If you had a direct lightning strike you would have a lot more to worry about than you router

In reply to a post by Bob_s2:

If you had a direct lightning strike you would have a lot more to worry about than you router

A *direct* strike might indeed blow your house up, but this thread is about a strike on the phone cable. Protecting the router ensures that it doesn't get to all your other expensive equipment and data on the network.

If you do manage to borrow a cable tester, make sure that you comprehend what it is doing/attempting to do, because of the complications I mentioned earlier.

If you are not accustomed with such testers, try to practice on some cables. including deliberate shorts and opens. Good learning opportunity!


Regarding the two cables running alongside one another, there may be mutual interference both ways, in degree undoing the work of the splitter.

The coupling reduces by the inverse square of the distance, so even a short distance apart can reduce it significantly.

Tidily bundled together and/or twisted together is the worst scenario.

Thanks for that. Looks like I will have to invest in one of those.

Did a bit more testing last night. This storm has taken a fair bit of my kit out.

Unfortunately it looks like it's fried the ethernet side of my WNR2000. If I plug just the CAT5 from the router downstairs in it works as a repeater just fine on wireless. If I plug other ethernet devices in, the port lights on the WNR come on but there is no connectivity, no ip address and assigning a static does not work either.

When I pull out the ethernet cable on Port number 4 (the port the CAT5 from downstairs was plugged into when the strike happened) the port remains lit.

So unfortuantely it appears the WNR has taken a few volts too many. Bit gutted really as it was a good switch / WAP.

The HDMI board on my surround sound system has blown and it's killed HDMI port 2 on my TV, the port the surround sound was plugged into when the strike hit.

I'm amazed the Sky HD box has survived. Plugged into the phone line and the ethernet cable, it's a miracle it hasn't died.

My commiserations, it's not pleasant.

The first time it happened to me, it took out pieces of equipment that were not even plugged into mains, it all happened to equipment interconnected by the phone line, and stuff attached to those. Answering machine, Sky box (but I ditched Sky a long time ago I hasten to add and now have Freesst - much better lol!), computer motherboard, modem attached to computer, printer attached to computer. I didn't have broadband and a network then.

I've found the protection devices I've now got:

Phone/DSL unit
Ethernet unit

The usual disclaimer: I can't guarantee that these this will work in future for you and if you have any questions about wiring them up then see an electrician!

Hope it didn't affect anything in your kitchen

How do them phone line surge protectors work? Where do you attach them and does it effect the quality of the line?

Edited by bobble_bob (Thu 25-Jul-13 16:04:34)

I haven't got a clue how they work! Presumably they have a fuse which blows instantly and the current is then redirected to the ground wire somehow. They are attached inline from the phone socket to the original plug on the phone and the ground wire must be connected to an earth somewhere - I've done it via a normal mains plug but presumably if you've got a bit of equipment nearby with an earth terminal or screw then you can use that. I'm sure there is some sort of insertion loss but I haven't noticed any problems with voice line quality - it sounds the same whether they're connected or not.