[NA]Surge Protector[NA]

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Dave Taylor
Apparently we are living in a lightning rod, not a house - and the phone guy says I need to buy a surge protector so that their phone line does not transmit spikes into their modem (which I have to pay for).

So can anyone recommend a small, but functional, hopefully inexpensive surge protector for the phone line, (not the 120v electrical supply but the RJ44 or whatever the phone jacks are)?

Thanks
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Apparently we are living in a lightning rod, not a house - and the phone guy says I need to buy a surge protector so that their phone line does not transmit spikes into their modem (which I have to pay for).

So can anyone recommend a small, but functional, hopefully inexpensive surge protector for the phone line, (not the 120v electrical supply but the RJ44 or whatever the phone jacks are)?

Thanks
Click to expand...

It's RJ-11. Many household surge suppressors have CABLE and phone line jacks.

A good brand is Tripp-Lite.

http://www.tripplite.com/products/s...al_outlets=6&final_cord=6&results=1&testing=1

TEL in the name means it has the RJ-11 jacks.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812120308

Now, if you want GOOD you want a whole house surge suppressor and you're talking $150-$200.
 
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Tripp is a very good brand. So is APC. So is Monster Cable. There are others, too. But definitely steer away from the no-name brands that can be had for $5.99 in the el-cheapo bin. Most of them are junk.

Personally, I suggest you move up to a battery backup or UPS by one of the good names (APC, Tripp, etc.). It will provide both surge protection and undervoltage / blackout protection, and the better ones provide power conditioning, as well. Undervoltage can be damaging to electronics, and sudden stoppage due to power failure is not good for any computer.

-Rich
 
I reiterate: I am looking for a surge suppressor for the PHONE LINE only not the power supply. If they exist.

IE: phone receptacle of wall-> surge suppressor -> modem

NO 110V, no household electrical, no three prong thingys.

I realize it is easy to skip over the details; I tend to ramble - my fault.
Thanks!
 
I've got five different UPS models here. Everyone of them has the RJ-11 jacks to put in line to the phone or modem you wish.

I'm assuming you have a DSL modem you're protecting. It's not a bad idea to just run it's power through such a surge protector like the Trip-lite shown or even a UPS if you're happy with the price of a small one. Some are about as cheap as the surge protector shown. You can get a 500-700VA for as little as $35.

If you have a router after the modem, put that on the surge protector as well. I have my cable modem, router and a switch plugged into a UPS that also provides pass-through surge protection for my color laser. It's worth a bit more to protect the gear ya have.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I reiterate: I am looking for a surge suppressor for the PHONE LINE only not the power supply. If they exist.

IE: phone receptacle of wall-> surge suppressor -> modem

NO 110V, no household electrical, no three prong thingys.

I realize it is easy to skip over the details; I tend to ramble - my fault.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Dave,

Easy. These protect the phone line. You need to plug a power cord in to get the ground (and that's iffy.)

You can get phone line protectors but trust me. It's a trade item and hard to find. You don't wanna deal with grounding it properly, and it'll cost more than the consumer version protecor with phone or cable ports.
 
mikea said:
These protect the phone line. You need to plug a power cord in to get the ground (and that's iffy.)
Click to expand...

That does make sense, thanks for clarifying. I did not figure on it needing a ground; I thought they would simply trip when they sensed a spike.
The phone repairman talked as if there were surge protectors commonly available for phone lines only.
In appreciation,
DT
 
Panamax

They guarantee to replace your equipment, NOT just the surge protector if it gets fried.

I started using them after I learned that it's what our local electric utility company used to protect their equipment.

Let'sgoflying! said:
Apparently we are living in a lightning rod, not a house - and the phone guy says I need to buy a surge protector so that their phone line does not transmit spikes into their modem (which I have to pay for).

So can anyone recommend a small, but functional, hopefully inexpensive surge protector for the phone line, (not the 120v electrical supply but the RJ44 or whatever the phone jacks are)?

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Panamax is high-end, for sure.

But whatever brand you choose, make sure that the ground on the outlet is, well, grounded. Most surge suppressors have a ground fault indicator that will tell you if it's not.

Without the ground, the surge suppressor has nowhere to send the overvoltage. I'd estimate that about 15 - 25 percent of the installation jobs I do turn up bad grounds in the building wiring. I make the clients sign a waiver stating that I've informed them of the problem and that they will not energize or use the equipment until the problem is corrected by a licensed electrician. (Yeah, right. But at least my butt is covered.)

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
Panamax is high-end, for sure.

But whatever brand you choose, make sure that the ground on the outlet is, well, grounded. Most surge suppressors have a ground fault indicator that will tell you if it's not.

Without the ground, the surge suppressor has nowhere to send the overvoltage. I'd estimate that about 15 - 25 percent of the installation jobs I do turn up bad grounds in the building wiring. I make the clients sign a waiver stating that I've informed them of the problem and that they will not energize or use the equipment until the problem is corrected by a licensed electrician. (Yeah, right. But at least my butt is covered.)

-Rich
Click to expand...

Even just having any kind ground be there isn't really good enough. It has to be a good ground. I can't imagine how the tiny aluminum wire that servee as ground on some electrical fixtures is good enough.

A good ground is a heavy solid copper wire going to the earth. If you wanted to make the effort - and what I would do with a whole house protector - run a #10 or #12 gauge copper wire from the ground connection to a hopefully, copper cold water pipe or ten foot copper ground pole buried outside. If you use a water pipe you have to make sure it doesn't go to plastic at the water meter or elsewhere before getting into the earth.

The wire has to be heavy not because it has to handle a lot of current, but because lightning is high frequency and can tend to only be carried on the surface of the wire. A larger diameter means more surface.

I used to install systems that connected to the phone line and power. When they came out with digital versions, the makers were all in silicon valley. They had never seen the kind of storms we get in the plains. When they had to replace all of the systems under warranty they learned and taught us about lightning protection.
 
mikea said:
Even just having any kind ground be there isn't really good enough. It has to be a good ground. I can't imagine how the tiny aluminum wire that servee as ground on some electrical fixtures is good enough.

A good ground is a heavy solid copper wire going to the earth. If you wanted to make the effort - and what I would do with a whole house protector - run a #10 or #12 gauge copper wire from the ground connection to a hopefully, copper cold water pipe or ten foot copper ground pole buried outside. If you use a water pipe you have to make sure it doesn't go to plastic at the water meter or elsewhere before getting into the earth.

The wire has to be heavy not because it has to handle a lot of current, but because lightning is high frequency and can tend to only be carried on the surface of the wire. A larger diameter means more surface.
Click to expand...

And if this all sounds like another language, then hire a pro. Electricians are cheaper than morticians.

-Rich
 
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