from minibridge |
roof to tree |
close up of adhoc utility tree |
messy sketch of street situation |
I'm a bit prejudiced here since I already believe this to be a complete hack job but maybe someone can set me straight.
I recently suffered some equipment damage during a lightning storm near my building. I happened to be sitting next to the OOL cable modem which was connected to my firewall during the storm. I heard a few electrical snaps right before my OOL connection dropped. I checked out the equipment and the ethernet port on the back of the modem along with the NIC in my firewall were fried. Cablevision replaced the modem (DPQ3925) and I replaced the NIC.
This is the first such occurrence I've experienced in all the years I've been here.
I may be wrong but I suspect that an "installation" from a couple of weeks before the storm may be grossly out of code and/or not in line with best pratices. The installer connected some "messenger" coax to the minibridge on a pole in the back of this building. The messenger was immediately terminated within 8 feet in order to tie it to a galvanized fence pole sticking out of the roof of the adjacent building. The wire proceeds along the back of the building to make a turn and be supported by the crotch of a dying Ailanthus altissima. The wire then runs toward the street where the messenger wire is again cut and tied to another steel angle sticking up from some cinder block piled on top of a building's facade. This is the last support before the wire traverses the street to a building across the street where another minibridge was installed.
I'm not looking to sue but I would like to help Cablevision to comply with acceptable standards and reduce risks due to substandard work. The mini bridge in back of my building has been a mess for years and I was told last summer that this minibridge would be scheduled for rehab. Looking around the neighborhood I see many loose coax ends hanging from utility poles. This cannot be a good thing. I realize this neighborhood may be somewhat of a nightmare to deal with but from what I see it's only getting a lot worse.
My immediate concern is that they want to run more connections to my building and I don't want this kind of shoddy workmanship crapping up my building and endangering the tenants and equipment.