OK, so what can be done about it ?

 

Well there’s good news and not so good news. Oddly enough the best protective system is totally free .... but rather impractical. The best way to protect your systems from mains surges/spikes etc., is simply to unplug them from the mains and unplug any modems/ADSL routers from the telephone sockets. However, it is not that easy if you are not in your property at the time of a storm brewing !

 

Anti surge protectors

 

There are a lot of different ones around at different prices all claming to save your system from mains/lightning strikes. Some are much more effective than others but the problem is that you have to test them against the storm you are having and if they fail then the manufacturers of the protectors do not rush to compensate you for the blown system.

 

UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supplies

 

These systems not only offer surge protection but also some offer isolation and, in the event of power failure, will keep your system running on powerful batteries for a short period of time - long enough to ride out any power dips and if power is lost for longer, can maintain power long enough for the PC to be shut down cleanly.