Guys, Thanks for your suggestions before. I need a new one from you guys.

I have a new Alarm System but unfortunately within one month last friday after the big thunder storm the alarm PCB got fried by lightning strike via the phone line.

What is an effective lighning protection that you guys use for your cordless phone, alarm system etc.

Please share your experience / devices used at home for phone line lightning protection.

This may not be the correct place to have this post but I value the advice from all fellow hifi kakis.

This post has been edited by gsdev: Jan 24 2010, 07:22 PM

Fit a Lightning arrester...no guarantees, but at least the chances of fried PCB is a bit lower

search google for lightning isolator, buy one with both phone line and power line protection

Cal Lab lightning arrestor would be good. Its office or service center is in Centerpoint, BU.

But all these ligthning arrestors, isolators, etc cannot 100% guarantee it esp if it is a direct strike.

I remembered a lightning strike right in front of me when i was driving...I could practically see the bones in my hands..haha..like Xray!!

so... have you become x-man?

Yeah, the phone line is one of the weakest points, so very easy to kena lightning via phone lines. In the past had my modem, cordless phone and PC motherboard fried before.

I use the Cal-lab (as mentioned by htkaki). Has saved my stuff 2-3 times already. Only thing I don't like is it is a one-use item, i.e. it arrests a strike once and it dies. You then have to bring back to Cal-lab and they give you a new one for RM25 (I think initial cost is RM79).

For lightning protection, Cal-Lab lightning protector and Belkin surge protector are 2 reliable & reputable products.
If I'm not mistaken both have insurance for products fried by lightning.
You can check out the garage section for price and availability of models.

need to open up to see what's inside..

you need TVS diodes, large diodes, Gas discharge tubes, Varistors all working together to ensure good insulaton from strikes..

or worst case get a full time On-line UPS with 90-100% sine wave output... if kena , then 100% mati at UPS stage..

Okay will seriously look at Cal Lab. Using one of their product for my Astro set currently.

Look like last Friday direct lightning strike on my phone line...alarm installer help to install a surge protection (I think TVS diodes) but he also mention direct strike cannot escape...Looking at Cal Lab now. Thanks.

few key parameters in this kind of protection components is speed and energy able to absorb, and how many times before deteriorate performance.. so TVS/Varistor/GDT/polyfuse/etc all have different parameters.. ideally they work in tandem to stop various type of attacks..