Re: CAT5 surge/lightning strike protection recommendations?

["Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () cs columbia edu>]

In message <87ll1zn81b.fsf () valhalla seastrom com>, "Robert E.Seastrom" writes:
> Todd Vierling <tv () duh org> writes:
>
> > Seriously, though, that's exactly what you're describing, and about what I'd
> > suggest in a no-other-option scenario -- but if it's possible to pull fiber
> > through the conduits, it would probably be far less expensive long term, or
> > even medium term if the physical fiber spools can be bought cheaply enough.
>
> For those who haven't priced the stuff lately, in spools of 1000' the
> per-foot prices of 2-strand MM tight buffered fiber suitable for
> pulling in conduits like he (hopefully) has tends to be
> price-competitive with cat5 on a per-foot basis.  Extra strands are
> cheap; the pricey part of fiber is the jacket and strength members;
> even super-pure glass is not that expensive overall.
>
> The expensive parts in the equation turn out to be the termination
> trays and connectors.

Also the labor of pulling it, when there's already something in the 
(shudder) ground.

My direct experience with running long-distance underground cable is 
dated -- let's put it like this; we were dealing with RS-232 -- but the 
countermeasures to a direct strike on copper cables don't seem to have 
improved nearly enough...

                --Steven M. Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb