7 Effective Ways to Protect Your Router from Lightning

Lightning is the most frequent and severe cause of power outages. It can strike anywhere and anytime, and it’s important for homeowners to protect their wireless routers from the damaging effects of a strike. Here are five simple steps you can take now to protect your router from lightning.

One of the most common causes for your internet to go out is heavy, thunderstorm-related lightning. You might think that your router will be safe when you’re not home, but in fact, it’s not. 

A lot of people don’t know that lightning can affect their wireless network. It can create a serious issue for you and your family if it is not taken care of and the steps to protect your router from lightning are not followed.

Here are 7 tips that will help protect your wifi router from lightning:

1. Surge Protector – This is the easiest way to keep your wifi safe. Simply plug in an electrical surge protector into an outlet by the router. Simply make sure the outlet near your router is plugged into a surge protector that can be turned on when needed.
2. Faraday Cage – This is a conductive enclosure that blocks electric fields, making it perfect for protecting electronic devices like routers.
3. Ground Wire – A ground wire connects the grounding terminal of your house to any grounded metal object outside of it. This will ensure that electricity doesn’t flow into or damage anything inside of your house during a thunderstorm.
4. Tree Trunk – Make sure there’s no tree trunk nearby.
5. Room Shield – This is a device that hangs from the ceiling, is covered in metal mesh, and has a grounded wire attached to it. This device is perfect for protecting your router because it will prevent lightning from traveling through the air and into your house.
6. Metal Shelving– This will be the most expensive option, but it’s worth it! Simply put some metal shelving or other metal objects around your router so that if lightning strikes them, there won’t be any damage done.
7. Rubber Mat – If you’re experiencing a lot of lightning, put a rubber mat on the floor below your router. This will prevent the surge of electricity from traveling to your router.

Related post: How long do wireless routers last?

What is lightning?

Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge in the sky. It usually starts as a single stroke but can be followed by several more strokes in a short period of time.

The source of lightning is thunderstorms. The heat and friction from the storms create a buildup of electric charges. These charges build up rapidly and create a stunning display when they release.

Lightning usually strikes between 20-30 miles away from the storm, but it can happen very near to where you are standing, too!

The best way to protect your equipment from lightning is by taking these five steps:

1. Make sure all cables are disconnected from electrical outlets and appliances
2. Locate the main power switch on the back of your power supply
3. Disconnect your equipment from power by flipping the circuit breaker off
4. Ensure no electronics, such as TVs, microwaves, or cell phones are plugged in
5. Wait 30 minutes before turning the circuit breaker back on

Why should you worry about lightning?

Lightning is the result of a build-up of static electricity in the earth’s atmosphere. It is one of the most destructive forces on our planet, and it usually occurs when there is a build-up of moisture in the air.

In some parts of the world, lightning strikes can be as frequent as 100 per second! These storms have been known to last for hours or even days.

With this much power at play, you should worry about lightning if your wireless network happens to be within range and it is an outdoor installation.

What are the effects of lightning on your router?

Lightning can damage your router in a variety of ways. It can cause an electrical surge that disrupts the power supply and causes your router to switch off.

The most common way lightning damages routers are by disabling the wireless connection to your computer.

To avoid any potential damage, follow these five steps to protect your network from lightning.

Related post: What is the Best Place to Put a WiFi Router in a House?

How can you protect your router from lightning?

It can be difficult to keep your router safe from lightning because you have to remember all of the steps when it comes to protecting your router.

In this post, we’ll discuss how you can protect your router from lightning by following these five basic steps.

1. Surge Protector

This is the easiest way to keep your wifi safe. Simply plug an electrical surge protector into an outlet by the router.

Install an electrical surge protector near the router. This will protect your router from lightning strikes and other potential electrical problems caused by storms.

And don’t forget about these 3 simple steps:

1. Test out your WiFi connection outside so you know when it’s working properly
2. Keep your router away from furniture, walls, and other objects that could act as lightning rods
3. Use surge protectors on all outlets near where your wifi router is located

Surge Protector Extension Cord – This is especially helpful if you have more than one router in your house. Simply plug your surge protector into an extension cord and use it with any other electrical device in your home that may need protection from lightning strikes.

