Back to trusty AC86U

[DarkKnight75]

So a storm (probably lighting strike) took out my work laptop, AC86U, cable modem and monitor. All were connected to my APC backup with surge protection when the unit went off for 5 seconds, all was good. Then a minute later, my laptop went off like an M80 (ethernet was connected to the router). Needless to say, i jumped off my chair and hear the rings for quite some time.

So deciding on which router to buy and my bad luck with AX86U, i went back to a new AC86U (on sale for $139) on Merlin from my local MicroCenter. I passed the bill to my energy company, so will see how much i get back if any (My homeowners deductible was too high to claim)

All good for now....So whats going on with Asus Firmware releases..its being very quiet!!!

 

[OzarkEdge]

So a storm (probably lighting strike) took out my work laptop, AC86U, cable modem and monitor. All were connected to my APC backup with surge protection when the unit went off for 5 seconds, all was good. Then a minute later, my laptop went off like an M80 (ethernet was connected to the router). Needless to say, i jumped off my chair and hear the rings for quite some time.

So deciding on which router to buy and my bad luck with AX86U, i went back to a new AC86U (on sale for $139) on Merlin from my local MicroCenter. I passed the bill to my energy company, so will see how much i get back if any (My homeowners deductible was too high to claim)

All good for now....So whats going on with Asus Firmware releases..its being very quiet!!!

Presumably all damaged equipment was plugged into the APC battery backup outlets.

Is the ISP coax cable to the building routed through a coax grounding block and grounded to the building power panel Earth ground?

Is the ISP coax cable routed through any surge protection such as coax in/out on an APC power strip or UPS?

OE

 

[DarkKnight75]

Presumably all damaged equipment was plugged into the APC battery backup outlets.

Is the ISP coax cable to the building routed through a coax grounding block and grounded to the building power panel Earth ground?

Is the ISP coax cable routed through any surge protection such as coax in/out on an APC power strip or UPS?

OE

Yeah all was plugged into my APC and yes the coax is grounded on a ceiling block in my basement. Well the coax cable is plugged into my modem which is pluged into my APC UPS unit if thats what you mean?

 

[OzarkEdge]

Yeah all was plugged into my APC and yes the coax is grounded on a ceiling block in my basement. Well the coax cable is plugged into my modem which is pluged into my APC UPS unit if thats what you mean?

Sometimes there is coax (and Ethernet) protection on APC equipment. I route my coax through such terminals on my APC UPS. But I've never used the Ethernet protection because so far it has always been rated for 100Mbps while Gigabit Ethernet has been the norm for some time now.

It would be interesting to discover where your protection was breached... I tend to believe the UPS did its job (first 5 seconds) while the lightning disturbance found another way in.

OE

 

[DarkKnight75]

Sometimes there is coax (and Ethernet) protection on APC equipment. I route my coax through such terminals on my APC UPS. But I've never used the Ethernet protection because so far it has always been rated for 100Mbps while Gigabit Ethernet has been the norm for some time now.

It would be interesting to discover where your protection was breached... I tend to believe the UPS did its job (first 5 seconds) while the lightning disturbance found another way in.

OE

Yeah now i recall seeing those on some older APCs. For sure the lighting strike found another way somehow..

 

[rlj2]

So a storm (probably lighting strike) took out my work laptop, AC86U, cable modem and monitor. All were connected to my APC backup with surge protection when the unit went off for 5 seconds, all was good. Then a minute later, my laptop went off like an M80 (ethernet was connected to the router). Needless to say, i jumped off my chair and hear the rings for quite some time.

So deciding on which router to buy and my bad luck with AX86U, i went back to a new AC86U (on sale for $139) on Merlin from my local MicroCenter. I passed the bill to my energy company, so will see how much i get back if any (My homeowners deductible was too high to claim)

All good for now....So whats going on with Asus Firmware releases..its being very quiet!!!

sounds like a insurance claim, but electric coop doesnt cover lightning here, didnt think any did. Thats all homeowners insurance

 

[Justinh]

To address the firmware question... That unit is getting a bit old, isn't it? Be grateful ASUS dropped a release just a couple months ago.

