Router protection - which DSL surge filter?

We are used to following weather forecasts and unplugging the router's phone line if thunder is likely. That is not fool proof.

What are recommendations for quality DSL surge protectors which may display indicators that they have been hit, that they have been wrecked, or that really work well?

Thank you.

On my systems I use a APC UPS unit that has protection ports for phone but also protects from power hits on your mains.

https://www.amazon.com/APC-Battery-B...battery+backup



Jim

muymalestado said:

What are recommendations for quality DSL surge protectors which may display indicators that they have been hit, that they have been wrecked, or that really work well?

Nothing can report when an effective protector works. Any protector that reports a surge is reporting it was grossly undersized - may have been a potential fire. A protector that works well comes with spec numbers that says it works well. And always has one critical feature - a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to single point earth ground. Not wall receptacle safety ground - earth ground.

View some overhyped protectors from Belkin, APC, or other plug-in protectors. How many joules does it claim to absorb? Hundreds? Thousand? A protector that is effective must somehow absorb hundreds of thousands of joules. A hundreds joules surge is simply converted by electronics into low DC voltages to safely power its semiconductors. Any near zero protector is only protecting from something already made irrelevant by what is inside electronics. Did they forget to mention that?

View a recommended Belkin. That near zero protector contains ten cent protector parts also found in $12 protectors sold in Walmart. Why does it sell for $70? An obscene profit margin means more will be educated by advertising and hearsay. And not by a science that has been well understood and repeatedly demonstrated for over 100 years. Its joules numbers say it does not protect from typically destructive surges.

What does its light report? Normal failure for a protector is degradation. The protector still works but trips on a voltage that has changed by 10%. That acceptable failure cannot be reported by any light. That light can only report a catastrophic type failure. Every MOV manufacturer says catastrophic failure must never happen. Catastrophic failure (as reported by that light) is reporting a protector that was underszied for that venue (a potential fire). And that a surge remained connected to adjacent appliances as protectors parts disconnected as fast as possible.

Ignore any recommendation without specification numbers. Next post will quote an AT&T discussion about DSL protection (and how to protect everything else). Protection means one can say where hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Belkin and other magic box protectors will not discuss any of this to protect sales. Effective protection even costs less money - about $1 per protected appliance.

AT&T Forum provided "How can I protect my DSL/dialup equipment from surges?":

Surge protection for DSL and dialup service.
Surge protection takes on many forms, but always involves the following components: Grounding bonding and surge protectors. ...

Grounding is required to provide the surge protector with a path to dump the excess energy to earth. A proper ground system is a mandatory requirement of surge protection. Without a proper ground, a surge protector has no way to disburse the excess energy and will fail to protect downstream equipment.

Bonding is required to electrically connect together the various grounds of the services entering the premises. Without bonding, a surge may still enter a premise after firing over a surge protector, which will attempt to pass the excess energy to its ground with any additional energy that the services surge protector ground cannot instantly handle, traveling into and through protected equipment, damaging that equipment in the process. ...

Now, if all the various service entrance grounds are bonded together there are no additional paths to ground through the premise. Even if all of the grounds cannot instantly absorb the energy, the lack of additional paths to ground through the premise prevents the excess energy from seeking out any additional grounds through that premise and the electronic equipment within. As such, the excess energy remains in the ground system until dissipated, sparing the protected equipment from damage. ...

By far, the whole house hardwired surge protectors provide the best protection. When a whole house primary surge protector is installed at the service entrance, it will provide a solid first line of defense against surges which enter from the power company's service entrance feed. These types of protectors can absorb/pass considerably more energy than any other type of protector, and if one does catastrophically fail, it will not typically be in a living space. ...

Plug in strip protectors are, at best, a compromise. At worst, they may cause more damage than they prevent. While they may do an acceptable job of handling hot to neutral surges, they do a poor job of handling any surge that must be passed to ground. ...

Then, to add insult to injury, some strip protectors add Telco and/or LAN surge protection within the same device, trying to be an all-in-one sale. Remember bonding? When Telco or LAN protection is added to a strip protector, if the premise ground, which is not designed to handle surges, cannot handle all of the energy, guess where that excess energy seeks out the additional grounds? You got it! The Telco and LAN connections now becomes the path, with disastrous results to those devices. ...

TairikuOkami said:

A circuit breaker? I prefer the one, which burns, so you have to buy a new one when damaged, every millisecond counts.

The circuit breaker protects the main unit from an overload. All the ports are protected by surge suppression circuits built into the unit.
Do your research before commenting.

Jim