Shielded cable help

[TheE]

I really wish I did not have to mess with shielded cables, but unfortunately, the area where I will be installing the cameras (and POE switch) has 13 electric motors the size of a passenger truck and 22 electric motors the size of bathtubs.

Can someone please give me a somewhat easy way of knowing when to terminate the shielded cables with shielded connectors at one end or both?

What I believe is correct but I do not know why:

• Only use the Shielded connectors on the switch end. Not the camera end.
• Ubiquiti requires that the radio be connected to the POE injector with shielded CAT-5e or 6 cable using properly terminated metal-grounding RJ-45's and be plugged into their POE injector which in turn is plugged into a 3 prong grounded AC outlet.

Being a total noob to shielded cabling, the above is what confuses me — one scenario requires the cable to be terminated by shielded connectors only on one end and the other scenario does not.

To help ensure I do not screw things up and create a ground loop, can someone please explain in the simplest form (again, I'm a total noob to this) when and why you would terminate a shielded cable on one end or both.

 

[tangent]

Maintain as much distance as you reasonably can between your ethernet cabling and wires/ conduit for the motors.

I'm no expert on shielded cables, but I thought that generally you were supposed to terminated both ends shielded but only ground devices on one end of the cable. That said. there's little point in using shielded connectors at the camera since the jack is all plastic. It's more a question of whether or not you connect the drain wire to the camera's ground screw.

 

[Starglow]

I really wish I did not have to mess with shielded cables, but unfortunately, the area where I will be installing the cameras (and POE switch) has 13 electric motors the size of a passenger truck and 22 electric motors the size of bathtubs.

Can someone please give me a somewhat easy way of knowing when to terminate the shielded cables with shielded connectors at one end or both?

What I believe is correct but I do not know why:

• Only use the Shielded connectors on the switch end. Not the camera end.
• Ubiquiti requires that the radio be connected to the POE injector with shielded CAT-5e or 6 cable using properly terminated metal-grounding RJ-45's and be plugged into their POE injector which in turn is plugged into a 3 prong grounded AC outlet.

Being a total noob to shielded cabling, the above is what confuses me — one scenario requires the cable to be terminated by shielded connectors only on one end and the other scenario does not.

To help ensure I do not screw things up and create a ground loop, can someone please explain in the simplest form (again, I'm a total noob to this) when and why you would terminate a shielded cable on one end or both.

Okay....let's start with the basics. Every shielded cable I've ever used, built, or purchased has shielded connectors on both ends....not shielded on one end and unshielded on the other, so think about that for a second. In the case of the Ubiquiti POE injector, they're internally using the ground prong on the AC cord to ground the shielded RJ45 connector. Shielded cables can be safely grounded on both ends as long as both ends are on the SAME ground and DO NOT use an additional separate grounding rod.

 

[TheE]

Okay....let's start with the basics. Every shielded cable I've ever used, built, or purchased has shielded connectors on both ends....not shielded on one end and unshielded on the other, so think about that for a second. In the case of the , they're internally using the ground prong on the AC cord to ground the shielded RJ45 connector. Shielded cables can be safely grounded on both ends as long as both ends are on the SAME ground and DO NOT use an additional separate grounding rod.

Appreciate you starting with the basics! So, yes, both ends of the runs will have shield RJ45s or Keystones.

As @tangent mentioned, maybe the correct info I'm needing to learn is how do I terminate the foil and drain wire on each side of the run?

For the Ubiquiti POE injector to antenna run, should both ends be of the foil/drain wire be terminated like this picture?

And for the POE switch to cameras runs, would you only terminate the foil/drain wire like the picture at the switch? If so, what should the foil/drain wire termination look like at the camera side?

 

[Starglow]

Appreciate you starting with the basics! So, yes, both ends of the runs will have shield RJ45s or Keystones.

As @tangent mentioned, maybe the correct info I'm needing to learn is how do I terminate the foil and drain wire on each side of the run?

For the Ubiquiti POE injector to antenna run, should both ends be of the foil/drain wire be terminated like this picture?

And for the POE switch to cameras runs, would you only terminate the foil/drain wire like the picture at the switch? If so, what should the foil/drain wire termination look like at the camera side?

Yes...the cable shield terminates the same way inside the shielded RJ45 connector itself on BOTH ends. Whatever the RJ45 cable connector plugs into determines the shield ground or drain path on either end if a ground path exists.

 

[Flintstone61]

you tube has guys prepping and terminating all kind of cable ends for cat 5-6-7 shielded unshielded etc....

 

[CCTVCam]

I might be tempted to run the cable inside steel tubular conduit to try and give it some additional protection in such a magnet rich environment. Not sure if that works, but I would have thought a round steel tube would have absorbed / obstructed some of the transients.

Edit. Did a bit of googling:

I found this on shielded cable types:

Signal Interference and Cable Shielding

Signal Interference and Cable Shielding

www.multicable.com

This website suggests for magnetic fields, using continuos steel conduit, You can buy tubular steel conduit that screws together. I imagine the brackets that hold it would serve to ground it although probably grounds culd be added. Again, beyond my knowledge so an assumption on my part:

https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/shielding-of-power-cables

 

[handinpalm]

Shielded cable should Only be terminated on one end, typically the source. Once you terminate the shield at both ends, you will develop a voltage potential, thus current flow through the shield. That will defeat the purpose of the shield. You never want current to flow in a shield, except during a fault. Probably best to ground the end by the switch/NVR etc and float the camera, ie. do not mount a metal case camera to a grounded metal structure. Do not have to worry about it on the plastic housing cameras.

 

[TheE]

So, for our shielded runs, should we or should not terminate the cable on the camera side like this?
Just wanted to clarify because one here said to terminate the cables the same way on both ends and someone else said not to.

And thanks again to everyone for your input and help!

 

[Starglow]

Try to buy a manufactured pre-terminated shielded Ethernet cable with a shielded connector or shield connection only on one end. You can't because they don't exist.