[Zelig]

So, big lightning storm last night at around 1 in the morning, lightning hit about 50 metres from my house and knocked the power out. Everything is surge protected and on UPS systems.

I noticed my internet wasn't working on my computer, and figured the power outage affected my ISP's servers, since my gear was all still humming along. I turned my computers off, unplug them, and went to bed.

I get up this morning, and my entire network seems shot. The LAN plug on the ADSL modem is shot (modem still seems to work, but with no connectivity to my gear). My WRT54GL router had 2 LAN ports plugged in when the lightning struck, and neither of those work anymore, however the wireless and other 2 ports still work. My main computer had it's LAN cable passing through a surge protector after coming out of the router, and is fine. My Athlon XP computer was plugged straight from the router, and the network port on it is fried as well.

Do I have any justification in complaining to the ISP/phone company (same company) about my fried gear (other than the modem), or should I just order some replacements myself?

No internet access sucks BTW, I can't even use my computer for anything productive, since my monitors lost their calibration with the power outage, and I need internet access to make them look nice again.

[temeteus82]

Originally Posted by Zelig

Do I have any justification in complaining to the ISP/phone company (same company) about my fried gear (other than the modem), or should I just order some replacements myself?

I think the case is clear. You will need to buy new router for you. And your ISP isn't responsible for that damage since it was lightning damage. I had lightning storm here in the middle of this week and I don't use UPS's or Surge protectors but I always unplug my PC and ADSL router.

[Zelig]

Originally Posted by temeteus82

I think the case is clear. You will need to buy new router for you.

That's what I figured, it just irks me that the power for everything was surge protected, but that I still lost hardware because of being stuck on DSL.

I've actually got surge protector plugs for the telephone lines, but it interferes with the DSL service if I try using it. Looks like I'll have to install something filtering the LAN cable coming out of the modem to protect my own gear...

Also interesting, my dual-NIC pentium 2 server was between the modem and router, and is still working perfectly, even though gear on both sides of it got fried.

[Judas]

IMO, usually the best method i've found with DSL or Cable Connection is:

Using a UPS system, put the cable/dsl modem on SURGE protection only (not battery as theoretically, even when battery is in use, a lightning surge through the equipment itself could feed back through the battery system and up through the other battery connected equipment, OR in the case of having more then one UPS, keeping them seperate).

From the DSL/Cable modem, plugging the network cable into the UPS/surge protection and then on to the Router is the best way to go, as usually everything within the house will survive anyways.


Course when it comes to lightning, depending the on the distance and power, it won't matter what UPS/Surge system you've got, it'll arce and bridge across the connections and kill everything anyways (seen this first hand with a lightning striking a Transformer 50 feet from a business which had several electric devices plugged in, and massive surge protection system, usually the main power is shutdown for the workstations for this business, and they were, but the lightning strike traveled down and across the breakers (melting them and actually vaporizing most of it in the process) and killing EVERY single TV/DVDplayer/Stereo/Computer system within it's radias, the furthest machines and hardware in the shop however survived, but the surge bars didn't. Quite an interesting sight to see in the utility room, nothing but Black crap all over the walls and oddly smelt like burnt toast.

[Maddogg6]

Id be willing to wager, if a study could be done... we would find; PC's (and related equipment), being very sensitive to ESD (electrostatic Discharge) - a 'direct connect' lightning strike (ie, power source surge) isnt needed to cause damage - that damage can be caused from the massive static build up associated with lightning strikes as well.

[Judas]

maddogg, i would agree, but usually if the system is in a mostly "off" or completely off state, it's likely not to completely bugger it up.

The lightning would have to be pretty damn close and would have to depend on several other factors.