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Outside APs and Cabling

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MichaelCG

Very Senior Member
I am going to be installing a couple of APs on the outside of the house. The cabling isn't expected to run "outside" anymore than is required to pop out of the wall and in the AP. I do not need direct burial rated, just wanting to keep it from getting killed by UV exposure over time. For example, one will be on the front of my garage to provide better coverage to my front yard and garage.

- "must" I use shielded cable?
- how quickly will non-outdoor rated cable deteriorate?

My biggest challenge here is that I cannot find outdoor and shielded cable in smaller quantity. I do not need 1000' of it....I need about 100' of it. I found 200' of shielded on Aamazon, but it wasn't outdoor rated. I can find shorter amounts on eBay, but I have zero to little faith in eBay since it is near impossible to know the quality of the seller nor the product until you get it.

Where have any of you been able to find smaller qty of cabling? I am in the central US if it matters. MO/KS to be more specific. MicroCenter doesn't carry anything of this sort. Our area is not serviced by a lot of WISPs, so finding supply houses locally isn't exactly the easiest.
 
make sure you follow the outdoor AP manufacturer's requirements for outdoor mounting regarding the National Electric Codes and earthing for lightning protection. It may be in your case, that it is an non issue due to the location on a wall under a roof eave which provides some radius of protection.
 
I am going to be installing a couple of APs on the outside of the house. The cabling isn't expected to run "outside" anymore than is required to pop out of the wall and in the AP. I do not need direct burial rated, just wanting to keep it from getting killed by UV exposure over time. For example, one will be on the front of my garage to provide better coverage to my front yard and garage.

- "must" I use shielded cable?
- how quickly will non-outdoor rated cable deteriorate?

My biggest challenge here is that I cannot find outdoor and shielded cable in smaller quantity. I do not need 1000' of it....I need about 100' of it. I found 200' of shielded on Aamazon, but it wasn't outdoor rated. I can find shorter amounts on eBay, but I have zero to little faith in eBay since it is near impossible to know the quality of the seller nor the product until you get it.

Where have any of you been able to find smaller qty of cabling? I am in the central US if it matters. MO/KS to be more specific. MicroCenter doesn't carry anything of this sort. Our area is not serviced by a lot of WISPs, so finding supply houses locally isn't exactly the easiest.

This doesn't meet your less than 1000' requirement but I'll throw it out there in case it interests someone.
https://www.cableandwireshop.com/

OE
 
make sure you follow the outdoor AP manufacturer's requirements for outdoor mounting regarding the National Electric Codes and earthing for lightning protection. It may be in your case, that it is an non issue due to the location on a wall under a roof eave which provides some radius of protection.
What I am mounting at my house will be under the eave and "fairly" protected. I am also working on a friend's house which will have one semi-protected, but the second one will be mounted on the side of a metal building that concerns me a lot more. I purchased the Ubiquiti Ethernet Surge protectors and plan to attempt to properly ground them. This is the primary reason I want the shielded cable.
 
properly connected shielded cable will will reduce RF and EM interference, which can include nearby strikes or leaders. That can also create a potential difference if not properly bonded and earthed at one end only. Neither the shields or the surge arrest will do anything for the DC current from a hit to the building or the ground nearby. All you can do, without a proper air terminal system protecting the building, is follow the guidance in the NEC and hope the building is earthed and the electric is earthed at the same point, usually a sub panel or main panel.

If the antenna is close to the wall and not too high relative to the roof eave, it will likely still fall in the radius of protection from attracting a downstrike. If there is a direct hit to the building, it will probably be fried from the sheet current passing over the wall.
 
That can also create a potential difference if not properly bonded and earthed at one end only.
Ubiquiti instructions say to use a surge device that is properly grounded on each end of the wire. All of my "historical" power/grounding classes always said one end, one ground. I'm not even sure if I have access to a ground outside....well the barn itself is metal, but not sure if it is properly grounded. I will have to ask the owner. At the house, unlikely I will have access to ground outside on the front of the house.

Neither the shields or the surge arrest will do anything for the DC current from a hit to the building or the ground nearby. All you can do, without a proper air terminal system protecting the building, is follow the guidance in the NEC and hope the building is earthed and the electric is earthed at the same point, usually a sub panel or main panel.

If the antenna is close to the wall and not too high relative to the roof eave, it will likely still fall in the radius of protection from attracting a downstrike. If there is a direct hit to the building, it will probably be fried from the sheet current passing over the wall.
I completely agree on direct strike taking it out. My view is any strike within a couple hundred feet will probably tank the majority of electronics at the house/barn. My goal is to not make things any worse. :)
 
they are likely saying that since the change in the NEC requiring downleads from antennas to have a shield bond connection (spark gap type) to the buildings electrical ground rather than straight down to earth by the shortest path. Eliminates a common potential ground loop. Lighting air terminal protection systems, since they don't connect into the electrical distribution can go straight to earth if i recall correctly.

How far out from the wall does the antenna end sit ? You can get some scaled graph paper and use the 150 ft radius ball from the top of the structure to the earth and i bet it will be in the protected zone unless it is sitting near the gable peak.

Without an earthing grid under the barn or under the footings and connected directly to the columns, you are probably right about the earth connection be very low resistance.
 
I don’t expect these to be mounted more than maybe 12ft above the ground. Mostly high enough so their trucks and their smaller tractors won’t block the signal path. I don’t think they bring the big tractors up this close to the house.

These will be UAP-AC-M so no more than 6” off the side of the structure to the top of the antenna. More than likely just 3-4”.
 

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