Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Looking for the Best Surge Protector for My MacBook Pro

ScarletRed

ScarletRed

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 16, 2006
198
0
Right here
I'm looking for something compact/portable and yet offers heavy duty protection comparable to full sized surge protectors. Know of any? Something with 2-4 ports, including an ethernet port. With ton of Joule rating.

I've looked at APC but their power cords are not compatible with MacBook Pros. I've looked at Belkin's but their energy ratings are tiny...
 
ScarletRed said:
I'm looking for something compact/portable and yet offers heavy duty protection comparable to full sized surge protectors. Know of any? Something with 2-4 ports, including an ethernet port. With ton of Joule rating.

I've looked at APC but their power cords are not compatible with MacBook Pros. I've looked at Belkin's but their energy ratings are tiny...
Click to expand...


why doesn't the apc work with the mac book pro?
 
ScarletRed said:
I could check MacBook Pro again but I swear I did not see anyplace to plug in these 2 prongs to my laptop: notebook surge protector.

They do have other models such as this one which can work with MacBook Pro but this single outlet version does not have ethernet port.
Click to expand...


oh, i didn't think you looking for something that small, or that particular model. are you looking for something to travel in your laptop bag with? If you are you can buy a single socket travel surge protector and a small stylish power strip with 3 plugs. You can't overload the power strip, but I know people that travel with that setup religiously with their laptops. This is great because if all you need to plug in your laptop use pull out the surge protector and go. if you need more pull out your power strip.
 
By portable, I meant something that I can carry in my laptop bag easily without taking up too much space. The ones I am looking for would have two to four ports. In the case of two ports, the second one would be for the ethernet. If four ports, then the rest are for extra accessories that require surge protection.

One of the problems is that surge protectors this small have poor joule rating (600 J is the highest I've seen). I'm looking for something in the thousands. Do you know of any that fits the following criteria?

1. Small physical size. Preferably no bigger than this so that it can fit easily into a typical laptop bag.

2. Mode 1 type only (also known as the normal mode). You can learn more about different modes of protection right here.

3. Must be compatible with MacBook Pro. For your info, none of the APC's 'notebook surge protector's nor anything with this type of cord configuration are compatible with my laptop.

4. Energy rating of at least 300 J.
 
Bingo!

Aha! I think I may have found it, although the surge energy rating is not as high as I'd like. Here it is.

If APC had a 5 outlet version of this (which will reduce the width to about 6 inches), it'd be perfect.
 
I give up...

I give up. Trying to find a compact, portable, non-MOV based surge protector with an integrated RJ45 ethernet port is truly an impossible mission.:(
 
I don't think you will find that perfect protector you are looking for. You might have to give up on something (maybe the ethernet ports).
 
I guess the reason for the nonexistence of portable (i.e. tiny) non-MOV, non TRANS-ZROBS nor similar shunt based surge suppressors is that the most reliable existing surge suppression technology is based on big bulky inductor coils in conjuction with other circuit elements to maintain zero surge in the ground wire. This translates to rather large volume, hence only "non-portable" versions exist.

Three companies offer the best and truly reliable surge protection. They are Adcom, Zero Surge, and Brickwall. Their products are based on non-MOV design so the surge suppressors themselves do not degrade over time unlike the conventional suppressors do. And by conventional, I mean Tripp-Lite, APC, Belkin, and CyberPower just to name a few who all rely on MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors).

At present, Brickwall offers the most portable version. At dimensions of 3.1" H x 7.85" W x 3.75" D, I am hesitant to call it portable for laptop use though. And it does not have RJ45 port.

It may be another decade or so before we see truly portable and 100% reliable surge protection that uses MEMs-based optical surge suppression technology. Until then, I am going to stick with APC NET8N.
 
I'm not sure how that first protector works...
Do you plug the figure-8 cable into the notebook adaptor? If so, if you remove the plug adaptor on your MacBook Pro adaptor, I belive it is a basic figure-8 cable plug.
...but I'm really not sure. :confused:
 
EricNau said:
I'm not sure how that first protector works...
Do you plug the figure-8 cable into the notebook adaptor? If so, if you remove the plug adaptor on your MacBook Pro adaptor, I belive it is a basic figure-8 cable plug.
...but I'm really not sure. :confused:
Click to expand...


The APC's 'perplexing' surge protector is meant for PC laptops. Or any laptops that do not use specialized power cord such as MacBook Pro series. If you happen to have a PC laptop, and if you happen to have APC's PNOTEPROC8 which is what you're refering to, then this accessory comes between your laptop's power cord and your laptop. So instead of inserting the power cord to your laptop, you plug it into the notebook surge protector. The cord of the surge protector then plugs into your laptop.
 
ScarletRed said:
I'm looking for something compact/portable and yet offers heavy duty protection comparable to full sized surge protectors. Know of any? Something with 2-4 ports, including an ethernet port. With ton of Joule rating.

I've looked at APC but their power cords are not compatible with MacBook Pros. I've looked at Belkin's but their energy ratings are tiny...
Click to expand...


I can be such a retard at times... The quoted statement I made about a week ago is incorrect. APC's notebook surge suppressors ARE fully compatible with MacBook Pro. If found this out last night as I was reading through the manual for the second time. On page 9, it is stated, "To extend the reach of your power adapter, you can attach the AC power cord. First, pull up on the AC plug to remove it from the adapter, and then attach the included AC power cord to the adapter. Plug the other end into a power outlet. For an illustration, see page 30."

When I removed the corner-piece on the power adapter, sure enough, I found a two-prong receptacle.

Note to self: When all else fails, re-read the manual.
 
ScarletRed said:
I can be such a retard at times... The quoted statement I made about a week ago is incorrect. APC's notebook surge suppressors ARE fully compatible with MacBook Pro. If found this out last night as I was reading through the manual for the second time. On page 9, it is stated, "To extend the reach of your power adapter, you can attach the AC power cord. First, pull up on the AC plug to remove it from the adapter, and then attach the included AC power cord to the adapter. Plug the other end into a power outlet. For an illustration, see page 30."

When I removed the corner-piece on the power adapter, sure enough, I found a two-prong receptacle.

Note to self: When all else fails, re-read the manual.
Click to expand...

Hows the software working?
 
Travel Surge Protector for MacBook Pro

I just ordered the Belkin F9H220-TVL travel surge protector for my MacBook Pro 15.4. The plug is retractable and it rates at 1050 J and comes with a $75K protection on the equipment it protects. That's the highest level of protection I've seen in anything that would fit in your laptop bag. Hope this helps.:)
 
For anyone looking at the Belkin F9H220-TVL, be aware that Belkin states it's rated for 120V use only - not compatible with electrical current in Europe and elsewhere. I guess it's a "domestic" travel adapter only.
 
mind if i bump this thread? i'm looking for something just like that belkin surge protector but something that would let me use both 110v and 220v outlets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back