No Pole Mounted Cameras In Florida Because Of Lightning?

Maybe the chances of a direct strike is reduced with a building mount, but the atmosphere is Florida is still so active that even cloud-to-cloud can generate enough ambient EMI to cause equipment to fail.

I live in Oklahoma (still pretty lightning-intense), and every pole camera should include a lightning arrestor, if for no other reason that to prevent cabling from being the conduit for damage to the camera or the backhauling switch. (As detailed in our Lightning Protection for Surveillance post.) Around here, grounding the camera and including the correct arrestor on a copper connected camera can increase the lifespan from several months to years.

Hopefully one of the Florida guys can give you a 'local' answer.

Michael - I spent 10 years as an integrator in the Centraal Florida area along the I-4 corridor and have put many cameras on poles at utility plants and airports. Some keys points:

• Install lightning attenuators at the top of the poles, and ensure that they have a good counterpoise ground. This is usually done by the electrical or lightning protection contractor
• Mount the cameras a few feet from the top of the pole if possible.
• Install surge suppressors for all equipment mounted on the pole.

Here's a picture of a recent installation for a perimeter gate (the PTZ had not been installed yet) there is a fixed camera about 2/3 of the way up the pole:

All of the network equipment and surge suppressors, as well as access control equipment for the gate is located in the NEMA 4X cabinet near the base of the pole.

I hope this helps, feel free to contact me if you need more information.