My 28.8 modem puked because I never had it plugged into the surge protector (5 years ago). The rest of my PC apparently survived because it was plugged-in. I thought I had lost my PC to a voltage drop or brownout (whatever) last summer after moving into a new place, so I ran out to get a couple of UPS units on sale at CompUSA lickity-split, and have never had a problem since then (and there have been many recurrences... one as I typed this, where the lights dimmed).
just basic ones so my file server doesn't go kaputPower bars usually only protect against spikes.
Power filters/centers/expensive power bars tend to protect more against brownouts and eletrical noise.
UPS's > *, especially if your house wiring sucks as bad as mine and the UPS kicks in everytime you turn on the microwave.
Power filters/centers/expensive power bars tend to protect more against brownouts and eletrical noise.
UPS's > *, especially if your house wiring sucks as bad as mine and the UPS kicks in everytime you turn on the microwave.
If you live within half a state of a major metro area, twice a day the power grid switches to different load centers (urban / suburban). That's twice a day the power to your house or buisness get a severe whack of switching transients (big, repetitive spikes).
Surge protectors can wear out from catching too many spikes. If you live in a "noisy" area, swap out those surge bars AT LEAST every year ... probably more like six months; rotate them into less-critical roles or throw 'em out.
Line conditioners have some flavor of autotransformer that can boost sagging voltages (brownouts) to some degree ... usually down to ~90 volts or so ... providing there's enough overhead on the input current to the conditioner. In addition to the autotransformers, LCs usually have better / faster / tougher noise and spike suppression. Cheapie surge bars usually only have some MOVs and chokes.... better than nothing in most circumstances.
NOTHING is gonna save you from a lightning hit (or near hit). At best, you can hope for reduced damages ... but don't hold your breath.
Good surge / noise bars are gonna keep noise from the computer's switching power supply from getting back into the line and screwing up downstream equipment as well.
If the ground or power lines feeding the surge protector are poor, the noise / surge protection will also be poor and possibly dangerous. Some bars may heat up, burn, fry, or just eat itself. My old apartment had improper neutral and bad ground. An APC surge bar nearly caught my place on fire. If I'd left on-time that day, there'd have been a fire. As it was, it just roasted itself into the carpet and made the room smell funny for a couple weeks.
Don't take the things for granted. Don't believe all the marketing material. Don't expect miracles.
If you live in or near a metro area, spend a few extra bucks and get the best power protection your budget can afford.
JM.02
Scott
Surge protectors can wear out from catching too many spikes. If you live in a "noisy" area, swap out those surge bars AT LEAST every year ... probably more like six months; rotate them into less-critical roles or throw 'em out.
Line conditioners have some flavor of autotransformer that can boost sagging voltages (brownouts) to some degree ... usually down to ~90 volts or so ... providing there's enough overhead on the input current to the conditioner. In addition to the autotransformers, LCs usually have better / faster / tougher noise and spike suppression. Cheapie surge bars usually only have some MOVs and chokes.... better than nothing in most circumstances.
NOTHING is gonna save you from a lightning hit (or near hit). At best, you can hope for reduced damages ... but don't hold your breath.
Good surge / noise bars are gonna keep noise from the computer's switching power supply from getting back into the line and screwing up downstream equipment as well.
If the ground or power lines feeding the surge protector are poor, the noise / surge protection will also be poor and possibly dangerous. Some bars may heat up, burn, fry, or just eat itself. My old apartment had improper neutral and bad ground. An APC surge bar nearly caught my place on fire. If I'd left on-time that day, there'd have been a fire. As it was, it just roasted itself into the carpet and made the room smell funny for a couple weeks.
Don't take the things for granted. Don't believe all the marketing material. Don't expect miracles.
If you live in or near a metro area, spend a few extra bucks and get the best power protection your budget can afford.
JM.02
Scott
I work in consumer electronics repair, nearly all the lightning damaged units i repair are NOT connected to a surge supressor of any kind.
The primary difference between supressors is the energy rating, measured in joules, this represents the amount of energy (Joules) the supressor can shunt away from the connected equipment. 500-1000J is idea for TV/VCR/DVD setup and 1000+J for PC
The second difference is in the area of connected equipment warranty. A $25 surge protector with some sort of connected equipment should be sufficient for most jobs.
Like someone above stated, dont expect miracles, and dont spend a ton of money on a surge supressor. But they definitely do decrease the likelyhood of power supply damage to your equipment
The primary difference between supressors is the energy rating, measured in joules, this represents the amount of energy (Joules) the supressor can shunt away from the connected equipment. 500-1000J is idea for TV/VCR/DVD setup and 1000+J for PC
The second difference is in the area of connected equipment warranty. A $25 surge protector with some sort of connected equipment should be sufficient for most jobs.
Like someone above stated, dont expect miracles, and dont spend a ton of money on a surge supressor. But they definitely do decrease the likelyhood of power supply damage to your equipment
and i have this power bar with some kind of EMF filter on it and i have never had a single problem with any piece of hardware plugged into it since i got it in 1991.
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