Don't buy the Netgear...

[Troubleshooter]

...FVS318 router/VPN/firewall/switch.

Why do I know this? Let me tell you...

Hurricane Dennis and his collateral weather systems cost me one dial-up modem and two of the four ports on my router, the bastard. I scrambled to the Office Max where I have a gift card with the money from a previous return. After not seeing the router I wanted on the shelf, I went to what looked to be a better piece of equipment, feature wise, for only a little more money. After fighting with the settings for the better part of a day I went to the Netgear forums, and what to my wandering eyes did appear? A consensus, a consensus saying to stay thy hand from the Netgear FVS318.

So with limping router I returned to the web to warn others.

And in case anyone is considering giving me any lip about using surge protectors, the lightning struck less than 100 feet from my house. Maybe if I had my house set up like a faraday cage...

[xoxoxoBruce]

100 feet is enough. The surge follows the wire in, doesn't it?

[Troubleshooter]

Not when all of the PCs are on their own surge protectors, the router was on the same strip as the PC that had the modem in it. The router port the modem PC was on wasn't smoked either. It was very weird.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Troubleshooter

Not when all of the PCs are on their own surge protectors, the router was on the same strip as the PC that had the modem in it. The router port the modem PC was on wasn't smoked either. It was very weird.

Those surge protectors did exactly as their numerical specifications claimed. The mode of transient that damages transistors is not even listed in those specs because the protector does not claim to protect from that type. Protection already exists inside all appliances. But that protection assumes additional further protectors will be distant down the wire; not adjacent to the appliance.
For example, the telephone CO wants that protector up to 50 meters separated from the transistors in their switching computer.

Surge protectors adjacent to transistorized devices can even contribute to damage of those devices. What you have described is quite common and easily understood once every wire entering and leaving each device is described.

[Troubleshooter]

My consternation is with the random damage. It's just weird is all. I mean why only two ports? I know surge protectors are only slightly better than none at all.

And the Netgear router sucking so much too. That pissed me off.

[Troubleshooter]

...I'd buy the Brick Wall or something similar.

BRICK WALL SURGE PROTECTORS DO NOT FAIL

TESTED TO ONE THOUSAND SURGES OF 6000V, 3000A

We believe that surge protectors should not fail. At the heart of our Series Mode Surge Protector is a massive inductor. This is not a sacrificial component. It will never fail. It will not degrade with use. In fact no component used in the construction of our surge protectors is sacrificial. A Brick Wall Surge Protector will never experience a surge related failure.

You do not have to take our word for it. Consider the following:

* IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) states that 6000V is the largest transient that the interior of a building would experience.
* IEEE defines its harshest interior surge environment as one that could experience 100 surges of 6000V, 3000A in a years time (category B3).
* A new federal guideline recommends that a surge protector utilized in a harsh environment should be capable of withstanding 1000 surges of 6000V, 3000A or ten years worth of IEEE’s category B3.
* UL (Underwriters Laboratories) now provides a new adjunct testing service (in addition to the 1449 safety classification) that will test surge protectors to the 1000 surge, 6000V, 3000A federal protocol.

Early in 1996 1000 surges (at 60 second intervals) of 6000V, 3000A were applied to an off-the-shelf Series Mode Surge Protector.

There was no failure. There was no performance degradation. Let through voltage did not exceed 400V.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Troubleshooter

...I'd buy the Brick Wall or something similar.

Its called lying by telling half truths. The Brickwall and its equivalents (Zerosurge and Surgex) are series mode protectors. They will stop or block what miles of sky could not? Of course not.

But then they also forget to mention the one wire that carries that pulse around the Brickwall and into an adjacent computer motherboard - the green safety ground wire.

This green wire is also why shunt mode protectors too close to electronics can contribute to electronics damage.

Series mode protectors are effective when supplementing an effective shunt mode protection system. Shunt mode is the same concept that Ben Franklin demonstrated in 1752. One is even installed, for free, on your phone line because earthed shunt mode protectors are so effective and cost so little. Homeowner must install same for AC electric. Protectors that actually do protect from the various destructive modes are Intermatic (sold in Home Depot), Cutler Hammer, and GE (sold in Lowes). Other responsible manufacturers include Leviton, Square D, Polyphaser, and Siemens. These are also companies that sell reliable and responsible electrical equipment. Companies with high reputations.

Those who don't know any better buy a protector as if it was Listerene or Geritol. Buy from companies who routinely lie by telling half truths: APC, Tripplite, Powermax, Belkin, or - the worst of the worse - Monster Cable. Where is their reputation? A reputation similar to Pond's Institute that sells 'age restoring cream'.

Once a responsible protector has done its job, only then will a series mode protector be effective. Let's see. The Intermatic, GE, and Cutler Hammer shunt mode solutions costs only $1 per protected appliance - using well proven principles. The Brickwall costs about $100 per protected appliance and still is not effective without proper installation of shunt mode protectors. Series mode protectors have their place. But by themselves, series mode protectors are not effective.

BTW, series mode protection is already installed in electronic equipment? Protection that also requires a properly installed shunt mode protector be installed.

I power up all computers during thunderstorms to follow weather activity on the internet - without worry or damage. Furthermore, I even repair electronics damaged by lightning to learn how damage occured. This modem was damaged by lightning and it now working just fine for numerous years. Discovered exactly why if was damaged, replaced every damaged transistor, and it has no more problems. I don't have this fear of lightning because I use effective protection. Nothing that you plug-in is economically useful as demonstrated by your own experience.

[Perry Winkle]

Most informative post I've seen anywhere in a LONG time. Thanks tw!