re: Is it possible that lightning storm fried my router and modem?

You had surge protectors (adjacent to a modem). Then had protection only from surges that typicaly do no damage. That can even make it easier for another and destructive type of surge to do damage.

Anyone can read specification numbers. How many recommended without numbers? A typically destructive surge can be hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules did those existing protectors (ie Tripplite) claim to absorb? Hundreds? Thousand? Near zero joules. But profitable and easily promoted by naive consumers.

Protection always means knows where hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate. Another discussed that. Critical to and required on all cable lines is an earth ground - as required by code. Effective protection means exceeding that minimal code. Every wire in every incoming cable must connect low impedance (ie 'less than 10 feet') to that 'single point earth ground'. All four words have electrical significance. That cable has best protection if a hardwire connects to single point ground without sharp bends, no splices, separated from other non-grounding wires, not inside metallic conduit, etc. Only then do we know what is actually doing protection (absorbing hundreds of thousands of joules). Earth ground.

No protector even required. But every protection system has the only component that actually does protection - single point earth ground.

Most assume a surge entered on cable, destroyed a modem, then stopped. Nonsense. Electricity never worked that way. More likely a lightning strike far down the street was incoming to every household appliance. Was everyone damaged? Of course not. An outgoing electrical path also must exist to have damage. Incoming on AC mains. Outgoing to earth destructively via the properly earthed cable.

A surge was all but invited inside and hunting destructively for earth. A best connection was via the modem. Modem was protecting all other household appliances. No modem and the next surge will use something else to connect to earth.

Informed consumers earth one 'whole house' protector. And more important, inspect or correct their single point earth ground. Then the 'seconday' protection layer is ready. Protection is never defined by a protector (as others claim). Protection is always defined by what absorbs hundreds of thousands of joules. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground - which is not taught by advertising and hearsay.

A 'whole house' solution, implemented with proper earthing and existing cable protection, costs about $1 per protected appliance. A best solution is also tens of times less expensive. And unknown to most who recommend protection by even ignoring spec numbers..

That is an interesting first post. It had little factual reference to the OP, but reads like a lecture on electricity.

Either you are god of thunder, Hey Zeus! ...or trying to sell something.

I have the ring of a hundred thousand joules, I hope it protects my jewels.

What's funny to me is he could have summed the whole dissertation into two sentences:

"Electrical surge is powerful and seeks the easiest path to the earth. Protect your fridge and surge goes for your modem."

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I'll be honest. I stopped reading after the first paragraph. I didn't look at the username and thought it was a retired trucker post.

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If there is one guy that knows nothing about a lot, it's retired trucker.

You are lucky, it got my modem, router, ac, two TVs, a soundbar, baby monitor, alarm system, and all the lights in my living room, garage and back porch.

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westom

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I wouldn't normally think that RT was good enough to run an alter...

I didn't say you're a bad person. Just a bad poster. The advice you give on this board isn't helpful. In fact, it's generally misinformation that quality posters have to wade through to be helpful.

drizztiger has recommended a Tripplite product. Anyone can read its specification numbers. That Tripplite clearly does not claim to protect from typically destructive surges (lightning being one example). It "don't work on lightning".

Unfortunately, some learn subjective claims (ie hearsay), know it must be true, and then chastise others for learning this stuff (especially numbers) before posting.

Tripplite, like other expensive plug-in protectors, only protects from surges already made irrelevant by protection inside appliances. Something completely different (unfortuantely also called a surge protector) is required to protect from surges that can damage appliances. This proven solution always answers one question that defines surge proection: "Where do hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate?"

Tripplite clearly is woefully too tiny to protect from destructive surges. Anyone can read those numbers. Once that surge is inside, then nothing (not even a Tripplite) protects from it.

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drizztiger has recommended a Tripplite product. Anyone can read its specification numbers. That Tripplite clearly does not claim to protect from typically destructive surges (lightning being one example). It "don't work on lightning".

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I think we understand that you have been struck by lightning.

Should have plugged yourself into a Tripplite.