Cellular Lightning Protection

Read More: https://www.raycap.com/cellular-site-surge-protection-systems/

 

At the most basic level, cellular technology can be understood as a device in your hand beaming and receiving signals to and from a tower nearby. That tower pushes those signals to a network where they are connected to the correct person or entity on the other side. This may seem simplistic, like the cord stretched between two tin cans you used as a child, but it is far more complex and expensive. Expense is drive by new technology being rolled out and new phone improvements. All of these new features must have the ability to be connected to the network you pay for, or they will go unused on your phone. This means that cellular network providers are in a constant state of expansion and upgrade, all the while attempting to figure out effective ways to minimize the damage that can happen to the necessary equipment that is positioned in the field. Each tower or installation takes hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment to allow for the latest technology on your phone to be utilized, meaning that those carriers are deploying more equipment into the field every day. Every component is at risk from many ways that it can be damaged, the most extreme being lightning strikes and the power surges that follow them. These are so dangerous for cellular providers because the strike itself is usually not the worst of the damage. That comes in the form of the power surge that follows the strike, which travels along conductive materials and power lines that interconnect the equipment in the installation. This excess power quickly overwhelms the circuitry of any component it comes into contact with. The only effective method of preventing damage is to stop the surge before it hits the next component. This is accomplished through lightning protection systems at the cell sites and the integration of high-tech surge protective devices along the pathways that electricity can travel. These devices provide the ability to keep the levels of electricity at range safe to the equipment. If that range is breached they activate to divert the excess energy to the grounding system. Surge protection allows the network provider to potentially salvage equipment that they would expect to be damaged by these naturally occurring events, keeping that equipment functional for extended periods. In addition, it provides the ability for the tower or installation to remain operational for longer, or be restored to functionality faster. This keeps customers happy because they are more easily able to connect and maintain the network, ultimately putting all those features they pay for to use. Even though it could be viewed as an additional expense regarding operating a cell network, external surge protection is critical in today’s competitive climate. This is because the network with the lowest prices, best coverage, and longest equipment uptimes are the winners. Surge protection systems help to facilitate success.