Protecting your computers, printers and network equipment from electrical problems is accomplished by products ranging from a surge suppressor power strip to an uninterruptible power supply. Power strips have become common place in both work and home environments. Too often, however, these strips are purchased and used with the primary purpose of providing additional electrical outlets rather than protecting the devices that are plugged into it. First and foremost, a power strip should clearly state that it is a surge suppressor capable of protecting against electrical events such as surges and spikes. The goal of the surge suppressor is to sacrifice its own life in the case of an electrical event in order to protect your equipment.
Surge suppressors require a correctly wired and grounded three-prong outlet.
The surge suppressor power strip should have a method warning you if there are potentially dangerous wiring problems and if it is still providing protection to your equipment. Small lights on the power strip sometimes display this information. That red light that no longer works can be an indication that the surge suppressor did its job and now needs to be replaced. Even when using a surge suppressor, when the electricity goes out, your computer is violently turned off. Certainly any information you were working on wasn't saved.