Surge Protector hooked to my NIC CAT 6 Cable???????????

[Lester40]

I am fixing to install my cable modem in a few days. I was wondering if I needed a surge protector hooked up to my cable modems coaxial cable and to my Cat 6 cable that runs to my Ethernet card in my computer? I have a surge protector for the cable modems power connector and for my computer.

Thanks,

Lester

 

[Guden Oden]

"Need" is a strong word. I hear the electrical grid in the US is fairly crappy compared to (northern) Europe so maybe it'll be a wise choice.

Then again, if you don't experience surges it might be unneccessary. There are also surge protectors available for coaxial TV cables, that way you'd protect the cable modem and the computer at the same time...

Don't forget surge protectors are pretty much useless they're connected to a grounded outlet.

 

[RussSchultz]

"Need" is a strong word. I hear the electrical grid in the US is fairly crappy compared to (northern) Europe so maybe it'll be a wise choice.

"The grid" has nothing to do with it. Lightening strikes do.

 

[Tim Murray]

Depends on the area. I've only had one modem die due to lightning, never any appliances, etc. However, my grandmother lost 5 TVs, with surge protectors, at separate times and in separate rooms, in her old house. It's a crapshoot.

Still, the chances are pretty slim if you haven't had any problems with lightning already.

 

[Guden Oden]

"The grid" has nothing to do with it. Lightening strikes do.

Well actually, "the grid" can have a lot to do with it, if it doesn't keep a stable voltage. Anyway, lightning strikes via powerlines very rarely kills stuff in areas with underground cables as is the norm in urban areas of Sweden (never happened to me in many years with no surge protection). Also, you get a nearby lightning strike in your powerline, there's not a surge protector on this planet that would protect you from that.

Mother nature's a bitch, you can't argue with 10 million volts.

 

[Dio]

I don't think lightning strikes are a major problem for network cable as - unlike phone wires - they're very unlikely to actually get hit by lightning. In theory a reasonable voltage could be induced by a nearby strike, but I'm not sure if it's really an issue (or if you'd have worse things to worry about if that happened).

However, this only holds true if all the equipment connected to the network is also surge protected. Otherwise a lightning strike on a power line could in theory travel through some item (hub, pc, wireless AP, DSL modem, etc.) and onto the network after which all bets are off. It's unlikely but possible this could theoretically cause damage.

My technique to avoid problems in this respect is:
- all PC's in the office are on UPS, as are the network hub and DSL modem.
- everything conencted to a PC is connected to a surge-protected plugboard
- the house PC is on a single-socket surge protector
- the phone line goes through the surge protector on the plugboard.

Since everything is (in theory at least) surge protected there's no need for network-level protection. I don't bother powering down during thunderstorms any more, which I used to do when I lived out in the sticks with no UPS.

 

[RussSchultz]

The only equipment I've lost has been due to lightning strikes, even when I lived in an area with underground power/phone. I've never lost a cable or dsl modem, but several routers and hubs have gotten zorched.

Buried cables aren't necessarily protection, and as proof, my sprinkler system recently got zapped by a near strike and fried several of the solenoids in the valves. (which are buried under ground, mind you).

Weather in Texas is frequently violent, and our power grid is one of the better in the nation.

 

[Althornin]

The only equipment I've lost has been due to lightning strikes, even when I lived in an area with underground power/phone. I've never lost a cable or dsl modem, but several routers and hubs have gotten zorched.

Buried cables aren't necessarily protection, and as proof, my sprinkler system recently got zapped by a near strike and fried several of the solenoids in the valves. (which are buried under ground, mind you).

Weather in Texas is frequently violent, and our power grid is one of the better in the nation.

I've lost phones and my DSL modem - which was on a UPS for power, but the incoming phone line was not surge protected.
That has since been rectified....