As Christmas approaches, the increased lightning and rainy days can be devastating for your outdoor security systems. Our team often get queries about how to protect the CCTV systems during the Canadian winters, so we will talk about lightning protections for outdoor cameras today. If you want to know about waterproofing, check out How to Waterproof the Security System Installation?

Why should we care about lightning protection? 

With lightning protection system, cameras will be prevented from lightning strikes that are less than 6000v and any other damages caused by pulse current.  

Installation suggestions for lightning protection purpose 

1. The signal transmission lines must be at least 50 meters away from the high-voltage equipment or high-voltage cables, and the wiring should be routed along the eaves as much as possible. 
2. For open areas, sealed steel pipes must be buried in the ground, and the steel pipes must be grounded at one point. Overhead wiring is prohibited. 
3. In areas with strong thunderstorms or high induced voltages (such as high-voltage substations, etc.), additional measures such as installing high-power lightning protection equipment and installing lightning rods must be taken. 
4. The lightning protection and grounding design of outdoor devices and lines must be considered in conjunction with the lightning protection requirements of buildings, and comply with the requirements of relevant national standards and industry standards. 
5. The system must be equipotential grounded, and the grounding device must meet the dual requirements of system anti-interference and electrical safety, and must not be short-circuited or mixed with the zero line of the strong power grid. When the system is grounded separately, the grounding impedance should not be greater than 4Ω, and the cross-sectional area of the grounding wire must be no less than 16mm.

Are you looking for cameras with weatherproof features? We recommend:

AC324-FD4

AC324-OD