Actually, my next mobo has LAN built in, so thanks for the reminder. I'll make sure that wake-on-lan is disabled.
Although if went out of town for a long time, would turning it on temporarily it enable me to turn the computer on and download my email**? Or even do other things with software installed on it that's not installed on the netbook I'll be borrowing? For example, if I forgot a password that was in my home computer, and I had Remote Assistance enabled, and I had the password with me, would that let me start the computer with wake on lan, then run the computer, and get the password. ETc. etc. ??
**I want it all on my home computer, and the part I get while traveling also on the netbook.
No. I can't stand webmail. It's only for when nothing else is possible, like a libary computer or when at someone's home. My last long trip 4 years ago, I bought a laptop and put Eudora on it, but didnt' delete any email from the server, so they could still be dl'd at home. At that time, even though I put some Yahoo lists on hold, it looked like I would run out of space on the server before I got home, so I had a friend go to my house midway on my trip and dl my mail.
They made my server mailbox much bigger about that time, but I still pursue goals that maybe aren't important anymore. And wake-on-lan/remote access would have many capabilities if I could do it, not just email.
Again, look at the subject!!!! I am saying if it is not unplugged or turned of with a 120vac switch, then part of the circuitry is on and more subject to spikes/surges then if it is turned off completely. Call it standby if you wish, I don't care, but do so recognizing that it is more subject to spikes/surges than if it were off completely. Can we agree on this?
And yes about the TV on standby, *when talking about surges/spikes* that is why some people unplug them during a lighting storm instead of just turning them "off".
As far as the oven being on standby, *when talking about surges/spikes* I'd say it is indeed on standby it is if it is controlled electronically and has no mechanical switch to turn it off.
I didn't want separate meters because the 2nd one would be billed at commercial rates along with a service charge each month. Some time ago I posted here that I have no disconnect to the garage and I got replies saying code doesn't call for a disconnect. Going to the house is the old meter base with jumpers, so I'd say that could be considered a disconnect.
As far as the email is concerned, I have mine set up so that when outlook on my home computer gets the mail it leaves it on the server for 10 days - and I do the same on my notebook when travelling.
I can also get my email from web-mail at any internet cafe, library, or other computer anywhere in the world.
It does not "synchronize" the emails - if I remove it on one machine it is still on the other, and if I answer an email on one machine, the other does not know about it.
On the office system we are setting up exchange to allow outlook web access - which allows you to log onto the exchange server from anywhere in the world, from computer or smart-phone , just like you were on your workstation in the office.
As far as surge protection is concerned, any equipment that does not have a physical line switch turned off, or the power plug unplugged, is subject to voltage spikes and surges if not adequately protected by a surge arrester or dual conversion UPS.
Most motherboards today have the NIC built in - and WOL just needs to be enabled in BIOS. (and the line switch needs to be ON, and the power plugged in, and the port to WOL opened on the router)
That was a problem after the last trip. Some emails had, or might have had, important information that was in no incoming email.**
This trip, I'll be sending to myself a copy of everything I send out.
**In fact, I don't think I would have lost much, but I lost less by backing up the laptop's harddrive when I got home, so I have everything. And a good thing, becuase 30 months later, after not using the computer for 27 months, I practically watched as the files disappeared and then the directories.
The computer worked fine 27 months earlier, and I ddin't drop it or anything during the intervening time.
Oh yeah, that's what L stands for. So what was Tony talking about people hacking my computer through LAN. The only one using my LAN at home is me, at both ends!
People who share the same office? They can just come over and turn the computer on when the person isn't there, and if a password is required, they'll be stuck by LAN or by sea (in person).
My current one has that. I'll have to check my next one. Dang, it's a Dell, got it free from a friend and doesn't have much documentation. No reference to wake or LAN in the manual, and TAD connector is shown on the sketch of the mobo but there is no reference to it. I knew there woudl be a price for having a Dell instead of the fancy mobos a another friend used to give me, including the one I'm using now, and this is the start of it.
(If my trip were on schedule, I'd be still using this one, but it's not on schedule.)
Well, a big flaw in that thinking of mine. The pdf file someone posted says
"These outlet protectors usually have an LED which informs the user that the protector is no longer working and must be replaced. Unfortunately, nature does not always cooperate with this approach."
THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART:
"Most lightning strokes are not just singular, but consist of several strokes spaced milliseconds apart. The electronic equipment is likely to be damaged before the homeowner replaces the protector."
I shoudl have bought a better one, although I don't know if the Intermatic for 130 or 160 is really better.
To eliminate this problem (the one I quoted in my preivous post), a utility grade surge arrester mounted at the service entrance absorbs the bulk of the energy from lightning surges, allowing the local surge suppressor to work properly. A durable, high-energy service entrance arrester helps ensure that other protective devices within the house continue to work for years.
