Power Surge Damaged Ethernet Cable?

[javaruke]

We took a lightning hit in the area around my house. As a result, several electronic components were damaged/fried (despite being plugged into surge protectors). One of those was the router. There was one cable running from the router to equipment in my home theater. After replacing the router, I can't get network access in the home theater equipment. Is it possible the surge that fried the router also damaged the ethernet cable?

 

[Reyaz123]

Could have killed the cable, replace it.

 

[DarkSable]

It could also have screwed up the networking in the theater equipment, which I would think is more likely.

 

[javaruke]

After performing some additional tests, it appears a three of the five channels on one of my ethernet switches may have been fried, including the one that was sending the data to the home theater. So the good news is I don't have to figure out how to re-run a cat 5 cable through the wall to the home theater. Ordered the new switch today and hopefully all channels will be a go.

 

[Reyaz123]

At least now its fixed. Be careful next time and use higher rated surge protector for your devices.

 

[westom]

After performing some additional tests, it appears a three of the five channels on one of my ethernet switches may have been fried, including the one that was sending the data to the home theater.

Damage occured because a surge was incoming to every household appliance. Only damaged were appliances that also made an outgoing path to earth.

For example, a surge on AC mains (far down the street) was incoming to everything. One path could have been incoming to a home theater, outgoing via its ethernet port, incoming to that router, then outgoing to an earth ground on the modem and incoming internet wire.

Damage would be on a weakest part or parts in that path. Other items undamaged due to more robust internal protection.

Protection is always about that destructive current not even entering a building. You have incoming wires that did not connect to earth BEFORE entering. Connected to earth directly via a hardwire or via a 'whole house' protector. Learn from the experience. That damage was due to no well proven, properly earthed, and inexpensive solution. Protection is always about where hundreds of thousands of joules should have harmlessly dissipated - outside the building.

BTW, the most expensive protectors, located adjacent to appliances, can even make damage easier. How do you know? No dedicated and low impedance (ie 'less than 3 meter') connection to single point earth ground means almost no protection. Those near zero protectors are typically tens of times more expensive.