 

[DarkKnight75]

sounds like a insurance claim, but electric coop doesnt cover lightning here, didnt think any did. Thats all homeowners insurance

I called my insurance 1st and my deductible is higher than the amount i would have claimed.. I then submitted claim to my energy company with pics/receipts of new gear...they wont cover full amount and my guess is a fraction of what i claimed or a pro rated rate based on depreciation of equipment.

 

[anotherengineer]

To address the firmware question... That unit is getting a bit old, isn't it? Be grateful ASUS dropped a release just a couple months ago.

Mt ac68u is upset at this comment

 

[DarkKnight75]

To address the firmware question... That unit is getting a bit old, isn't it? Be grateful ASUS dropped a release just a couple months ago.

Yes, but it's been a solid router..

 

[tallytr]

just my humble opinion. AX86U is soooo much better....

 

[Tech9]

So whats going on with Asus Firmware releases..its being very quiet!!!

The last AC86U firmware was released like 10 weeks ago. What do you expect?

 

[Threska49]

Presumably all damaged equipment was plugged into the APC battery backup outlets.

Is the ISP coax cable to the building routed through a coax grounding block and grounded to the building power panel Earth ground?

Is the ISP coax cable routed through any surge protection such as coax in/out on an APC power strip or UPS?

OE

Seems to be the thought those coax ports cause problems.

Coaxial cable through surge protector

My cable guy said NOT to run the coaxial cable through my surge protector. He said it'll mess up on-demand channels and cause pixelation with the higher numbered digital channels and some other stuff. Is he an idiot or shouldn't I run the cable through the surge protector? :confused: Thanks

forums.anandtech.com

 

[Tech9]

Nothing stops few million volts. I had blown equipment through surge protectors few times already. They only give hope.

 

[Threska49]

Nothing stops few million volts. I had blown equipment through surge protectors few times already. They only give hope.

Right. My point is they'll degrade one's signal, or cause other problems.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Nothing stops few million volts. I had blown equipment through surge protectors few times already. They only give hope.

This we know. The OP only lost a few boxes and none of his protection circuits... not the back of his house.

OE

 

[OzarkEdge]

Seems to be the thought those coax ports cause problems.

Coaxial cable through surge protector

My cable guy said NOT to run the coaxial cable through my surge protector. He said it'll mess up on-demand channels and cause pixelation with the higher numbered digital channels and some other stuff. Is he an idiot or shouldn't I run the cable through the surge protector? :confused: Thanks

forums.anandtech.com

Very possible, especially with simple/cheap protection equipment. But with no more than 200Mbps Internet service only, I've never noticed any issues, so I've used them... anything to route that millions of volts strike away from the inhabitants.

I think proper/secure building ground(s) and safety shunts to Earth are a minimum requirement, imo... worth the trouble to confirm when you first move in.

OE

 

[Oracle]

I used to have problems with blown equipment every 2-3 years and the surge more often than not came through coax. About 5 years ago moved to fiber and that source of trouble is gone. Also service improved with the optic infra - speed went up for the same price and it's been more stable.

All sensitive electronics at home and my parents' place is plugged via surge protectors but they are not 100% fail-safe - last time a TV set went off.

I live in an area with heavy thunderstorms. Sometimes several hundred strikes per night, esp. June-July.

 

[coxhaus]

I added a 6 foot copper outside ground rod to my primary breaker box years ago. I had lightening take out a tree across the street and I did not lose any equipment.

 

[OzarkEdge]

I used to have problems with blown equipment every 2-3 years and the surge more often than not came through coax. About 5 years ago moved to fiber and that source of trouble is gone.

Definitely a fiber advantage. Service coax is buried around here so that might help some... until they show up to replace a segment.

OE