using lap top during lightning?

[chirpy]

is it safe to use a laptop connected via wifi during a lightning storm?

[Quillan]

Simple answer is yes. You might consider using it only on battery although most modern power supplies for laptops are OK but better safe than sorry. It's surges through the electricl supply that do the damage, it pays to buy one of these multi socket things that protect anything plugged in to it and allows the phone line to go through as well. This will protect your router and WiFi box (if separate).

[JohnRoss]

Having lost the aol box twice in thunderstorms I would not rely on these surge limiters which were in place both times. I think the most likely source of destructive surge is a telephone line so with WiFi at least the computer is protected though not the modem/router if that is at the other end of the WiFi link..............JR

[andyh4]

Agree.  Surge limiters do not work, especially if the hit is on the telephone network rather than the power supply.

 

To AB's question: safe to whom or what?

safe to you - yes

safe to the laptop - yes

safe to the Wifi modem - not in my experience, even with surge protection.

[pachapapa]

The main power line is already well protected.  Protection from power surge protection is depends on a good earth LOL.

Weak points the telephone line but usually damage does not get past the BOX.

Also worth disconnecting the TNT aerial to TV as well as the phone to the modem-router.

Might as well unplug the router as well.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I wonder why it's only France that has this problem. I've never had the problem from lightning in any other country.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]I wonder why it's only France that has this problem. I've never had the problem from lightning in any other country.[/quote]

Now this is asking for trouble saying this but I don't practice what I preach, I have no protection at all. The house has been struck by lightening once tripping the power but everything was OK afterwards. Perhaps you need a direct strike on the phone or electricity cable, I don't know, but I have not had a problem.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I like to live dangerously too Q ;)

[AnOther]

[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]I wonder why it's only France that has this problem. I've never had the problem from lightning in any other country.[/quote]It isn't, lightning and overhead telephone cables will present the same risk all over the world the only difference being the frequency and strength of them. Compared to UK at least the prevalence of potentially damaging lightning storms seems 10x higher in France so using that as a yardstick to which most can all relate it stands to reason that both the likelihood and frequency of incidents will be higher here.

Certain parts of the USA are particularly prone I believe, e.g. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/lightning_alley.html

[westom]

[quote user="JohnRoss"]Having lost the aol box twice in thunderstorms I would not rely on these surge limiters which were in place both time[/quote]

Only protector that does any useful protection always has that 'less than 3 meter' connection to earth. Protectors never do protection. Either hundreds of thousands of joules are connected harmlessly to single point earth ground. Or the protector is only a profit center.

In many nations, the telephone line has an earth protector installed for free. UK does not. That earthed protector means energy does not enter via hone lines.

However the most common source of surge damage is AC mains. One those wires deliver a surge inside a house, then that surge goes hunting destructively for earth. A best path to earth is via cable or telephone appliances ... because those wires may be earthed (surge protected).

No protector stops a surge. Either the energy is connected harmlessly to earth. Or that energy is inside hunting for earth destructively. Only a homeowner makes the choice.

If any wire enter the building with a direct connect to earth or without earthing via a 'whole house' protector, then no protection exist. Every wire. Telephone has at least two. Both must be earthed (ie 'less than 3 meter') to single point ground via a protector. All AC wires except one must make the same earthing connection via a 'whole house' protector. Otherwise the only protection is that already found inside every appliance.

Effective protection means energy does not overwhelm superior protection inside appliances. Protection means energy is earthed before it can enter a building. Protectors adjacent to appliances can sometimes make damage easier. Your experience demonstrates same.

[pomme]

All my computers, printers, scanners, modems, routers, etc are connected through APC UPS (power supplies). There is also a socket for the phone line to go through the UPS. The APC UPS come with a Lifetime Equipment Protection Policy for attached equipment (I don't know whether other UPS suppliers have similar policies).

Since I put an UPS on the satellite boxes, which seemed to die because of power fluctuations, I've not had any problems.