Router and ethernet lightning and surge protection

Lightning is not definable. That is, do you build a protection system for 100 kilojoules or 100 megajoules? Both can happen since the lightning could be of any size or location. As such most engineers put in protection but will never tell you it's good enough.

The cost of protection is surely more than the cost of the router and gear.

but lightning can jump the gap. Safest is Fiber Optic if you can get it in your area. That way lighting is only a problem with the power lines.

Why would you believe some 2 cm parts inside a magic box would stop what three miles os sky could not? That is what most believe when buying maigc plug-in boxes.

Some numbers. A destructive surge can be hundreds of thousands of joules (other numbers were popular and bogus fiction). How does a protector rated only to absorb hundreds or thousand joules absorb a destructive surge? It does not.

So that the near zero protector does not create a house fire, its protector parts are connected via a thermal fuse. The fuse must blow on destructive surges so that protector parts (ie MOVs) do not create a house fire. The surge is still connected to attached appliances.

Due to superior protection inside every appliance, a surge too tiny to overwhelm that protection can still be so large that the thremal fuse must blow. Grossly undersizing a protector this way gets most (if not a mjority) to recommend that near zero protector.

Does your telco disconnect their switching computer with every thunderstorm? Of course not. It suffers about 100 surges with each storm. And that computer is still working four days later - they need not replace it. But they also do not use near zero (obscene profit) protectors. Instead, for over 100 years, they have used something completely different so that direct lightning strikes need not cause damage.

You can install same for about $1 per protected appliance. But first, you must learn how to eliminate the majority who recommend scams.

That means numbers. The proven solution means hundreds of thousands of joules are connected harmlessly to single point earth ground. That means the surge current cannot be anywhere at anytime inside the building. This 'whole house' solution is the only solution used in every facility that cannot have damage. And that does not waste money on magic plug-in boxes - that can even create a fire.

More responsible companies such as GE, Intermatic., Syscom, ABB, Square D, Polyphaser (an industry benchmark), Ditek, Leviton, and others provide a solution that is tens of times less money and that connects to what harmlessly absorbs hundreds of thousands of joules. Protectors are only connecting devices. And must connect low impedance (ie 'less than 10 feet') to what does the protection. Magic plug-in boxes can be 50 or 100 feet away - clearly will not discuss what does protection so as to protect profits.

Protection starts by discussing what does protection - earth grouind. Best protection for cable is a hardwire connecting low impedance (ie 'less than 10 feet') to what does protection. No protector required.

Other incoming wires (ie telephone, AC electric) cannot connect directly to earth. So we do a next best thing. A protector does what the hardwire does better. BTW, that protector is already installed for free on every phone line.

But the most common source of surged - AC electric - has no such protection unless you earth it. Then you have installed your
'secondary' protection layer. A primary layer also should be inspected. But that means learning the only item that does protection - single point earth ground.

No - protection has only been introduced. You should have plenty of questions. At this point you should know why products from APC, Belkin, Panamax, Tripplite, and Monster do not even claim to provide such protection. And why the majority do not know this; are instead educated by advertising and hearsay. There is much to unlearn and more to learn. Because protection from direct lightning strikes typically costs about $1 per appliance.