I understand what the unit is designed to do, my question is: does it offer any significant protection against lightning strikes?
168106
Not really!! Lightning is a beast and wreaks all kinds of havoch on circuits.
168107
Probably not. Some sort of surge protector might protect against a strike that isn't to close; there isn't much protection against a direct hit though. There are specifically designed lightning arrestors, but good ones tend to be pricey and the most effective ones are usually installed at the main panel or meter.
168108
They are designed to protect against moderate voltage spikes. A direct lightning strike will haveNo trouble jumping over to the equipment side of the unit. The only sure way is to unplug everythingOr make sure your insurance will cover any lightning damage. I was stationed at a LF transmitter stationAnd saw a lightning strike in the helix house while disconnecting the transmitter from the antenna. ThatBall of lighting dancing around the copper shielded room is permanently impressed in my memory?
168109
I've looked inside (rewired it for a specific purpose) and see nothing that would make me think it would protect you from lightning.
1437701
I don't think you will need anything like that. We live in Florida which has a lot of lightning strikes and power surges. Haven't had any problems. This is a good product.
64209
NOt normal but lightning can cause many problems depending on how close the strike. May not be a fire hazard but anything can help. As long as the equipment was protected, the unit is worth the investment.
1580565
Sure, I have my HD flatscreen, BluRay player as well as all my computer equipment hooked to mine. Has protected everything perfectly through several thunderstorms. Plus still have several outlets open!
713308
Each year, I was losing modems and routers to lightening through an underground coax cable to my house. The cable guy claims lightening is a bigger issue with underground lines than aerial. A few years ago, I installed this lightening arrestor inside the cable box on the outside of the house and grounded it to the electrical meter grounding rod. It's very important to connect to a good earth ground. Since then, no more damage. I do not ground the coax cable inside the house. But, the power cord to the modem and router are through an APC battery back-up with 50,000 volt surge protection. That's important, because surge damage can sneak through the power line side, too. If you have frequent thunder storms, you may consider changing this device out every few years. Basically it's a spark gap device. When the voltage exceeds a threshold, it jumps the spark gap to ground. But, every time it does that, the gap gets a little wider. Over time, the protection voltage rises depending on how many times a spark has jumped the gap.
410281
i don't think it is a surge protector. it does act like a circuit breaker and shuts off when it gets too hot. you'd really need to ask the manufacturer about surge protection.
122899
It has a lifetime limited warranty, which takes care of failure of unit itself, but probably more significant is the $50,000 lifetime insurance (on damage to stuff connected to the surge protector). That's what would count as a serious warranty for this kind of product.
597383
Yes, it is a surge protector. That is it's main purpose. I had a surge a few weeks ago at a campground and nothing was affected. It is worth the peace of mind.
1128475
There are better one's on the market protection wise, but this one filled my need to fit in a tiny space. I would say it is better than not having any surge protection. I got zapped by a lighting strike last year and that took out the circuit board in the garage door opener. So any protection is better than none. It has a 3 pronged plug and 2 led lights to let you know it is working.
1325741
Thunder -No. Lightning, and static electricity, it will protect your equipment to some degree. Although there is no protection against an act of God that being a direct hit by lightning. If you ensure your grounds are done correctly and you utilize grounded ethernet cable it will do a very good job in protecting your equipment.
1569807
No. It does not interfere with mine. I can only assume it filters high voltage spikes that would occur if something came in from the street. It does not hurt to have whole-house lightening arresters in your breaker panel. Ligtening surge protectors are inexpensive, but must be installed by an electrician. They connect to the hot leads from the meter, a source of unlimited amerage; that's not something a homeowner should attempt.
2080638
As I understand it, this is adequate protection for surge, just like the extension strip surge protectors, just this fits in the wall behind your TV. That is what mine is being used for. http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ProductDetail.jsp?partnumber=5280-W&section;=39994
1751812
No I am using it for an Invisible Dog Fence and it will be buried and attached to a low voltage signal generator where the dog has a receiver on it's collar. My dog will not be out in a lighting storm. I am not adding Lighten protection. Dan
265504
The purpose of this surge protector is to protect the transmitter from lightning that hits the wire loop around the yard. If you look at the picture the two red terminals and two black terminals is where a wired user would plug in the fence and then separate wired leads to the transmitter. With a wireless system you simply don't need this type of surge protector - if you want to protect your unit from surges coming from the power company, just buy a run-of-the-mill power strip surge protector or one that plugs into the wall.
1461645
I have "whole-house" surge protection so I wasn't concerned with the capability of this unit. However, since you asked, I went back to the instructions that came with the unit. Under "Protections" it states: "USB circuits are equipped with over-load and short-circuit protections." That's it.
1126058
absolutely. The breakers prevent from overloading the circuit ONLY. This device protects against surges, high voltage, low voltage, open neutrals or grounds, etc. Small price to pay to save several thousands worth of electrical devices
1355616
No.Even if you would modify this unit to fit (NOT recommended) it would not protect anything because there would be no ground on the unit. And even if you modify your outlets, AGAIN, it would NOT protect the equipment because there is NO GROUND connected. Why not purchase a cheaper unit that just distributes electricity but does not protect from surges.