How are you protecting yourself from lightning strikes

[peaz]

My modem is dead for the fourth time!!! Twice was without a power surge protector for the phone line. So that's my fault. Then I bought the Belkin Surgemaster and it's saved my modem a few times already. Great! But then, recently, my modem died from a really huge strike, and just today, yet another time!

So, even the Belkin can't save my modem. So what's your solution?

[cooloutac]

I just have an old ancient computer surge protector from micro innovations that my monitor sits on top of.

it has already protected me a couple times... one time lightning had struck the telephone pole right out side my window....... my computer monitor just turned like a pinkish color like 10 mins and then went back to normal, then i shut the pc off when i heard the fire trucks outside lol and quite a few time we got the normal surges like you hear a huge loud buzzing in the walls and everything shuts off and back on. so far my pc has always survived.


the lightning strike was nuts though...the house on the corner exploded and caught fire in the basement..... i was 4 houses down and we only got a little smoke from our circuit breaker and one line we they had to replace.... but the first 3 houses got sparks and fire, and after our house noone had any noticeable dmg....BUT the house at the end of the block which is like 10 houses down.... the lady told me her pc didn't work no more cause she was on it.... freakin nuts.

How it works is the main power line feeds from the middle of the street to the corner house of the block... then goes down the block from house to house..... so the surge traveled, with the first house getting the most dmg and then it got weaker and weaker as it went down the line..... our house got the last of the noticeable dmg.. but the fact the house at the very end of the block had their computer fry means it really doesn't take much at all to get the pc...

so i definitley recommend a surge protector, the one i have is one of those pc ones the monitor sits on with switches for each outlet and a master switch. and its lasted me forever and saved me with lots of surges.

I also have regular strip surge protectors for everything else i use its a good idea..... I would reccommend getting the ones wit the bullet protectors(coaxial protectors) to protect ur tvfrom the cable line. but they are too expensive for me... damn time warner is always frying my boxes.

[cooloutac]

hey do you use a laptop? maybe u could use somethign like this PROVANTAGE: Micro Innovations NB460SP Notebook Power Surge it has network and data line protection.

[marc]

Peaz, I can say that from experience that once I have installed my ADSL modem to a AVR (automatic voltage regulator), I have never been affected by lightning strikes any longer.

There was a few times that I did not connect the modem to the AVR, and once a storm came, I had to say goodbye to my modem.

The thing that usually kills the modem is a power surge that usually happens as a result of a lightning strike, and a voltage regulator will cure that.

I wouldn't bother with protecting the phone line as the chance of it affecting the phone line is minimal, and even so it won't result in as much damage as a power surge.

I'm using a really old TEK AVR unit, which is around 20+ years old at least and it is still going strong running 24/7.

[Papercut]

I have a Belkin SurgeMaster Gold...but to be honest it hasn't really been put to the test yet

[goldfries]

Ken, you staying in a condo, right?

[sunsetbay]

belkin surgermaster has warranty on the equipments connected right? im using the gold series, mainly bcos im wanted a 8 sockets power extension not so much of protecting power surge.

[zy]

i dont have any lightning strike problem my home circuit breaker is super sensetive, my whole house electricity cuts off when there is a lightning strike nearby

[peaz]

I'm not too worried about surges on the power line. The electronic circuit breakers today works pretty well. It's the phone line that's the one to always worry about. I AM using the Belkin surgemaster and my modem has been fried before even with the Belkin.

I've also used an AVR that has a phone line in/ modem out before. It's protecting via a simple fuse. most of the time, even the fuse don't fuse off fast enough when a huge surge hits. like i said. it sucks and my current area's telephone pole is really prone to lightning strikes.

BTW goldfries, i'm not staying at a condo yet. If I am, i won't be worried at all then

[Adrian Wong]

If it's the phone line that always gets it... someone had better install a lightning rod nearby to attract the strikes that happen in the area. Otherwise, I don't see how you can protect yourself against lightning.

I don't think hooking up the phone line through a UPS would work.