Forums General Discussion inet question

i got dsl (for 1st time in my life) 4 days ago
so i still dont know many things about it...

my question is when outside is storm (thunder + rain)
do i have to disconnect myself and unplug wire from
wall like 56k users do or not ?

It's not a bad idea... you're still using phone lines. If you have a decent surge protector that allows you to run your internet cables through it, you probably don't have to worry too much. Most of those even have really high warranties in case anything gets damaged from surges. If you don't have anything to protect from surges, you probably should disconnect just to be safe.

As a side note, I never disconnected even with 56k... but that's just me.

Hehe. Back when I was on 56k as my ISP disconnected every 2 hours. I set the connection to auto redial.

okay, thanks =)

Does anyone ever take the modem outa the wall, i think thats was a wifestale, told to us by isp's who didnt wanna deal with us, jst take our money

Anyway Wouldnt the phone cable melt if a lightening bold hit it, i mean its only i tiny itty bitty wire, i have melted 240v house wire before I cant amagine a phone wire surviving.

PS: i dont have any real idea if it would or not actually, but it seems logical?!?!?!

it would... but phone lines (atleast in my country) are going underground... so i dont know how could lightning strike at any of phone cable at all

you're supposed to have your computer off during a lightning storm let alone the device attached to it..

Lightning generally wouldn't directly strike a single phone cable, it'll either hit the ground near wires or something like a telephone exchange. Either way the charge is dissipated through a lot more than just a single wire.

Personally I've only lost two modems to lightning, however I know several people who've lost multiple items of equipment (modems, routers, USB hubs, etc.) from a single lightning strike.

My maths teacher was put in hospital 2 years ago after a lightning storm hit his office and went through the computer on to him (he was on it). It wasn't anything serious.

...so not ALL lightning is bad

Regards,

LOL Why would anyone turn the computer off, just becuase of a lightneing storm? What you gonna run around the house unpluging all the apliances? The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

HAHA!

Btw, lightning generally will not melt a phone cable just because of a lightning strike. You can be zapped through a phone if you are talking on it when lightning hits near the lines. It is a pretty nasty jolt.

For the one who mentioned underground lines, in the US, most lines are above ground on poles still. These get hit quite often.

As I said, though, a decent surge protector will be enough to allow you to keep your computer and internet up and running. I wouldn't try it with a cheap $10 one, though.

If your outlets are properly grounded and you use a computer/phone surge suppressor (battery backups are better)
AND the lightning strike is NOT close you probably won't have a problem. This is especially true if your lines are below ground.

That being said you can still have a problem if the lightning strikes close to your house, or hits your house directly.

Surge suppressors are good, but have their limits. Most are rated in how many joules (total power) they can redirect. There is also a threshold before they do anything at all, otherwise the power coming in would be shunted to ground before you could get any use out of it.

Lastly there is a pulse/time issue. Even if the lightning strike melts a wire it can still act as a conduit while its melting, thereby providing the path of destruction.

While having a surge suppressor is considered mandatory to help protect your investment, they are by no means infallable.

Correct. It's a matter of how much risk you want to take. My computer is online 24/7 regardless of weather. I have a decent surge protector with $40,000 or $50,000 (I forget) warranty on any equipment damaged while connected through it, so I'm good. Only real risk I have is losing data.

well i have no protection

but for safety i will turn off my pc and plug out phone cable that goes into dsl modem.

A friend of mine had his computer damaged by lightning. I don't know the details, but he had to get it replaced. Luckily he had a warranty with Dell. Thats the problem with those things...I hate pre-manufactured computers, but I do like the idea of being able to replace my computer for free in the event of a lightning storm, etc. So, I suggest just getting a decent surge protector. It's silly to unplug everything in your house evertime you hear a little thunder.

Nothing wrong with a bit of thunder it's noises god makes when he's digesting food..

I thought it was when he was bowling. :tongue:

He probably just needs to lay off the mexican food.