Compared to Electricity Problems By Doug Stanley Tampa Tribune Viruses grab all the headlines, but the weather poses a greater potential threat for most computer users. Now that the summer thunderstorm season has returned, it's a good time to assess how well your home system is protected from power outages, surges and other electrical nasties. At the very least, you need a decent surge suppressor that can handle the high voltage surges that can enter your home through electric lines, telephone wires and TV cables. Get a surge suppressor specifically designed for computers.
Computers have different protection needs from TVs, VCRs and other home electronics.
Suppressors work by absorbing electrical spikes and disturbances that come from your wall outlet before they can get to your sensitive computer equipment. Look for one with a clamping voltage of 400 volts or less. For the best protection, look for a suppressor that provides a response time of less than 10 nanoseconds. The failure will affect only the suppressor, not your equipment. You're better off with a three-way protection suppressor, which guards against surges that come through the ground wire.