compulsivebuilder :
A simple surge protector is designed to protect you against, for example, the power surging briefly from 110V to 300V, for a fraction of a second, with a current measured in amperes. A direct lightning strike, on the other hand, may be measured in many thousands of volts, and thousands of amperes. The average surge protector is not going to help. Kind of like expecting the drain in your sink to handle a flood
A surge protector that most recommend (due to education by advertising) does nothing until voltage exceeds 330 volts. Most do not read tech numbers even on its box. A protector does nothing - remains completely inert - until voltages well exceed 330 volts.
Surge protectors are for transients that might overwhelm superior protection already inside every appliance. A power strip protector often fails on surges too small to harm the adjacent appliance. But again, that becomes obvious when one first learns spec numbers rather than recite hearsay.
Ben Franklin's solution was taught in elementary school science. Lightning seeks earth ground. So it strikes conductive materials to obtain that earth connection - a wooden church steeple. But wood is not a very good conductor. Therefore 20,000 amps through wood creates high voltage. High voltage times 20,000 amps is high energy. Church steeple damaged.
Franklin connected a lightning rod to earth. 20,000 amps down a conductive wire to earth means near zero volts. 20,000 amps times near zero volts is near zero energy. No damage.
Same applies to a surge protector. Lightning only has high voltage when something tried to stop or block it - ie a protector adjacent to electronics. A protector connected short (ie. 'less than 10 feet') to single point earth ground means near zero voltage. Then appliances all over the house suffer no destructive surge. Then energy dissipates harmlessly outside and in earth.
Lightning rods and 'whole house' protectors are why reliable facilities suffer direct lightning strike routinely without damage. A science so well proven over the pat 100 years that damage is traceable to human failure. One source of surge damage is knowledge from advertising, hearsay, and wild speculation.
OP asked how to avoid future damage. Once a surge is inside the house, then nothing (but protection inside each appliance) can protect that appliance. So that superior protection already inside every appliance (ie router) is not overwhelmed, an informed homeowner earths every incoming wire Cable must already have that earthing as required by code and installed routinely by better cable companies. Telephone has had 'whole house' protectors installed for free longer before AT&T was broken up.
Most common surge that seeks earth ground is incoming on AC electric. Any hone without upgraded earthing and a 'whole house' protector can expect lightning to find earth destructively through appliances via the cable or telephone wire. Routers are often destroyed by surges incoming on AC electric; outgoing to earth via the communication wire. Damage so easily averted when a '$1 per protected appliance' solution is installed. Routine is to have direct lightning strikes without damage once one disposes of popular myths; instead learns the science
Lightning is typically 20,000 amps. A minimal 'whole house' protector starts at 50,000 amps. Because protection is installed to make even direct lighting strikes irrelevant. Protectors do nothing until voltage exceeds 330 volts. Numbers are even on the box. Most will recite wild speculation and hearsay rather than learn about protection already inside every appliance. Or forget what Franklin demonstrated in 1752. Direct lightning strikes without damage is routine when a protector does what a lightning rod does. Connect massive energy harmlessly to earth outside the house. What advertising hopes you never learn to protect sales.
A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Protectors too close to appliances and too far from earth ground do not even claim to do protection. Explains why some recommend protectors that permit or make damage easier. Again, one should learn from spec numbers before recommending a “woe is me; nothing can stop lighting damage” myth. But a protector is only as effective as its earth ground. So many power strip protectors do not claim any protection. But are recommended anyway due to advertising and hearsay.
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