Protect pc form lightning

  Although thunderstorms occur regularly in the spring and summer, damaging lightning bolts are not restricted to warm weather; lightning strikes somewhere on the surface of the earth about 100 times every second. There are at least 100,000 thunderstorms a year across the United States.

Lightning can send a spectacular power surge along any conductive line destroying everything in its path. The most likely scenario is not a direct lightning strike but rather a nearby strike on a transformer or piece of electrical equipment. If the surge is powerful enough, it travels instantaneously through wiring and telephone lines with the electrical force equivalent of a tidal wave. The surge enters your home via electrical, telephone, or cable lines, putting all connected equipment at risk. Even a slight surge can damage delicate modern electronics such as computers, fax machines, stereo systems, scanners, and printers.

The first computer casualty is usually a modem or motherboard. The modem is often hit because of its connection to the telephone line. The motherboard, the foundation of the computer where all the computer's components meet, is hooked into the power source making it especially susceptible to damage. If the surge is powerful enough, even computer chips and other components can be affected.

Electrical Protection

The way to protect your computer from lightning is to use a good surge protector. Don't be confused. A power strip, which is a simple strip of outlets, is not necessarily a surge protector. A surge protector may look like a simple strip of outlets, but it has built-in protection against power surges. A good surge protector is made up of a series of metal-oxide varistors or MOV's which shield the computer from abnormally high voltage. When your home receives voltage spikes of high intensity, the MOV's grab the current and push it away from the computer.

A good surge protector should offer four features:

1. The surge protector should cover lightning strikes. Some do not.

2. The surge protector should offer insurance to cover the loss of properly attached equipment.

3. If you have a regular modem, your surge protector should have an R-11 telephone jack where you can hook up your telephone line.

4. If you are using a cable modem, your surge protector should also accommodate your television/Internet cable.

Phone Line Protection

Many people fail to understand they need a surge protector for their telephone line. Phone lines are used to connect computers to the Internet through their modems. It is widely believed that power cords are the source of all damaging surges to the computer; that's simply not true. Only thirty percent of damaging lightning enters through the electrical cord. Phone lines carry the majority of surges to your computer.

Cable Protection

Today many companies offer cable access to the Internet. If you are using a cable modem, you should purchase a special surge protector that will also accommodate the cable that serves your television and cable Internet.

Damage can occur regardless of whether the computer is on or off. While surge protectors offer protection for normal surges and nearby lightning strikes, nothing will protect your equipment from a direct lighting hit. During storms, you can add further protection by unplugging your computer power supply and any telephone or cable line from the wall. Although it is not absolutely necessary to do this, unplugging your computer equipment during a severe storm may give you added piece of mind.

Surge Protection Installation

Installing your surge protector is easy; just plug it into the wall and then connect your computer equipment to the protector. If you purchase a surge protector with a telephone or cable jack, run the telephone or cable line from the wall into the surge protector. The surge protector will come with an extra telephone or cable wire that you will then use to connect the surge protector to your computer or modem.

Try to buy a surge protector that will accommodate all of your equipment. Because of slight differences in electrical currents, it is advisable to cluster your equipment by plugging it all into the same source, if possible. If you have any equipment that has a large power block, look for a surge protector where the outlets are spaced further apart to accommodate the power block.

When it comes to surge protection, you get what you pay for. Expect to pay $30 or more for a quality surge protector. There are many good products on the market. Two reputable companies that have been around for quite a while and that I have used with good results are Tripp Lite and APC (American Power Conversion).

Smile through the Storms

Be sure to protect your computer with a quality surge protector. When that spring or summer storm brings a damaging power surge, you'll have no need to worry because of the adequate protection you have installed for your equipment.