the ground rod. What's your thoughts?
Click to expand...
I'd go with #10, short as possible, no sharp bends.

My reasoning for grounding BOTH ends of the ETH-SP? It's POE voltage (48 to 52VDC) on differential signals, twisted pairs , I'm not concerned about a ground loop, hasn't been an issue. It would probably work well eliminating the ground rod and ETH-SP out near the cam....but I will not run shielded into the house and tie it to my house's ground buss.

I tied both ends (both ETH-SP's) to driven rods, not to the house ground, shielded cable stops at the ETH-SP's, no shielded cable goes into the house, as below:

birdcam_shield.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: garycrist, Lawnboy1, JDreaming and 6 others
Is the Lightning hitting ya'lls CAMs to ground? Even the lightning static you guys mentioned makes my hair stand up. We get a lot of Lightning storms where I am at, no shielded cable here, not even plenum in my attic, don't tell no one. guess I have been lucky...my CAMs are under eave of our house.

From our June 21st Storm...
View attachment 2023-06-21_Storm.mp4
 
Last edited:
  • Wow
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Jessie.slimer, looney2ns, Smilingreen and 3 others
We get quite a bit of displays like that, almost continuous, and strangely...no thunder. Then of course every once in a while a BIG ol' boomer that'll set off car alarms, rattle the windows and knock pictures off the wall! :headbang:
 
  • Like
  • Love
  • Haha
Reactions: Flintstone61, Jessie.slimer, looney2ns and 3 others
Yeah, I will be getting the same come the Fourth. My Poor CAMs goes crazy trying to adjust the lighting, LOL...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessie.slimer, looney2ns, TonyR and 2 others
What? Am I just &@$#!&! jinxed? Not even a month has gone by, I bought a new switch to replace the one fried in June, installed it, worked great for the whole 2 weeks I owned it and........a lightning storm hits today while I was at work and fries my brand spankin new 16 channel POE+ switch......AGAIN! :wtf::wtf::wtf::wtf::wtf:

OK, any of you used these? I can't keep buying new 16 channel POE+ switches twice a month......:banghead:

 
  • Wow
  • Sad
Reactions: looney2ns, David L, Mike A. and 4 others
Smilingreen said:
Just ordered 2 of these.......and another new switch. Hopefully, installing these will do the trick.

Click to expand...

I've recently started using these 5 port PoE switches TL-SG105PE | 5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch <br> with 4-Port PoE+ | TP-Link Australia and then a 5 or 8 port normal switch to tie them together. Reason being is that when you get a nearby strike, surge or whatever, you generally don't blow them all. They are much cheaper and one can be left on site as a spare. They also have a function where you can configure each port with the ip address of the device attached to it. If the device fails to respond (don't remember for how long) it will reset the power on that port, cycling the camera and usually fixing it.
Yes, messy compared to one 16 port switch, but seems to be a better solution so far.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CanCuba, JDreaming, TonyR and 1 other person
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom