Surge Protectors for Network Attached Devices

How to Protect Your IP Security Systems from Power Transients

Surge protectors protect network-attached devices from power transients. Lightning is only one of the many power disturbances that can damage these IP devices.

There are a number of surge protectors available that can be used to minimize the damage from these power transients.

Surge protectors protect network-attached devices from power transients. Lightning is only one of the many power disturbances that can damage these IP devices. There are a number of surge protectors available that can be used to minimize the damage from these power transients.

Anything that’s attached to your network, can be affected by power surges. For example, your computer, door access system, IP camera, network switch, and router can be affected if there is a power spike. Transients can occur not only on the power lines but also on the data connections. Surge protectors, from Ditek, are used to suppress the effect of these power spikes.

Here’s a summary of the surges and spikes that can occur, and how you can protect your equipment.

Causes of Surges and Spikes

There are a number of causes for surges and spikes. These include

Lightning
Brownouts or Blackouts
Utility grid switching
Inductive loads on the same circuit

Lightning:

Lightning is a major cause of electronic circuit damage. It is important to note that a direct hit, to your IP door reader, from lightning, is usually going to cause catastrophic damage. No matter what you do, lightning travels many miles through the atmosphere, so it’s not going to be stopped by any surge protector. But let’s not worry too much about a direct hit. According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, the odds of getting a direct hit are 1 out of 280,000.

What we are concerned about are the spikes from nearby lightning strikes. Lightning can hit a remote power transmission line or even strike the ground close to your location. This could occur many miles away, but the surge can wreak havoc with the IP camera outside your building. When lightning hits the ground close to your building, it can cause ground surges. When there are non-direct hits, the surge protectors will help protect your electronic equipment.

Brownouts or Blackouts:

Under voltage can be caused by high power use in your area. You may experience light flickering or dimming. When this happens there is a good chance that a high voltage transient could follow as the power company adjusts to the extra load. The high voltage spike can damage network equipment unless you have a suppressor that limits the voltage and current swing.

Utility Grid Switching:

When the utility company switches transmission lines from one power source to another, it is possible to get a transient voltage spike. Utilities try to control this, but it is always possible to get an unexpected power surge.

Inductive Loads:

Electric motors are the usual source of inductive loading that can result in voltage transients. The motors could be inside your building or even outside the facility (but located on the same power circuit. Air conditioners and some heavy equipment are sources of these inductive transients. The voltage transient could cause your computers to shut down.

How to protect your system

To protect your outdoor equipment, surge protectors are placed on all the network-attached devices. Suppressors should be added to devices such as IP cameras, IP door readers, and IP intercoms. The Ditek suppressors are designed to be used with IP devices that use PoE.

Inside the building, an additional protection device can assure that any outside transients on the ground lines are prevented from damaging the inside equipment. This suppressor protects your computers, network switches, routers, as well as any other network-attached devices.

Surge protection diagram

The system diagram shows how various surge protectors from Ditek can be used to provide maximum protection. Surge protectors can also be placed on power input lines to protect computers and other equipment.

Conclusion

Power surges can destroy expensive network-attached equipment. This can lead to long downtimes and interruption of important services. Surge protectors are low-cost insurance that can prevent damage from most voltage transients.

If you would like help safeguarding your network-attached systems, please contact us. We can be reached at 1-800-431-1658 in the USA, at 914-944-3425 everywhere else, or use our contact form.

Bob Mesnik