Lightning Took out my Router and modem

[steelrat]

For most electronic equipement in the house, I have some form of surge.... Even if it's just the plug covering one on the wall, vs, a full powerbar/extended.

The only issue with the idea is if you are using some form of powerline (EoP) devices for network connectivity.... They don't like surge. And unfortunately for me, that's where the zp120 is. <G>

[buzz]

Your electrician can install a whole house protector which will protect everything in the house from external surges. They are surprisingly inexpensive and can simply snap into many panels.

Note that none of these protection schemes are 100% effective. It is all a question of energy. If your house is directly struck by lightning, only providence will protect your equipment.

In very large homes, protection at the service entrance is not good enough because the internal house wiring acts as a low grade "antenna" for nearby strikes. If enough energy is transferred into the internal house wiring (due to the large "antenna"), effectively the transient will make an end run around the service entrance protection. Network and phone wiring is at risk for this sort of event.

While the service entrance protection will mute high voltage spikes, it will not attenuate radio frequency noise.

[westom]

Originally Posted by Woodside113

Both of them function fine and play music but the one that was originally connected to the internet can, for some reason, no longer provide the internet connection. ... Or is it possible that the lightning damaged only that part of the ZP.

Start with how electricity works. To have a damaged router means a surge must be incoming on one port. At the exact same time, current is outgoing on some other port. Now stand back to view the ZP, router, cloud, and distant earthborned charges.

The electric current was same everywhere in a path from the cloud, inside the house, and through earth to those distant charges. You suspect that path went through the router. So what else was in that path?

A typical example: cloud was connected to AC wires far down the street. Incoming through your breaker box. Into the master bedroom. Out via the network cable. Into the router. Out via the modem. And to earth ground via the DSL 'installed for free' protector.

Modem successfully protected itself. Router did not.

Protectors did exactly what the manufacturer specifications said it would do - nothing.

You had damage because a surge was all but invited to be inside. Once inside, then nothing will stop a destructive hunt for earth. As in nothing.

Your DSL already has superior protection. But if any other wire enters without first connecting to earth, then all protection is compromised.

For example, three AC wires may be incoming. One already connects to earth. If the other two do not connect low impedance (ie 'less than 10 feet') to earth, then no protection existed. What do effective protectors do? Make that 'less than 10 foot' connection. Or do nothing.

Lightning finds a path to earth. Either destructively through electronics when all but invited inside. Or harmlessly outside when earthed by a 'whole house' protector. Now is a good time to learn from the experience. Inspect your earthing. Get a 'whole house' protector from any of so many responsible manufacturers. Such as Square D, ABB, Siemens, General Electric, Leviton, or Intermatic. A Cutler-Hammer solution sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50. Protection for everything is rated to earth direct lightning strikes. And remain functional.

Protection from direct lightning strikes is so routine that nobody even knew a surge existed. But only when using proven solutions. And not when a protector is adjacent to electronics.

[NoBoB]

Originally Posted by PaulBarrett

But te players themselves. What about them? I am begging to think that a surge protector at each Sonos connected out let might e me a good idea - a pass through type.

Has anyone else gone down that route?

I have these little doodads all over the place where there's just one device in use and a strip seems excessive (or just too big).

[westom]

Originally Posted by NoBoB

I have these little doodads all over the place ...

View its spec numbers. Those doodads were described previously:

Originally Posted by westom

Protectors did exactly what the manufacturer specifications said it would do - nothing.

[NoBoB]

Originally Posted by westom

View its spec numbers. Those doodads were described previously: Protectors did exactly what the manufacturer specifications said it would do - nothing.

I don't care. The location where I first saw those in use had a conference room projector fail while plugged into one of those TrippLite's. They sent the projector to TrippLite and received another in return, no questions asked, thanks to the $5000 connected equipment warranty.

I'll gladly pay to ship it to them over having to shell out $500 for a replacement Connect:Amp.

[ControlFreak]

The only thing that protects your equipment against lightening is your insurance. Surge protectors can help with small power surges but it is extremely rare that those ever occur...I don't use any surge protection on my products but I do use a UPS w/surge on all network gear and computers.

[westom]

Originally Posted by ControlFreak

I don't use any surge protection on my products but I do use a UPS w/surge on all network gear and computers.

What has the tiniest surge protection? Don't take my word for it. Read the spec numbers. A UPS typically has the tiniest protection. Often inferior to a power strip protector - such as one selling in Wal-Mart for $7. A UPS is only recommended using the same reasoning that claims nothing can protect from lightning.

A superior solution, that costs about $1 per protected appliance, means even direct lightning strikes cause no damage. One can be educated by advertising. Or can learn what has been proven by over 100 years of science and experience.

Protection, even from a direct lightning strike, is so routine that damage is considered a human failure. Many failures are directly traceable people educated only by advertising.