Second thunderstorm, second base station, new second large surge protector, second time unable to unplug unit(s) from wall before they were zapped. What is so sensitive in these units that goes out! ARGH!
Who makes your "surge protector"? Are you sure you actually have a surge protector and not a power strip? When it comes to power protection, I perfer a name brand like APC. Be careful, I've notice stores selling crappy power strips as surge protectors.
Are you merely surge suppressing the AC line? You are using a surge suppressor with Ethernet (RJ-11) in and out ports, riiight?
Cable -> Cable Modem -> Ethernet -> ABS will go BAM if hit by lightning, simple AC power surge suppression does nothing to protect the path from Cable to Airport via Ethernet.
You want to go from the Cable Modem into the Ethernet port port on the surge suppressor, then out from the second port to either the Airport Base Station (or a computer).
You can get an Ethernet-only surge suppressor too, if your AC surge suppressor is indeed adequate (sounds like nothing else has been damaged?)
I think they even make suppressors that will stand between the cable modem and the outside cable but that's out of my league. I'm in Boston and it's relatively lightning free, although powerspikes can happen anywhere. I can risk the cable modem going.
Definitely not an issue with Airports being sensitive, more an issue of users not realizing that Ethernet is an avenue for damage-causing electrical spikes.
Basically you've locked up the front door of the house very securely only to leave the backdoor wide open.
using a surge suppressor with Ethernet (RJ-11) in and out ports, riiight?
Just to clarify, RJ-11 is a standard phone jack. Ethernet uses an RJ-45 plug.
If you have your base station connected via a telephone jack, I would def get something that supresses that because the power source is outside your control (the phone company).
I'm not convinced Ethernet protection is necessary though, because your router/switch that's providing the power for ethernet should be plugged into a surge protector already. However, coax cable (where the cable internet comes in) can be just deadly for surges or spikes as telephone lines.
Also, be very wary of anyone trying to sell a 2-prong surge protector--quite possibily a glorified power strip. The 3rd prong needs to be properly grounded to do the suppression.
Comments
Cable -> Cable Modem -> Ethernet -> ABS will go BAM if hit by lightning, simple AC power surge suppression does nothing to protect the path from Cable to Airport via Ethernet.
You want to go from the Cable Modem into the Ethernet port port on the surge suppressor, then out from the second port to either the Airport Base Station (or a computer).
You can get an Ethernet-only surge suppressor too, if your AC surge suppressor is indeed adequate (sounds like nothing else has been damaged?)
I think they even make suppressors that will stand between the cable modem and the outside cable but that's out of my league. I'm in Boston and it's relatively lightning free, although powerspikes can happen anywhere. I can risk the cable modem going.
Definitely not an issue with Airports being sensitive, more an issue of users not realizing that Ethernet is an avenue for damage-causing electrical spikes.
Basically you've locked up the front door of the house very securely only to leave the backdoor wide open.
Sorry for your losses.
Originally posted by johnq
using a surge suppressor with Ethernet (RJ-11) in and out ports, riiight?
Just to clarify, RJ-11 is a standard phone jack. Ethernet uses an RJ-45 plug.
If you have your base station connected via a telephone jack, I would def get something that supresses that because the power source is outside your control (the phone company).
I'm not convinced Ethernet protection is necessary though, because your router/switch that's providing the power for ethernet should be plugged into a surge protector already. However, coax cable (where the cable internet comes in) can be just deadly for surges or spikes as telephone lines.
Also, be very wary of anyone trying to sell a 2-prong surge protector--quite possibily a glorified power strip. The 3rd prong needs to be properly grounded to do the suppression.