[SOLVED] Surge protecting ethernet

[spyguy]

Not sure where to put this thread. How would I go about ensuring I had downstream surge protection for the ethernet running to my pc?

Im having to run a 50 foot ethernet cable. My pc is on a surge protector but not the modem. Do I need to buy another surge protector for the modem, or is an ethernet surge protector enough?

 

[Ralston18]

Make and model modem (or modem/router if combined)?

If you are in a location that suffers frequent electrical surges/spikes then you want the surge protection to be placed as "up front" as possible.

Protect the modem and (hopefully) everything downstream will be okay.

However do you have a router? If so then the router needs protection as well. Surges can be via wall outlets as well as from any other wire in the overall wiring scheme.

What "downstream surge protection" device are you consider to purchase? Make, model, seller?

Do keep in mind that surge protectors only offer limited protection measured in Joules. And that value is cumulative - meaning that at some point the surge protector will no longer be able to provide protection.

The Surge Protector's components absorb the hits but only up to a certain point. Then there is no more protection.....

 

[spyguy]

Make and model modem (or modem/router if combined)?

If you are in a location that suffers frequent electrical surges/spikes then you want the surge protection to be placed as "up front" as possible.

Protect the modem and (hopefully) everything downstream will be okay.

However do you have a router? If so then the router needs protection as well. Surges can be via wall outlets as well as from any other wire in the overall wiring scheme.

What "downstream surge protection" device are you consider to purchase? Make, model, seller?

Do keep in mind that surge protectors only offer limited protection measured in Joules. And that value is cumulative - meaning that at some point the surge protector will no longer be able to provide protection.

The Surge Protector's components absorb the hits but only up to a certain point. Then there is no more protection.....

• #3

Im not home to look at the model. I think its a 2 in 1 router modem combo. I was looking at this
https://www.amazon.com/WatchfulEyE-WTH-SG-RJ45-S-x2pcs-Protector/dp/B08BSZNX4J

Could I simply buy a surge protector for the modem and also use the ethernet surge peotector? I dont think my area has frequent surges Im just paranoid about it from reading others horror stories.

 

[Ralston18]

Yes there are horror stories. And advertisements often capitalize on such things one way or another.

I would not bother with that Ethernet surge protector.

Grounding is needed. No meaningful specs offered. Fancy packaging with a S.N. that may or may not be "real".

Read the following link (and you can find other, similar links):

https://www.quora.com/How-important-is-surge-protection-for-Ethernet-network-cables

Google "IEC 61000-4-5"

Then read the product's listed Q&A's and reviews.

For example - from the first question:

"They ground via the rj45 shell to the equipment case. Verify the female jack has a metal shell." (My underline.)

= = = = Note = = = =

I am going to move this thread from Systems to the Networking category.

There are some very solid network engineering folks there who can offer additional comments and suggestions.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

for ethernet and phone line protection
https://www.tripplite.com/datashield-in-line-surge-protector-network-phone-lines-1-line-rj45~dnet1

for your PC, Modem, TVs whatever, I use these--$50,000 guaratee that anything plugged into them is not damaged if tripped by lightning or whatnot. If damaged that insuracnce is good for 50k in replacement value

https://www.tripplite.com/isobar-8-outlet-surge-protector-12-ft-cord-3840-joules~ISOBAR8ULTRA

I use only ISOBAR Ultra 8 port all over my house for EVERYTHING electronic

cheap surge protectors are junk and pretty much useless. Tripplite makes best ones. Don't skimp

I have never had one problem with the decades that I have been using Tripplite equipment. It's all our business uses, they are all that an electric company I used to work for used... for good reason.

I've got 2 8 port ones on the TV and all the consoles, soundbar, appletv, my BD player, everything....

 

[bill001g]

You do not have to protect the ethernet cable itself from surges only the power to the equipment on both ends.

The ethernet cables themselves are magnetically isolated from power in the end device with very tiny transformers. This is primarily to prevent interference from getting into the data transmission but it also prevent electrical power from going between the devices. Many of the devices you see sold as ethernet surge protection don't really do anything because they can't connect to the actual wires without damaging the signals.

So lets say you did not have any surge protection. A power surge would have to be strong enough to damage the device so badly that is destroyed the isolation transformer and then jump across into the ethernet cable and still be strong enough to damage the other end. Your more normal power surge is going to be stopped by simple surge protection on the power lines. You will not stop a lightning strike. I had every piece of equipment plugged into both UPS and surge protection so most devices have 2 layers of surge protection. I had a large amount of stuff damaged in different rooms in the house on different UPS and different surge protection. All the UPS and surge protection device themselves test as function so they didn't really stop anything.

Just buy surge protection for the end devices. Don't worry about the ethernet there is nothing you are going to do to stop a large lightning strike and it can degrade the signals.

 

[SamirD]

Don't worry about the ethernet there is nothing you are going to do to stop a large lightning strike and it can degrade the signals.

Can confirm this to be true. We had to remove the ethernet connection to a ups at one of our sites because the surge protector was interfering with the ethernet's duties. We never had any problems with ethernet surges but thought 'why not' since the UPS had ethernet protection--bad idea.