Surge from phone line

[thegatekeeper]

Hi guys, not sure if this is the correct section to post this so please move it if it isn't.

Here is my problem:

In the last 2 years, I have had my motherboard fried twice from an electrical surge even though all of the equipment is protected by a surge protector. It always got burnt from the same spot, the Ethernet port. I did a quick Google search right now and it said that phone lines can also carry power surges! No wonder it was getting fried.

Is this true!?

If I pass the phone cable thru the surge protector, is it also beneficial to surge protect the Ethernet cable?

 

[PhilFrisbie]

Yes, you can get a power surge through ANY long cable attached to your PC.

 

[ngrego]

A surge protector can protect against power surges but may also slow down your connection. If you have a big problem, I personally would choose protection over speed.

 

[thegatekeeper]

A surge protector can protect against power surges but may also slow down your connection. If you have a big problem, I personally would choose protection over speed.

Hmm, really? What do you think of this one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RJ11-6P2C-Socket-Lightning-Protective-Surge-Arrester-/390460853691?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5ae947cdbb

My modem uses a cable line that I can run through my Belkin SurgeMaster, but I don't know how to splice it.

 

[bill001g]

It is extremely unlikely you will damage a ethernet port in a computer that is behind a modem/router that has a surge protector.

Most surges are just that a increase in the voltage but it seldom causes damage you can even see...things just fail. For something to make it all the way to your PC you would have to have a massive failure in the modem, it would likely be melted. Even a surge protector will not stop a direct lighting strike. In your case you have a surge protector and a modem that will absorb the strike long before it gets to your PC.

The device you show is for phones you have to find one for ethernet. I suspect they are not common. When you look at all lan cables business run and none of it is protected by surge protectors.

If you have the ethernet in the walls of your house you could have a short between the electrical and the ethernet. The more common way people fry motherboards is plugging their lan cable into something like a alarm system of phone system that just happens to use the same rj45 plug.

 

[ngrego]

Sure it looks fine, its not expensive either. If it's going to connect to your phone line it surely wont hurt.
But as bill001g says above if a strong current were to hit your modem, it would most likely cause the damage there directly.

 

[thegatekeeper]

It is extremely unlikely you will damage a ethernet port in a computer that is behind a modem/router that has a surge protector.

Most surges are just that a increase in the voltage but it seldom causes damage you can even see...things just fail. For something to make it all the way to your PC you would have to have a massive failure in the modem, it would likely be melted. Even a surge protector will not stop a direct lighting strike. In your case you have a surge protector and a modem that will absorb the strike long before it gets to your PC.

The device you show is for phones you have to find one for ethernet. I suspect they are not common. When you look at all lan cables business run and none of it is protected by surge protectors.

If you have the ethernet in the walls of your house you could have a short between the electrical and the ethernet. The more common way people fry motherboards is plugging their lan cable into something like a alarm system of phone system that just happens to use the same rj45 plug.

So I am crazy then? You are wrong in thinking that the modem has to be destroyed for the motherboard to go out. I have had it happen to me twice where the modem is 100% fine and the LAN port on the motherboard goes out.

Sure it looks fine, its not expensive either. If it's going to connect to your phone line it surely wont hurt.
But as bill001g says above if a strong current were to hit your modem, it would most likely cause the damage there directly.

I am going to get someone to splice the coaxial cable into my surge protector just in case.