cphdev
join:2004-06-01
Brooklyn, NY
|  RR's RCA Fried Me!
So, has it ever happened to anyone that your modem allowed a surge via the cable line and it fried your logic board's ethernet card and the processors that handle it? It happened to me. All my power was grounded, but during a lightning storm, the modem (an RCA model) burnt out and so did my ethernet connection.
Now what I want to figure out is... Is there any way I can get RR to cover my repair cost? Will they compensate me in any way or am I just dreaming. The way I see it, they are liable becuase there is no surge protection. Not having surge protection allows the cable provider to send "bullets" through the line to knock out scramblers. The downside is what happened to me.
Any adivce folks? |
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drake
drizzy
Premium,MVM
join:2002-06-10
Brooklyn, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| Welcome to Broadbandreports.com/Road Runner Forum cphdev  !
Road Runner will replace the cable modem at no additional cost, as for compensating you for damage to your system, that's on your own, they are only responsible for the cable modem and cable line - You should atleast have a surge protector on your line, RR is not responsible for setting up surge protector on your line.
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dbmaven
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| reply to cphdev
Your cable franchise will either:
a) laugh at you
b) be very sympathetic
but in either case, they are not liable. If lightning strikes the pole outside, that's considered an 'act of nature' - nothing they can do to prevent it. Same thing would be true if the lightning travelled down your electric wires and blew up your TV/Computer(s)/etc, or hit the telephone wire and blew up all your phones.
For this reason, many UPS units, and slightly more expensive surge protectors (electrical) now include surge protection outlets for telephone lines - and ones intended for home theater include co-ax connectors for cable/satellite.
Good luck in trying, though - just don't expect to get anywhere.
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"Q: When will it be done? A: When pigs fly! " |
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Kip patterson
Premium
join:2000-10-23
Columbus, OH | reply to cphdev
"Not having surge protection allows the cable provider to send "bullets" through the line to knock out scramblers."
Nonsense. |
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LrdVader
Premium
join:2003-12-18
San Diego, CA
| said by Kip patterson :
"Not having surge protection allows the cable provider to send "bullets" through the line to knock out scramblers."
Nonsense.
Yup, definitely tinfoil hat time.  |
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big monkey
join:2002-02-19
Charlotte, NC
| reply to dbmaven
 Hey dBm, as every tech I've ever had in my home takes any splitters or surge protectors out of the loop, riddle me this:
what SHOULD my levels be coming INTO my house from the main feed?
what should my levels be on each one of the drops coming out of the main splitter-who-gee on the side of my house? what should my levels be coming out of the wall?
I don't know what to do when a tech insists my $100 surge protector cannot be in the loop, or a 1 or 2 gig splitter on a four-foot run nukes the levels. I can either allow them to take it out of the loop or wait for them to re-wire/re-balance the whole neighborhood, correct? |
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MassOverkill
join:2003-10-12
Melbourne, FL
| reply to cphdev
It takes about 30,000 volts to jump a spark-plug gap of .035" Just imagine how much voltage it takes to jump a 1 mile air gap from a cloud to the ground. Nothing man made is going to stop that kind of potential.........well at least nothing man made for 35 bucks or 100 or even 500.
THE ONLY way to protect yourself 99% is to physically unplug EVERYTHING connected to your computer. Sooooo....assuming all your computer equipment is plugged into a surge protector, unplug the surge protector from the wall, unscrew the cable from the back of the modem, and disconnect any phone lines you may have connected to the computer. Lightning can still come in through your window and hit your PC, but that's unlikely.
Grounding IS NOT FOOL PROOF protection against surges or lightning strikes.
I hate to sound harsh, but the only person you have to blame is yourself. At least you'll learn from this experience. Oh, FP&L offers surge and lightning insurance for like 5-10 bucks/month........definately a worthwhile investment. |
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Kip patterson
Premium
join:2000-10-23
Columbus, OH
1 edit | reply to big monkey
You asked a clear question - it's the answer that is muddy.
Immediately downstream of an amp in the hardline the high channels are set to a higher level than the low. This is because coax attentuation is higher for higher frequencies.
By the time you get to the next amp the opposite is true.
So, amp spacing is governed not only by the average loss in the coax but by the allowable tilt, which is the ratio of the high channels to the low. Now, at your particular tap, the tilt can be either direction, and the level of the channel carrying your downstream can vary greatly.
Having said that, a cable company might shoot for + 10 at the tap, less the loss in your drop. If they get an unacceptable level at your house, their alternatives are to adjust amplifier gain which is scary because it affects so many users. The other alternatives are to change out the tap or change to RG-11 for the drop and reduce the loss. If they change the tap, they may need to add attenuators to the other houses fed from it.
High signals aren't a problem. Just add an attenuator or change out the splitter/directional coupler at the separation between the modem side and the tv's.
As for removing your splitter or surge protector, please remember that it is their signal and they don't want to be accountable for problems associated with your equipment. |
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