A wide variety of good responses and outright myths. Some
just post answers without even providing a single reasons
why. Those posters are particularly insidious and typically
respond with insults.
Turning something off will not help. Destructive surges
were not stopped or absorbed by 3 miles of air. Why then will
millimeters inside a switch do what miles of air could not?
In the early days of ham radio, equipment would suffer
lightning damage. Antenna lead was disconnected and even put
inside a mason jar. Damage finally stopped when the antenna
lead was connected to earth ground. They only rediscovered
what Ben Franklin demonstrated in 1752. Lightning seeks earth
ground. If not earthed before entering a building, then
lightning will seek earth ground, destructively through
appliances.
Some will claim that a plug-in protector would help. Again,
plug-in protector will stop or block what miles of air could
not? So very quietly, those plug-in manufacturers forget to
mention they don't even claim to protect from that destructive
type of surge. Obviously. No dedicated earth ground. They
just let others assume all surges are the same type.
Industry professionals demonstrate how protection is
installed as it was proven before WWII on the Empire State
Building.
http://www.erico.com/public/library/fep/technotes/tncr002.pdf
Two structures each with their own single point earth ground.
Any wire entering each structure first makes a connection to
that earth ground. Connection either by a hardwire or via a
surge protector. Notice what an effective surge protector
does. Makes a temporary and short connection to earth ground
during a surge.
Also notice the buried phone wire in that figure. Even
underground wires must first connect to that single point
earth ground. Yes even underground wires will carry
destructive surges inside a building.
So what can you do? Protection is a building wide
solution. However if your circuit breaker box is 'earthed'
(connected) to building steel, then it already has an
excellent single point ground. Breaker box then gets a 'whole
house' protector so that surges entering on AC mains are
immediately earthed long before they can get to your
computer. Most destructive surges - especially to modems and
portable phone base stations - are incoming on AC electric.
Same applies to phone line. But phone line already has an
effective protector provided free by the telco because 'whole
house' protectors are so effective and so inexpensive. Cable
company is also required to bond to earth ground where cable
enters the building. Cable requires no surge protector
because cable can make a direct (hardwired) connection to
earth ground.
All electronics contains internal protection. Anything that
is effective on an appliance power cord would already be
inside the appliance. But that internal protection assumes
destructive transients are earthed before entering a
building. Earthed transients will not overwhelm protection
already installed in appliances. Again, protection that has
been proven repeated in virtually every town for so many
decades. Protection that does not use plug-in protectors.
Do not fall for urban myths that a UPS or power strip will
filter or stop surges. Again, a 1 inch component will stop
what miles of sky could not? Of course not. A UPS will stop
or filter a surge? Franklin did not stop or absorb
lightning. He shunted (diverted, connected) an electrical
transient to earth so that it did not seek earth ground via a
church steeple. Effective protection inside telephone
switching centers, 911 emergency response centers, and even in
grocery stores do same.
A telephone switching center connected to overhead wires
everywhere in town does not unplug during thunderstorms. And
yet that is what your are being told. They simply connect
every incoming wire to single point earth ground where wires
enter the building. Protection that is best located 50 meters
from computers.
The plug-in protector does not even claim to protect from
the destructive type of surge. It claims to protect from
surges that don't typically exist. Myth purveyors then assume
protector protects from all kinds of surges - not knowing that
different types of surges exist.
Plug-in manufacturer encourages others to play word games as
if it was technical fact. Surge protector and surge
protection are same? No. All protection 'systems' require
surge protection - earth ground. Only some incoming utilities
require a surge protector to connect to surge protection. A
surge protector is only as effective as its earth ground.
Plug-in protector manufacturers even avoid discussing earth
ground. Telling the 'whole truth' would only hurt profits.
Effective protection is a 'whole house' protector. Therefore
internal appliance protection will not be overwhelmed. A
surge protector is only as effective as its earth ground.
Recommended is a 'whole house' protector at AC mains
electric box. That is effective protection for about $1 per
protected appliance.