Lightning

bgbeuning · 2019-01-20, 13:41

Last summer lighting hit a tree in my backyard.
The surge took out various items in the house.
(Utilities run near the street and enter the far side of the house.)

But for GIMPS purposes, it took out 5 of 20 PC in my basement
running prime95. It also took out all 6 ethernet switches in the house.
At least one PC was working fine after adding a NIC to it.

I have a suspicion the lightning got in the ethernet wiring
and that did more damage than the power line surge.

I see shielded ethernet cable is available but the ads say it
is more for noise than surges.

Any advice for protect computers in a home from lightning?

Thanks,

Chuck · 2019-01-20, 13:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgbeuning

Last summer lighting hit a tree in my backyard.
The surge took out various items in the house.
(Utilities run near the street and enter the far side of the house.)

I have a suspicion the lightning got in the ethernet wiring
and that did more damage than the power line surge.

Any advice for protect computers in a home from lightning?

Thanks,

Be sure your cable line is grounded to the same point as the electric meter.

I opened my cable box and replaced the cheap coaxial grounding unit with a gas tube device (about $20) I got from Amazon.

TII 212 Broadband Cable TV and Satellite Lightning Surge Protector 75 Ohm 5-1500MHz

Mark Rose · 2019-01-20, 17:06

Even the best lightning protection may not protect you against a very close hit.

Many UPSes have surge protection for ethernet, but running ethernet through them often drops the connection speed (to 10 Mbps with mine).

Shielded cabling may help, provided that shielding is grounded appropriately. You'll be looking for industrial grade networking equipment to handle that. Also keep in mind you don't want any electrical loops in shielding: if a loop exists it can resonate, defeating the shielding. You're better off running your cabling in grounded metal conduit (with a single ground).

The cheapest option is getting insurance for lightning damage and letting the insurance company pay for things if it ever happens again.

Another option is to switch to fiber to isolate segments between your switches. This requires SFP or SFP+ ports.

retina · 2019-01-20, 18:05

I think the absolute best protection from lightning is not to try and stop it (you can't), but instead to redirect it.

Run a strip of copper up to the highest point (a tree, your chimney, a pole, whatever) and securely connect it to a stake in the ground. Make sure the copper strip doesn't run near other cabling. Solved.

You can buy the cooper from many hardware places. They are easy to find and they are designed precisely for the purpose. Often called lightning rods.

If you want to learn more search for "lightning rod".

potonono · 2019-01-20, 19:53

If you can go wifi, that's one less physical cable into each machine.

petrw1 · 2019-01-20, 22:22

I lost 2 hard drives one summer in 2 lightning storms....then I got a UPS and no more.

Can't speak for Ethernet

2019-01-20, 13:41	#1
bgbeuning Dec 2014 3·5·17 Posts	Lightning Last summer lighting hit a tree in my backyard. The surge took out various items in the house. (Utilities run near the street and enter the far side of the house.) But for GIMPS purposes, it took out 5 of 20 PC in my basement running prime95. It also took out all 6 ethernet switches in the house. At least one PC was working fine after adding a NIC to it. I have a suspicion the lightning got in the ethernet wiring and that did more damage than the power line surge. I see shielded ethernet cable is available but the ads say it is more for noise than surges. Any advice for protect computers in a home from lightning? Thanks,

2019-01-20, 17:06	#3
Mark Rose "/X\(‘-‘)/X\" Jan 2013 2²×733 Posts	Even the best lightning protection may not protect you against a very close hit. Many UPSes have surge protection for ethernet, but running ethernet through them often drops the connection speed (to 10 Mbps with mine). Shielded cabling may help, provided that shielding is grounded appropriately. You'll be looking for industrial grade networking equipment to handle that. Also keep in mind you don't want any electrical loops in shielding: if a loop exists it can resonate, defeating the shielding. You're better off running your cabling in grounded metal conduit (with a single ground). The cheapest option is getting insurance for lightning damage and letting the insurance company pay for things if it ever happens again. Another option is to switch to fiber to isolate segments between your switches. This requires SFP or SFP+ ports.

2019-01-20, 18:05	#4
retina Undefined "The unspeakable one" Jun 2006 My evil lair 2×19×163 Posts	I think the absolute best protection from lightning is not to try and stop it (you can't), but instead to redirect it. Run a strip of copper up to the highest point (a tree, your chimney, a pole, whatever) and securely connect it to a stake in the ground. Make sure the copper strip doesn't run near other cabling. Solved. You can buy the cooper from many hardware places. They are easy to find and they are designed precisely for the purpose. Often called lightning rods. If you want to learn more search for "lightning rod".

2019-01-20, 19:53	#5
potonono Jun 2005 USA, IL 301₈ Posts	If you can go wifi, that's one less physical cable into each machine.

2019-01-20, 22:22	#6
petrw1 1976 Toyota Corona years forever! "Wayne" Nov 2006 Saskatchewan, Canada 2²×7×167 Posts	I lost 2 hard drives one summer in 2 lightning storms....then I got a UPS and no more. Can't speak for Ethernet