How can I protect a Ethernet cable from lightning strikes outdoors?

[Guest S Anu]

I want to protect a Ethernet cable from lightning but I can’t use the ui-eth sp because this device needs power through the Ethernet cable.

[WereCatf]

5 minutes ago, S Anu said:

I want to protect a Ethernet cable from lightning but I can’t use the ui-eth sp because this device needs power through the Ethernet cable.

All I can think of is some sort of a PVC-pipe that you run the cable through.

[Dujith]

1. You cant. Lightning strikes may be halted by protection but there is no guarantee. Its a literal force of nature  

2. Use shielded cables STP, or use metal tubes which are grounded.

 

But no guarantee. Last week had a lightning strike and it killed off 2 POE switches and 1 outside camera.

It striked into the ground (camera catched that  ) and even with the STP cables and grounding it did kill some stuff.

 

[Prodigy_Smit]

10 minutes ago, S Anu said:

I want to protect a Ethernet cable from lightning but I can’t use the ui-eth sp because this device needs power through the Ethernet cable.

A direct hit will probably obliterate the cable. But putting it in a PVC tube and burying the tube would prevent most of the damage if its an indirect hit.

[RichDude_2005]

6 minutes ago, S Anu said:

I want to protect a Ethernet cable from lightning but I can’t use the ui-eth sp because this device needs power through the Ethernet cable.

There's no good way of protecting an ethernet cable from lightning. Lay a fiber cable and use a fast ethernet media converter as shown in this video (credits to The 8 Bit Guy). Skip to 5:58

 

Tour of Home Network 2020

 

[Kilrah]

Grounded metal cable conduits. 

 

[Falcon1986]

11 minutes ago, S Anu said:

I want to protect a Ethernet cable from lightning but I can’t use the ui-eth sp because this device needs power through the Ethernet cable.

You can shield the cable but if the device at the end of the cable is struck by lightning, you're going to still end up with damaged equipment.

 

Ubiquiti's ethernet surge protectors are designed to work with PoE devices (at least their G2 versions) as their application comes in handy close to mounted PoE radios. Not sure why you would think that you still can't power your PoE devices through it.

[Awesome84]

Run the ethernet cable through something that isn’t conductive, but also durable. 

[Master Disaster]

Lightening contains, on average, 1 billion volts and 200,000 amps (well our best guess anyway, obviously its impossible to know for sure). You can take every precaution available but something that powerful will still do some damage.

[artuc]

Use a shielded outdoor rated cable and put in surge arrestors correctly bonded to an earthing system that meets local standards.

 

Last I opened a ubiquiti surge arrestor it had gas arrestors, these are fine for PoE if the arc voltage is high enough, it will then only shunt a higher voltage. Datasheet says 90V, so it's fine.

 

There are also other methods like TVS diodes and MOVs also that can be used in combination.

 

Also as has been said, you can't really protect against a direct hit, but you can try and limit or prevent damage from surges and potential rise from nearby strikes.

[geo3]

Provide a more attractive path to ground near by.  Electricity always takes the path of least resistance. 

[Dujith]

1 hour ago, geo3 said:

Provide a more attractive path to ground near by.  Electricity always takes the path of least resistance. 

No, it does not take the path of least resistance. Electricity will take ALL available paths, the current however will vary path to path.

And while this can save equipment with the normal 230/120 volts. It wont matter with the amount of power that a lightning strike has.