F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Networks My Spectrum modem and the Wi-Fi router both won't turn on now that the storm passed (this has happened before).

My Spectrum modem and the Wi-Fi router both won't turn on now that the storm passed (this has happened before).

My Spectrum modem and the Wi-Fi router both won't turn on now that the storm passed (this has happened before).

M
MrValioBg
Junior Member
41
10-25-2026, 01:51 AM
#1
The title says it all. My neighborhood is full of bad thunderstorms during summer. Yesterday, terrible storms went through and when I came home from work, both my Spectrum modem and my Netgear wifi router wouldn't turn on. I tried them at different outlets and with working adapters they just wouldn't light up at all. This is the second time it has happened in the 2.5 years I've lived here. Swapping out both things fixes the problem completely. After that last storm, I put a coaxial surge protector near the modem port then screwed the wall cable into place. I think the surge or whatever caused them to fail got through the ethernet cable from the modem and went onto the wifi router. Both devices were plugged into very good surge protectors and all other electronics plugged in there work fine too. I would rather not spend $100 on a wifi router every couple of years. Is there a better way to protect at least my router? I don't care about the modem since Spectrum will replace them for free without asking questions. Did I install the coaxial surge protector wrong? Should I use an ethernet surge protector instead? I was looking into ethernet surge protectors and saw this video. The only model that passes their tests is this D-Link ethernet surge protector. Is that a good idea to use it? What about this in-line version? If I use the D-Link one, how do I connect the ground wire? I live in a small apartment with no way to run cables outside to a grounding post since there are none near my building anyway. Would these methods even work? If so, do they need to be replaced after a surge? If that's true, using the D-Link protector wouldn't make sense because replacing it would cost about $10 more than just buying the wifi router. Should I install in-line surge protectors at the jacks behind my expensive computers too? The surge stopped at the wifi router and the computer wasn't affected, but I want to be sure they stay safe while protecting my router. Thanks for your help.
M
MrValioBg
10-25-2026, 01:51 AM #1

The title says it all. My neighborhood is full of bad thunderstorms during summer. Yesterday, terrible storms went through and when I came home from work, both my Spectrum modem and my Netgear wifi router wouldn't turn on. I tried them at different outlets and with working adapters they just wouldn't light up at all. This is the second time it has happened in the 2.5 years I've lived here. Swapping out both things fixes the problem completely. After that last storm, I put a coaxial surge protector near the modem port then screwed the wall cable into place. I think the surge or whatever caused them to fail got through the ethernet cable from the modem and went onto the wifi router. Both devices were plugged into very good surge protectors and all other electronics plugged in there work fine too. I would rather not spend $100 on a wifi router every couple of years. Is there a better way to protect at least my router? I don't care about the modem since Spectrum will replace them for free without asking questions. Did I install the coaxial surge protector wrong? Should I use an ethernet surge protector instead? I was looking into ethernet surge protectors and saw this video. The only model that passes their tests is this D-Link ethernet surge protector. Is that a good idea to use it? What about this in-line version? If I use the D-Link one, how do I connect the ground wire? I live in a small apartment with no way to run cables outside to a grounding post since there are none near my building anyway. Would these methods even work? If so, do they need to be replaced after a surge? If that's true, using the D-Link protector wouldn't make sense because replacing it would cost about $10 more than just buying the wifi router. Should I install in-line surge protectors at the jacks behind my expensive computers too? The surge stopped at the wifi router and the computer wasn't affected, but I want to be sure they stay safe while protecting my router. Thanks for your help.

B
bella7868
Junior Member
25
10-28-2026, 04:44 AM
#2
Coax cables usually handle surges much better than other things. By the rules in most places, the outside shield of the coax is tied to a ground wire right at the beginning of the run into the house. That main job is to stop electricity from traveling inside the building and starting a fire. Ethernet cables are designed differently; they stay magnetically separated from whatever device they connect to. Some even have special optical isolators built in just like this coax. This helps avoid ground loops between equipment and cuts down on interference. Honestly, adding more "surge" protection probably won't help much because it often makes things work slower or worse. The best option is surge protection on the power line, but as you've already found out, that doesn't always work perfectly either. I put surge protectors on my power and several UPS units too. A real lightning strike hit me pretty close, but not right here in the house. All my power, phone lines, and coax wires went underground for safety. My whole house took massive damage though. All the surge protectors and UPS units tested fine after that. I'm almost sure it came through the power line because a bunch of equipment on my security camera network got destroyed, even though those cameras have no direct outside connection. Somehow, it passed through one set of surge protectors and then hit more protection on the UPS. It wasn't just one device; I use several UPS units and most of my wall power strips all have built-in surge protection. From what I can tell, this kind of equipment really only protects against surges from the electrical company grid, not so much a direct lightning bolt. The only thing that seems safe is to unplug everything immediately. It wasn't even raining much when I got hurt in one place. Plus, I learned how useless the warranties are on UPS companies. First, they want you to file a claim against your homeowner's insurance, which is nowhere near my 1% deductible. Just filing the claim increases my rates for three years. Then, they ask you to send the equipment back at your expense along with receipts. Even after all that, they'll only pay you "used" value for what you had. In the end, it was cheaper just to pay about $700 for a new replacement than to try and fight insurance claims.
B
bella7868
10-28-2026, 04:44 AM #2

Coax cables usually handle surges much better than other things. By the rules in most places, the outside shield of the coax is tied to a ground wire right at the beginning of the run into the house. That main job is to stop electricity from traveling inside the building and starting a fire. Ethernet cables are designed differently; they stay magnetically separated from whatever device they connect to. Some even have special optical isolators built in just like this coax. This helps avoid ground loops between equipment and cuts down on interference. Honestly, adding more "surge" protection probably won't help much because it often makes things work slower or worse. The best option is surge protection on the power line, but as you've already found out, that doesn't always work perfectly either. I put surge protectors on my power and several UPS units too. A real lightning strike hit me pretty close, but not right here in the house. All my power, phone lines, and coax wires went underground for safety. My whole house took massive damage though. All the surge protectors and UPS units tested fine after that. I'm almost sure it came through the power line because a bunch of equipment on my security camera network got destroyed, even though those cameras have no direct outside connection. Somehow, it passed through one set of surge protectors and then hit more protection on the UPS. It wasn't just one device; I use several UPS units and most of my wall power strips all have built-in surge protection. From what I can tell, this kind of equipment really only protects against surges from the electrical company grid, not so much a direct lightning bolt. The only thing that seems safe is to unplug everything immediately. It wasn't even raining much when I got hurt in one place. Plus, I learned how useless the warranties are on UPS companies. First, they want you to file a claim against your homeowner's insurance, which is nowhere near my 1% deductible. Just filing the claim increases my rates for three years. Then, they ask you to send the equipment back at your expense along with receipts. Even after all that, they'll only pay you "used" value for what you had. In the end, it was cheaper just to pay about $700 for a new replacement than to try and fight insurance claims.