The service entrance surge arrester also protects the wiring and electromechanical loads (washers, dryers,etc.) in the home from lightning damage.
Well my cheap one is whole house, so maybe it's somewhere in the middle?
If BGE has a utility grade surge arrestor for my house, I don't know how much they would charge.
Not always as bad as it sounds, many MOV's just become a dead short and blow the breaker. I've also opened up some protectors and added a couple more MOV's parallel. Radio Little Run Down Building used to have two kinds of 130V MOV's, of course get the bigger ones if you have the space.
I agree. I would not want a meter base suppressor that did not have the earthing electrode system connected at the meter. I don't think I have ever seen one though.
I don't think this is as widely appreciated as it should be. You want the minimum distance to the common connection point.
In some cases, the phone or cable entry point is too far distant from the power service to make a short enough connection.
A surge suppressor at the service is a good idea.
But I don't see why a plug-in suppressor wouldn't be effective if there is no service suppressor. As noted in another post, with no service suppressor the energy that makes it to a plug-in suppressor is surprisingly small because of arc-over at the service and impedance of branch circuit wires. The paper that this comes from is probably still on-line if you want to read it. I would want high joule ratings on the suppressors. And particularly I would want high ratings if the branch circuit to the service under 30 feet. Plug-in suppressors with high ratings are readily available.
Seems to be a real common feature. I never figured out if it does something that is actually useful.
I agree that layers of protection are the best, and where you are you want the best.
You can protect against about anything (including a direct building strike - with lightning rods). (But I don't think I would want to run a ham station with a high antenna in a thunderstorm.)
I liked your pseudolightning rod from another thread.
UL1449 (since 1998) requires a disconnect for overheating MOVs. The protected load can be connected across the MOVs, so it is disconnected with the MOVs. That way the protected load does not loose protection (although it will loose power). Some suppressors have warranties for protected equipment. Plug-in suppressors with a warranty are likely wired this way. (Obviously you can't do this with service panel suppressors.)
Or the protected load can be connected ahead of the MOV protection. The protected load would then stay powered without protection. According to the IEEE surge guide, plug-in suppressors wired this way now are required by UL to be identified.
Anything with a UL label built since 1998 has built in disconnects for failing MOVs.
IMHO changing a suppressor violates the design and is a safety hazard. There are a lot of things I would fix or change. A suppressor is not one of them.
Landing the GEC in the meter base is pretty common here in Florida. The thinking is to stop a lightning hit before it gets into the house. Typically it will travel down the outside of the mast, over the meter can and down the GEC raceway. Lightning is seen to actually travel on the outside skin of the conductors. That is why they use finely stranded conductors on lightning rods. In the case of your GEC the metal raceway probably carries more current than the 4 ga solid copper wire,
The big problem is time, on the nano second scale. The faster you sink the shot, the less chance you have that some leaks through to your equipment. We had some luck simply using ferrite beads to slow down the shot and a shorter grounding path going the other way. Our operation was protecting about 1000 customers who were not going to turn off their computers every afternoon and unplug them. We were on the leading edge of a lot of lightning protection schemes but we did get pretty good at it. The sooner you can bond all of your utilities the better off you are. I understand nobody is going to be installing a new phone line and most cable TV is already in place but I would not tolerate any new installation that did not come in right next to my electrical entrance ... even if they had to run the cables all the way around the house before it came in. In fact the NEC has added a requirement for a multi system bonding point right at the service, just for this reason.
I don't know of anything you get at a service panel or plug-in suppressor that has a rise time that is too fast for MOVs on power lines. If there is a very fast rise time the inductance of the wiring will lower the rise time (and spread out the pulse). Gas discharge tubes, which may be used on signal lines, may be slow
I don't remember the basic requirement has changed, but the making the connection is getting easier. You had a link to an "intersystem bonding terminator" recently which I didn't look at right away. Looks slick.
I did see a change inside some equipment where they put a fuse before the MOV. Would this have anything to do with new code? (It is inside the equipment) If I were to make one extra safe, I'd put a few fuses in series with a MOV parallel after each fuse.
A MOV parralell across the hot and neutral is pretty basic stuff and doesn't get much simpler. But yes, if you don't know basic electronics maybe you shouldn't do it. Putting in a larger rated MOV or several MOV's in parallell is like what many people do by plugging a surge suppressor into another surge protector for better protection. Or plugging in a multi outlet strip with surge protection into a surge protector and then to the outlet. Any dangers with those idea's too?
Crazy? I agree! I'll put my fingers and tools inside a breaker box with a 200 amp breaker, but I'm not getting near the side that is before the breaker.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.