2. Using a Faraday Cage

A Faraday cage, also known as a Faraday shield or Faraday cage, is an enclosure that prevents the electromagnetic field from outside the cage from affecting what’s inside.

The Faraday cage will protect your router from lightning and other electrical hazards.

The best option for protecting your router is to use a surge protector and connect it to the grounding terminal of your house.

3. By grounding? Ground Wire

Grounding is a safety feature that was first developed by Thomas Edison in 1884. It is effective because it can absorb high-voltage pulses and prevent surges, but also because it creates a circuit of lower voltage. This means there’s always a low-voltage current available to complete the circuit.

A ground wire connects the grounding terminal of your house to any grounded metal object outside of it. This will ensure that electricity doesn’t flow into or damage anything inside of your house during a thunderstorm.

These are metal rods that are buried under the soil around your house, so they can send electricity underground. The ground rods should be placed at least 3 feet away from any water container or electrical outlet to avoid electrolysis. You will need the following:

Grounding Catenary Wire – This is an essential ground wire that has been drawn from the top of one pole of a high voltage power line, down the length of the line to a point near the other end, and back up to the top of the opposite pole.

Lightning Conductor – Make sure to place this near your router at least 8 inches away from any other metal object. It will act as a lightning conductor and protect your router from a direct strike.

Earth Grounding Pins – These are used to connect your grounded metal objects from point number 3 above. They are also known as earth grounding pins or metal-to-metal connectors.

Why do you need grounding?

When electricity travels through a wire, it splits into positive and negative charges. The goal is for the charges to cancel each other out when they reach the end of the wire. Grounding is a way of ensuring this happens.

Grounding prevents electrical devices from getting damaged or destroyed by electric fields. It also protects your electrical appliances from lightning strikes.

Plus, grounding can be used to find leaks in your home’s plumbing system. This will ensure that water doesn’t flow into your house during an emergency situation like a thunderstorm or power outage.

So why do you need grounding? If you’re going to be using any electrical devices near water, lightning, or any other electrically conductive objects, you’ll need to ground them first.

And if you’re going to be using these devices inside of a metal building like a garage or shed, then it’s imperative that you ground them so that electricity doesn’t travel into or damage anything inside of your residence.

Related: How to Build a WiFi Router: Is building your own router worth it?

Other tips to Protect Your Router from Lightning

Uninterruptible Power Supply – This UPS can help protect your router, but it might not be worth it for a smaller one.

Rubber Bands or Rolls – If you have rubber bands or rolls, wrap them around the power cord of the router. This will help reduce the chance that electricity could be flowing into it and could potentially damage it.

Metal Roof – This is a great way to protect your router from lightning because it will make sure that there are no valleys where an electrical charge could reach the router.

The benefits of protecting your router from lightning

Making sure that your wireless network is protected from lightning can prevent a lot of serious issues. Lightning can cause lots of damage, such as burning or overheating the router and causing a fire.

If a lightning strike lasts too long, it can even permanently destroy your device.

It’s important to take the steps necessary to protect your router from lightning so that you don’t have to worry about the potential for these types of problems. The five easy steps listed above will help you avoid any damage and keep your home safe and secure.

How do I know if I have a good solution in place to protect my WiFi router?

The first step is to make sure your router has been grounded. If you have a ground wire, there should be a grounding terminal on the bottom of the router with two screws. The other option is to purchase an electrical surge protector.

Make sure it’s plugged into an outlet by your WiFi router and not another one that’s farther away from the router.

If you can’t find any grounding terminal or your power isn’t working, don’t worry! You still have some options left to protect your router from lightning damage, even if you’re without WiFi!

Conclusion

You may have seen that your router is particularly sensitive to lightning. Maybe you’ve had a few of them fried in the past, or maybe you just want to play it safe. Either way, this post was to teach you the five best ways to protect your router from lightning.

You may not give much thought to your router until you find out that it has been struck by lightning. However, the truth is that power surges and spikes can wreak havoc on your technology. It’s important to understand the risks and take precautions in order to avoid damage to your router or other devices.

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