Surge Protection

Probably each of us happen to meet with damaged TV, CCTV System or any electronic equipment because of the so-called overvoltage. Overvoltage is a sudden and short-lived spike of voltage. We can`t eliminate this phenomenon at 100 %, but we can significantly reduce risk of its occurrence. Protecting your hardware brings benefits by minimizing the cost of possible equipment replacement or repair. Most of the CCTV systems are usually “unarmed” with surge protectors which one is potential risk of damage to equipment and a frequent visit on the site during and after warranty period. The purchase price of surge protection is not excessive and should be included in valuation of any CCTV system whether it small project or big. Safe guard CCTV System. Educate your clients and encourage them to protect the security devices from burns or abnormal functions.

 Surge?

Voltage surge is defined as the sudden rise in excessive voltage which damages the electrical equipment of an installation. ... The voltage surges are mainly classified Due to the occurrence of surge; it can be divided into atmospheric and internal.

Lightning is a very common cause of electronic equipment damage i.e. TV, CCTV Camera, DVR, Power supply and Network Devices, Wireless Video Transmission System of our make. A very important element in preventing this type of surge is need properly constructed lightning protection. Unacceptable mistake in art is installing radio devices on masts, which are not connected to the lightning protection of buildings. In case of lightning strike at mast, which is not connected to the lightning protection system, current peaks may reach up to 250K, what practically make our device physically cease to exist.

If you do not have the possibility to ground the mast, you should focus on securing video, power and Network Data Lines using dedicated protection.

Internal overvoltage spikes occur in the same voltage electrical system, which was used to power other CCTV equipment used in the installation. Improper and poor-quality power supply, which is to ensure stable operation of kits, may only cause problems. Please remember not to connect CCTV System, Network System or wireless kits and power supplies to a common phase conductor with motors, inverters or any other devices that generate voltage spikes or high network load.

When buying or installing a surge protection, we should also pay attention to its proper connection to an existing installation. The key is to connect the conductor to escort loads which can cause damage.

Such an integrated device will protect our CCTV systems from unwanted surges. On the market there are many devices that will keep our surveillance system in very good technical condition for a long time and will protect it from damage resulting from voltage jumps in our supply system.

Properly assembled electric supply and the video installation will be reliable and will function much longer. It is very rare to use video and power cables at long distances (but now the trend is changed. Lengthy cabling using UTP with Video Balloon is transmit nearly 250 mtrs.) In monitoring centres this case looks a bit different. Wireless receivers are located on single mast and cables often have to overcome many meters before reaching DVR. Please note that for wireless receivers the maximum length of the coaxial cable is 70 m. For UTP cables this distance increases up to 1200 m (using active transmitters - receivers). We do not recommend to send video, power and data using just one cable UTP, because at distances > 50 m signals can penetrate and thereby generate interferences and cause an overvoltage. Any unused pair of wires should be connected to ground. Please do not lay cables near power lines carrying a large current.

Summarizing:

We must beware of cheap power supplies, cheap CCTV System which cause interference and increase the risk of damage. You should take more time to design wires routes, what results in trouble-free operation for a long time and protect us from costly service. Do not underestimate grounding of transmitting - receiving masts. Digital wireless video transmission as well as analogue, telemetry and IP systems, should be protected against sudden surges. Microwave modules used in our devices are characterized by high sensitivity and their preservation should be a very high priority and become a standard in our daily work.

 If you require any advice or just would like to discuss the security equipment selection, we invite you to contact us.

Surge Protection from World class Products from CITEL, PHOENIX CONTACT Altec USA……. For New Projects and for existing one.