[SOLVED] Recommend a Surge Protector

Appletax

Appletax

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Location
Northern Michigan
Solution:

Best (whole house): The absolute best, by far.

Siemens FS140 Whole House Surge Protection.

2nd best (UPS):

Active / line interactive (not standby) uninterruptible power supply: CyberPower Pure Sinewave.

3rd best (strip):

Plugable Surge Protector - 4,320 joules.

Extreme: Monster Power Center Vertex XL - 5,000 joules.

Cheaper alternative: Amazonbasics 12 outlet - 4,320 joules.

4th best (wall tap):

MONSTER WALL TAP SURGE PROTECTOR - POWER SURGE PRO - 1,200 joules.

Cheaper alternative: GE Wall Tap - 1,020 joules.


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Need to power up to 10 devices.

Tripp Lite's IsoBar surge protectors look pretty nice, but are pricey.

Do not want cheap Chinese junk / made by obscure companies with weird names.

Needs to be certified, such as by UL. That appears to leave out Anker products (yikes).

Would be nice if it had coaxial protection that doesn't slow down the Internet.

Wish I had whole home surge protection, but I rent.

Edit: pretty much every single manufacturer has bad reviews on their products, so I guess I can't go by them 100% because if I did, I'd buy nothing.
 
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APC SurgeArrest range?

All Products & Services | APC USA

APC is a full service provider of Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Software, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), Portable Power Station, Racks and Accessories, Power Distribution, Services, Prefabricated Data Center Modules, Cooling, Audio-Video Solutions, Networking and Cable Solutions
www.apc.com www.apc.com
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
APC (Schneider) for us and our clients for 30 years.
Back when it was just APC, they were located about 40 minutes from us in Rhode Island....they are still headquartered there.
Click to expand...

Should I skip using the coaxial protection as some user's have stated they slow down their Internet?

Or test it myself?

I see their RJ45/Ethernet ports are only 10/100. Guess they are outdated in some ways.

It's OK if a surge murders my modem as it's included in my bill (Charter).

Lol :p

Edit: this one looks pretty good:

www.apc.com

APC Performance SurgeArrest 12 Outlet with 2 Port 2.4 A USB Charger 120 V - P12U2 | APC USA

P12U2 - APC Performance SurgeArrest 12 Outlet with 2 Port 2.4 A USB Charger 120 V | APC USA
www.apc.com www.apc.com
 
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I recall they have gigabit models, but I don't do surge protection on coax or ethernet at the workstation level.
If it's a client that needs network surge protection I use APCs NetProtect products at the network distro.
 
On the note of coaxial protection.

I had a couple customers who either had lightning or other surge issues take out multiple devices like the modem, router, and their main switch.

I started installing these:
www.apc.com

APC 4 position chassis for replaceable data line surge protection modules, 1U - PRM4 | APC USA

PRM4 - APC 4 position chassis for replaceable data line surge protection modules, 1U | APC USA
www.apc.com www.apc.com

with modules for coax:

REPLACEABLE, RACKMOUNT, 1U, SINGLE LINE, CableTV SURGE PROTECTION MODULE - PVR | APC USA

PVR - REPLACEABLE, RACKMOUNT, 1U, SINGLE LINE, CableTV SURGE PROTECTION MODULE | APC USA
www.apc.com www.apc.com

and ethernet:

APC Surge Module for CAT6 or CAT5/5e Network Line, Replaceable, 1U, use with PRM4 or PRM24 Chassis - PNETR6 | APC USA

PNETR6 - APC Surge Module for CAT6 or CAT5/5e Network Line, Replaceable, 1U, use with PRM4 or PRM24 Chassis | APC USA
www.apc.com www.apc.com

Don't seem to have any slowdowns on their internet/network connections. I put an ethernet protector between the modem and router, and the router and switch, along with the coax on the modem. Gives me a little more piece of mind.
 
Essentially, no matter what brand you buy, you're relying on the marketer's tech specs (note, I didn't say maker's tech specs, because almost all of these are made in China on spec for the companies that sell them).

If it meets the spec you're seeking, and is made by a well-known brand . . .
 
britechguy said:
Essentially, no matter what brand you buy, you're relying on the marketer's tech specs (note, I didn't say maker's tech specs, because almost all of these are made in China on spec for the companies that sell them).

If it meets the spec you're seeking, and is made by a well-known brand . . .
Click to expand...

Good point :)
 
Appletax said:
Needs to be certified, such as by UL. That appears to leave out Anker products (yikes).
Click to expand...

Serious question: Why?

To me, UL certification is about the same as Better Business Bureau membership. It doesn't tell you anything useful.

Big names, Anker being but one, are way more worried about their market share, lawsuits, and what substandard products would do to their reputation, and their actual existence. Anker, and others like them, didn't get where they are by selling garbage. [I just checked the Anker surge suppressor strip we have, and it is indeed not UL certified and is, as I had presumed, made in China.]
 
britechguy said:
Serious question: Why?

