Thunderstorms and routers

For the most part, I am happy to leave my router on 24/7, though in my early days as an ADSL1 used I often switched off at night with no change to my Profile (This was to prevent another household member fiddling about.)

Now I�ve upgraded to ADSL 2+, I�m cautious, switching off only when there�s thunder/lightning or a strong Met Office prediction of the same. I�ve switched off three times in the last two months and each time I�ve resynched at a slightly higher line rate. My last resych will take me from 15 M to 16 M if I could maintain it but the weather front, the Met, and just looking at the sky suggest I�m going to have to switch off again soon.

I�d like to preserve my router, other equipment and, of course, that all importants bRAS Profile. I have surge protectors all over the place but I�m not keen on relying on the in the case of an overhead or nearby storm.

The jury appears to be permanently �out� on switching of routers irrespective of reason. I�d welcome options re thunder/ lightning storms.

PS The line is stable with no sync loss and downstream SNR circa 4-3 dB.

Thanks!

Edited by ARD (Thu 07-Jul-11 12:51:54)

You might like to look at http://www.ukstorms.com/ and click on Lightning Data. Gives a real-time picture of storms in the UK.

Never turned anything off in a storm and never had any problems, despite an overhead telephone cable from the pole.

Being is a village, the mains power (11kV overhead) is the first to duck out, but usually comes back a few seconds later.

My phone line is all underground to the house so I don't worry about lightning.

If the line is hit it will not matter if the modem is switched on or off ... If yiou want to be 99% safe then UNPLUG everything in te house, PCs, TVs phones, cooker, microwave, HiFi systems ...

Indeed.

10-12 years ago we had a thunderstorm with very near lightning. My PC was switched off, it was in the days of dial up internet, but I wasn't using it hadn't been turned on that day. At that house, the incoming line was underground but the telephone extension to the study went round the outside of the house.

The following day I went to switch it on. It wouldn't boot.

To cut a long story short, following an home contents insurance claim, I got an certified electronics engineer at work to check it over and he reported that the on-board modem, the motherboard, had all been destroyed by over-voltage (IIRC). Presumably induced voltage in the outside extension line.

The insurance company paid up.

My parents had a nearby lightning strike about 18 months ago that fried the router and took out the modem on one of their sky boxes - nothing else blew. But, as someone else says that could only have been avoided if they had actually unplugged, not just turned off.

Don't forget to unplug the lead from the phone socket. I lost a router and a phone last year. Nothing else in the house was affected so I think the strike was on the phone line rather than the mains.

I always do that- but thanks for the reminder.

Wise words but I'm trying to avoid adding to my neuroses collection. A direct hit and maybe I would not have to worry about bRAS, hardware, and other home contents ever again.

I always unplug computers anyway when I've reaching the end of the working days/evening but TV...? I'm now wondering how Freeview boxes fair in overhead storms...... To play extra safe I think I'll phone for a pizza tonight!

You can be too careful, I suppose, but my broadband is my priority after people...at least most people.

Edited by ARD (Thu 07-Jul-11 15:26:06)

Remember that if you have heard a specific "clap" of thunder, it is already TOO LATE, any damage will already have been done by the causative lightning.

5 seconds per mile from seeing the flash to hearing the clap.