Ground the complete camera path before claiming surge protection

Bottom line: adding a surge-protection device beside a camera does not establish that transient energy has a safe path. Protection depends on the coordinated cable, shield, ground, switch or midspan, building entry, and installation environment.

Source fact: routing and grounding are part of the surge design

Axis’s Power surges paper describes transient surges that can originate from lightning or electrical machinery. Its installation guidance recommends shielded twisted-pair cabling through the path, properly grounded network switches or midspans, avoiding long parallel runs with power cables, and using appropriate surge-protection devices.

The recommendations form a system. An unbonded shield, incorrect building-entry transition, long induced run, or poorly grounded PoE source can undermine a correctly purchased protective component.

Source boundary and applicability

The paper is Axis guidance, not an electrical design for a specific site and not a guarantee against lightning damage. Grounding, bonding, conductor separation, outdoor cable, listed devices, inspection, and lightning-protection requirements vary by jurisdiction, building, power system, and installation. Qualified electrical and communications professionals and the authority having jurisdiction should determine applicable requirements.

Applicability questions

Does the cable leave a building, cross structures, run outdoors, or reach a pole or rooftop?

Where are shield, equipment ground, bonding network, and building entrance points connected?

Is the PoE switch, injector, or midspan grounded as its manufacturer requires?

Are data cables routed near feeders, motors, drives, generators, or other transient sources?

Which components and downstream equipment does each protective device cover?

DSE recommendation: review the path as one electrical system

The following steps are DSE recommendations based on the cited source.

Create a route drawing from camera to endpoint showing cable type, outdoor and indoor transitions, protectors, grounds, bonds, PoE source, patch points, and nearby power equipment. Compare every component with its installation instructions and the applicable electrical, communications, and lightning-protection requirements. Correct work only through qualified personnel and approved outage/change procedures.

Inspect for unapproved cable substitutions, disconnected drain wires, corrosion, loose bonds, water entry, protector end-of-life indications, and changes in adjacent power routing. Treat repeated camera or port failures as a reason for engineering review, not a cycle of equipment replacement.

Where fiber can meet the operational design, ask the qualified designer whether electrical isolation is appropriate for a building-to-building or other exposed segment; do not assume it removes every power or grounding obligation.

Verification and evidence

Retain stamped or approved drawings where required, cable and protector schedules, product instructions, photographs of terminations, ground/bond inspection results, qualified-person sign-off, test records allowed by the design, change tickets, and incident history. Never improvise resistance or surge testing on connected production equipment.

Official references

Power surges – Axis Communications