Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced the availability of its new high reliability PD-OUT/SP11, an outdoor-rated lightning protection device supporting both Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) and non-PoE enterprise installations.

The new Microsemi PD-OUT/SP11 is a single-port device, protecting all eight wires of the Ethernet cable while enabling data streams of up to 10/100/1000mbps and PoE levels up to 95W. The device is optimized for outdoor devices such as security cameras and wireless LAN access points (AP) and features lighting protection up to 10KV. According to market research firm Infonetics, around 300,000 outdoor WLAN APs are expected to ship in 2014, growing to 650,000 in 2018.

"Historically there has been a lack of awareness about the danger of lighting to enterprise solutions and the availability of a certified outdoor protection device. Nearby lightning strikes are much more common than most people think and a strike as far as a mile away can induce a voltage level that can damage expensive outdoor enterprise devices. Without lightning protection, surges also can move quickly along the Ethernet cable and damage expensive indoor network switches," said Sani Ronen, director of product management for Microsemi's PoE systems. "The PD-OUT/SP11 is designed to provide the most optimal protection in a flexible solution for all types of outdoor Ethernet installations, Wi-Fi APs and outdoor IP cameras—and offers the certified surge protection level for products integrated in an outdoor enclosure, as well."

The national weather service reported there are approximately 23 million lightning strikes per year in the U.S. Most of the existing Ethernet lighting protection devices are indoor, which limits the location of the protection and installation to the indoor environment only. The PD-OUT/SP11 is outdoor-rated and therefore can be installed in the optimal location—the exact point the Ethernet cable is entering the building—resulting in maximum protection from lightning hitting the outdoor devices or the outdoor cable.

Microsemi's newest product can be installed in PoE environments or in non-PoE environments and is vendor agnostic, meaning the switch and the PoE solution can come from any vendor. The PD-OUT/SP11 has been tested successfully to the GR-1089, IEC61643-21 and ITU-T K.45 lightning standard for surges up to 10KV. The device's low capacitance ensures data rates of up to 1Gbps will pass through with no interruption. In addition, PoE levels of up to 95W can pass through the SP11 device (supporting IEEE 802.3af, IEEE802.3at and HDBaseT).