Written by A surge protector, or surge processor, is designed to give you protection from power surges and noise on the line and it can be used onc oax lines and telephone lines. Most surge protectors have several outlets, meaning that different devices can be protected by being plugged in to the same power outlet.
Power surges, or fluctuations in strength, can often occur as utility companies experience a demand for power that exceeds their capacity. Power can be disrupted for a moment or a surge can result as companies switch to an alternate source. A power surge can be local in origin as well – a fuse blowing in your office building, or a neighbor starting up an electrical device can cause a surge. There are also various environmental and weather related surges that can occur with potentially harmful results to equipment that is plugged in to an outlet; these include wind, lightning strikes or freezing rain.
It is important to be protected against the possibility of a power surge, as a surge can cause static, loss of work, a system lockup and even permanent damage to electronic equipment.
When you use a standard surge protection device, the electric current is passed from the outlet to all the electronic devices that are plugged in at that time. If a surge occurs and the device detects this, the additional electricity is diverted to ground by way of the ground wire in the outlet, thus causing no harm. A surge protector needs to have a connection to a AC outlet that is correctly grounded and wired, in order to work effectively and if you use an ungrounded outlet, the device will not work as intended. You do not need to be an electrical expert to use surge protection devices – most of themn will alert you if the outlet is not grounded, by means of a display that will say ‘PROTECTED’ or “LINE OK”.
Consider the following points if you are shopping for a surge protector:
The style and appearance of the device, which can range from rack mount or strip, to under monitor or direct plug in.
The number of outlets on the device that you will need to use.
The length of cable on the surge protector required, in order to plug it in somewhere.
Whether you need it for coax, network or modem, DSL or telephone line.
You can also visit Review Surge Protector for surge protector ratings.
