Those "How Stuff Works" citations are so chock full of technical errors as to be embarrassing. So chock full of errors that one with basic electrical knowledge would have never cited it. So many errors just on the first page are described at "Computer problem need help", in the 17th post on 1 Aug, in the 24th post on 2 Aug, and the 26th post on 4 Aug 2002.
Moving on to the OP's problem. Do you think a 2 cm device inside a protector will stop and absorb what three miles of sky could not? That is what some claim. Nonsense. Protection is about where that energy gets dissipated.
The protector is rated in joules. If protection is to absorb joules, well, the few hundred joules in a plug-in protector will absorb hundreds of thousands of joules? Of course not. But that is the myth so often promoted.
Even 100 years ago, surge protection was about diverting surges. A typically destructive type of surge seeks earth ground. Electronics are harmed when that surge takes a path to earth destructively via electronics. If a surge is connected to earth without entering a building, then no damage.
This is how every telco switching facility does it. How often has your phone service been down for four days as they replace that surge damaged switching computer? Telco computers everywhere connect to overhead wires all over town. Suffer on average 100 surges during every thunderstorm. And must never have damage.
Telcos do not use anything recommended in that 'How stuff works' citation because telcos need real protection. Protection is about earthing a surge before it can even enter the building. Protection is made better by earthing distant from electronics - typically up to 50 meters.
Telcos do not waste money on plug-in protectors. Telcos use an earthed protector where wires enter the building.
Anyone can do same. It is called a 'whole house' protector. Like that telco protector, it is only as effective as its earth ground. Surge protection is about making a better earthing system AND connecting every wire in every cable short to that earth ground.
Either each wire connects directly to earth (ie coax cable) or a wire connects to earth via a protector. But every wire must connect to the same earthing electrode.
To protect everything in a house, only the more responsible companies sell 'whole house' protectors. Siemens, Leviton, Cutler-Hammer, Square D, Keison, Intermatic, General Electric. Protectors with names such as APC, Belkin, Tripplite, and (the worst offender) Monster Cable do not have any earthing wire, do not claim to provide protection in numeric specs, and charge massively for what is essentially a $3 power strip with some $0.10 parts. The naive would recommend the latter. But only the former have that dedicated earthing wire - actually do protection.
Essential to surge protection is a better earthing system that both meets and exceeds post 1990 National Electrical code. Many older homes are even missing that required earthing. Protection means upgrading earthing to exceed 1990 code. No safety ground wires need be routed to outlets. And important earthing is at the breaker box (service entrance).
If installing the $50 'whole house' protector from Cutler-Hammer (and sold in Lowes), then how that breaker box is earthed makes protection better. Some may route the (quarter inch bare copper) ground wire up over the foundation and down to an earth ground rod. Wrong. Too many sharp bends. Wire is too long. That wire is probably bundled with other wires. All conspire to make protection less effective. That protector will only be as effective as its earth ground.
Ground wire is better through the foundation and down to earth. Shorter. Away from other wires. Routed without sharp bends. Now surges have an electrically shorter path to earth. That is the surge protection.
Protection is about dissipating surge energy harmlessly in earth. Any protector (ie plug-in types) that would stop or absorb surges do not even claim protection in numeric specs. Even 100 years ago, operators did not remove their headsets and leave the room. Instead, phone lines were properly earthed. That was operator protection. We do the same thing today for transistor protection.
Your telco has already installed an effective protector on every incoming phone line. Installed for free because it is so effective, (required by law), and costs so little. But again, every protector (or grounding the shield of a coax wire) means a single point earth ground. Best earthing available is a short ('less than 10 foot') connections to ground.
A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Surges dissipated harmlessly in earth need not enter the building; find earth destructively through household transistors. Your protector is only as effective as its earth ground which is why effective protectors have a dedicated grond wire with a 'less than 10 foot' connection.
Finally, any protector that fails during a surge provided no protection. Effective protectors earth direct lightning strikes and remain functional. Some foolishly believe protectors sacrifice themselves. Effective protection means protectors are properly sized so that nobody ever knew that surge exists. Those more responsible manufacturers all make 'whole house' protectors that are properly sized. Unfortunately, too many only recommend surge protectors when protectors fail. Grossly undersizing a protector gets the naive to recommend them. Instead, install one 'whole house' protector so that failure even to the protector does not happen.
That's one protector to protect everything (even furnace and dishwasher) for about $1 per appliance. The effective solution also costs tens or 100 times less money. Nothing in "How Stuff Works" is useful.