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Try a SMC reset. These things are designed to disable specific ports when they overload. I've had USB and Ethernet ports short. An SMC reset fixed it for me.
 
Try a SMC reset. These things are designed to disable specific ports when they overload. I've had USB and Ethernet ports short. An SMC reset fixed it for me.

Excitedly, I just tried that. It didn't work though. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm convinced about the protectors now. I'll get the phone lines grounded as soon as possible. The power lines are properly grounded though. I will just purchase the Apple USB to Ethernet adapter for now.

Regards,
Stanley.
 
Excitedly, I just tried that. It didn't work though. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm convinced about the protectors now. I'll get the phone lines grounded as soon as possible. The power lines are properly grounded though. I will just purchase the Apple USB to Ethernet adapter for now.

Regards,
Stanley.

In all seriousness if the phone lines were not grounded properly, the phone company is responsible for replacing your equipment.

I worked for a rather large cable company and I had to deal with customers homes that were struck by lightning and the cable lines were not properly grounded and that cable company had to purchase new TVs for these customers.
 
The best information on surges and surge protection I have seen is at:
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/IEEE_Guide.pdf
- "How to protect your house and its contents from lightning: IEEE guide for surge protection of equipment connected to AC power and communication circuits" published by the IEEE in 2005 (the IEEE is a major organization of electrical and electronic engineers).
And also:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/p.../surgesfnl.pdf
- "NIST recommended practice guide: Surges Happen!: how to protect the appliances in your home" published by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2001

The IEEE surge guide is aimed at people with some technical background.

For example, all phone lines already have a superior 'whole house' protector. Why would your phone lines need a protector?

Phone line protection is dependent on the length of the ground wire from the entry protector to the power earthing system. An example of a ground wire that is too long (for cable) is in the IEEE surge guide starting page 30.

Protection is always about where energy dissipates. Where does anyone discuss what does protection? Where do hundreds of thousands of joules get absorbed? How does a protector rated at hundreds of joules absorb surges that are hundreds of thousands of joules?

Nonsense.

The author of the NIST surge guide investigated how much energy might be absorbed in a MOV in a plug-in protector. Branch circuits were 10M and longer, and the surge on incoming power wires was up to 10,000A (the maximum probable, below). The maximum energy at the MOV was a surprisingly small 35 joules. In 13 of 15 cases it was 1 joule or less. Plug-in protectors with much higher ratings are readily available. High ratings mean long life. A plug-in protector, wired correctly (as below), is very likely to protect from a very near very strong lightning strike.

(One reason the energy is so small is that at about 6,000V there is arc-over from service panel busbars to the enclosure. Since the enclosure is connected to the earthing system that dumps most of the energy of a large surge to earth.)

(Neither service panel or plug-in protectors work by absorbing the surge. But they both absorb some energy in the process of protecting.)

No protector does protection. Best protection for some incoming wires is a direct connection to earth (ie cable TV). No protector required.

No protector required? The IEEE guide says “there is no requirement to limit the voltage developed between the core and the sheath. .... The only voltage limit is the breakdown of the F connectors, typically ~2–4 kV.” And "there is obviously the possibility of damage to TV tuners and cable modems from the very high voltages that can be developed, especially from nearby lightning."

Advertising says to install magic boxes that somehow stop what three miles of sky could not. Reality. An effective protector makes the always required 'low impedance' (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to earth. Why do Belkin and APC not discuss earth ground?

Why? Because plug in protectors do not work primarily by earthing a surge. (And they do not work by "stopping" either.)

The IEEE surge guide explains (starting page 30) that plug-in protectors work primarily by limiting the voltage from each wire (power and signal) to the ground at the protector. The voltage between wires going to the protected equipment is safe for the protected equipment.

When using a plug-in protector all interconnected equipment needs to be connected to the same protector. External connections, like cable, also must go through the protector. Connecting all wiring through the protector prevents damaging voltages between power and signal wires.

Their products do not do what is provided by far more responsible companies. Such as General Electric, Square D, Intermatic, Keison, Ditek, ABB, Siemens, or Leviton.

All of these "responsible companies" except SquareD make plug-in protectors and say they are effective.

For its "best" service panel protector SquareD says "electronic equipment may need additional protection by installing plug-in [surge protector] devices at the point of use."

Why is that warranty from Belkin or APC not honored? Read the fine print.

My TV died yesterday - musta been a surge. Fine print is necessary.

One 'whole house' protector should connect even direct lightning strikes harmlessly to earth. And remain functional.

Service panel protectors are a real good idea.
But from the NIST guide:
"Q - Will a surge protector installed at the service entrance be sufficient for the whole house?
A - There are two answers to than question: Yes for one-link appliances [electronic equipment], No for two-link appliances [equipment connected to power AND phone or cable or....]. Since most homes today have some kind of two-link appliances, the prudent answer to the question would be NO - but that does not mean that a surge protector installed at the service entrance is useless."

Service panel suppressors do not prevent high voltages from developing between power and phone/cable/... wires. The NIST surge guide suggests that most equipment damage is from high voltage between power and signal wires.

(The author of the NIST surge guide looked at the amount of surge current you can get on power service wires. For US systems the maximum probable current was 10,000A for each of the 2 hot wires (and another 10,000A on the neutral). That is based on a 100,000A lightning strike to a utility pole adjacent to a house with typical urban overhead power distribution. Only 5% of strikes are larger than 100kA, and the strike was extremely close. The probability of a worse event is very low. Service panel protectors with ratings much higher than 10,000A are readily available. They are very likely to protect anything connected only to power wires from a very near very strong lightning strike.)

Protectors that fail (plug-in type) are not doing effective protection. Are grossly undersized so that a tiny surge will damage them. But not damage adjacent appliances. Protection already inside appliances is superior to anything that might be on its power cord.

Nonsense.

Some equipment has some protection. Some has none. No equipment is likely to have as high protection as a plug-in protector. In westom's opinion all plug-in protectors are "grossly undersized". Protectors with high ratings are readily available - much higher than the probable maximum event of 35 joules above.

Both the IEEE and NIST surge guides say plug-in protectors are effective.
 
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