To me, UL certification is about the same as Better Business Bureau membership. It doesn't tell you anything useful.

Big names, Anker being but one, are way more worried about their market share, lawsuits, and what substandard products would do to their reputation, and their actual existence. Anker, and others like them, didn't get where they are by selling garbage. [I just checked the Anker surge suppressor strip we have, and it is indeed not UL certified and is, as I had presumed, made in China.]
Click to expand...
But it is ETL certified right?
 
britechguy said:
Serious question: Why?

To me, UL certification is about the same as Better Business Bureau membership. It doesn't tell you anything useful.

Big names, Anker being but one, are way more worried about their market share, lawsuits, and what substandard products would do to their reputation, and their actual existence. Anker, and others like them, didn't get where they are by selling garbage. [I just checked the Anker surge suppressor strip we have, and it is indeed not UL certified and is, as I had presumed, made in China.]
Click to expand...

Lots of people in the Amazon comments said it's bad that Anker's surge protectors aren't certified.
 
@mikeroq

There are no "certification stamps" or raised plastic embossed symbols of any sort on the Anker surge suppressor strip I have here. And I even used a magnifying glass to examine "the fine print" on the device. I can't find anything in the packaging, either, in that regard.
 
Appletax said:
Lots of people in the Amazon comments said it's bad that Anker's surge protectors aren't certified.
Click to expand...

Lots of people on Amazon comments say all sorts of stupid stuff - very stupid stuff. I am not telling you not to look for a product that meets whatever it is you need to feel comfortable with it.

I still say these certifications are really not telling you anything useful. If these products routinely failed to do what they claim, or were burning down buildings, it would have "hit the news" a very, very long time ago.
 
britechguy said:
To me, UL certification is about the same as Better Business Bureau membership. It doesn't tell you anything useful.
Click to expand...
Not a good comparison. The BBB hands out membership to anyone that pays them. UL-tested products are pay for testing not pay for passing. They have published standards that if you have the proper degree in Electrical Engineering you can comprehend. ETL certifications are of similar levels.
 
nlinecomputers said:
Not a good comparison. The BBB hands out membership to anyone that pays them. UL-tested products are pay for testing not pay for passing. They have published standards that if you have the proper degree in Electrical Engineering you can comprehend. ETL certifications are of similar levels.
Click to expand...
OK, I'll admit that it's certainly not a great parallel, in that UL/ETL do have actual standards that must be met.

There's virtually no "quality product by a quality maker" that doesn't pass, though, and I am a firm believer that brand cachet and reputation means far more to those who benefit from same than doing anything to damage it "to save a penny" does.

In the end, this is one of those things where whoever is doing the purchasing needs to do whatever makes them comfortable. I have no issue trusting Anker products, others do. But I find lack of UL/ETL certification to be a very thin basis for lack of trust, others don't. You've got to do what feels right to you.
 
britechguy said:
Lots of people on Amazon comments say all sorts of stupid stuff - very stupid stuff
Click to expand...

I needed to go back and find my review for 16K GVW Rhino Ramps: Excellent Product When Used as Directed!, and then refer folks to any one of the one-star reviews to demonstrate why I make that claim. And it's not limited to this product, nor to Amazon.

My general experience is those who give the lowest ratings and rant the most about any product are almost always the problem, not the product, because they do not "use as directed" or anything reasonably near to it.

Product failure as a direct result of abuse or misuse does not make a product bad.

I've said before that baseless rants in reviews have virtually zero impact on my decision to buy or not to buy. Well-written reviews that are very negative, and well-documented, absolutely do. Gushing and ranting are both the extremes that are just skipped over. I want to see a rational analysis of a product's features and utility, as well as its major drawbacks, if any, for my own decision-making process.

Cheerleading and red-in-the-face screaming both strongly suggest no rational thought was involved.
 
britechguy said:
There's virtually no "quality product by a quality maker" that doesn't pass, though, and I am a firm believer that brand cachet and reputation means far more to those who benefit from same than doing anything to damage it "to save a penny" does
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that UL certification is a test mostly for safety hazards. I.O.W. will it burn down your house? It’s not a test of will it charge device X in the time period they claim. It’s not difficult to design something that is safe to use. Which is not the same as being a good product or even a reliable one.
 
nlinecomputers said:
Keep in mind that UL certification is a test mostly for safety hazards. I.O.W. will it burn down your house?
Click to expand...

Which is precisely why I think it's of very limited value. I have not heard of any single, let alone widespread, safety issues in this product class if the product is made by any one of the well-known makers.

Essentially it comes down to the fact that I trust the big names. And I trust those big names because they have a hideously huge amount to lose were they ever to be shown to be selling a dangerous product. (And their in-house legal counsel is also very likely to insist on in-house testing, or third-party testing, as rigorous as necessary to CTA [cover their ass] as far as safety goes.)
 
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