I realize 99% of the internet are experts on electricity, lightning and grounding concepts, most of the internet wears a lab coat at all times, but seriously… I need a 100’ run of buried ethernet (likely direct burial 24" deep) from my house to my shed that has no power, for PoE camera & AP. Companies like APC sell ethernet surge protectors, other than biased unfounded fear, what are real world implications of a nearby lighting strike if things are properly grounded (full 6-8’ grounding rods outside each building etc…).
I feel like it’d be perfectly fine and if not, oh well, a router gets fried or wire burns up in the ground, doesn’t seem like a big deal on the off chance of real close strike or is that just me?
For one thing, everyone’s going to tell you not to directly bury cable on a run like that – bury a conduit, run it into the buildings on both ends, then pull the cable through it. And use metal conduit.
For another thing, everyone’s going to tell you that you should use fiber for the run, but since there isn’t power at the other end, that will be a problem unless you can also run power out there (but use a separate conduit for that).
That said, I’ve seen ethernet surge protectors installed on lines coming down from poles where long-distance WiFi transceivers were mounted, clamped to an appropriate ground. If you use buried metal conduit, it’ll take care of most of the shielding and grounding issues, and if you don’t have anything in the way of an exposed outdoor pole, you shouldn’t have too much issue with direct lightning strikes (in my opinion).
While you’re burying conduit for a couple of ethernet runs, make it large enough for 4-6 runs, and then bury another one maybe a foot away (but check with reputable electricians) for a future electrical upgrade to the shed. You might not be able to do anything now, but at least you’ll be ready to just push some electrical wiring through in the future, and you won’t have to dig up your ground again.