Lighting strike taking out Virgin cable in E11?

[Bob Crabtree]

Has anyone heard about a lighting strike taking out Virgin cable in parts of London E11 (Leytonstone specifically) last week (on Saturday 27 June, I think)?

I ask because one of my clients had her PC destroyed by lightning and it appears to me that this came in via the Virgin modem, which was reduced to a box of nails (at least by the sound of it when you give it a shake).

Also helping me come to that conclusion was the fact that the Ethernet cable between modem and PC had been rendered dead (yes, checked it on another PC - and using my own Virgin modem on the client's cable connection).

TIA

Bob C

[Jay]

Just incase you are thinking of calling them to try and get some compensation

O Matters beyond our reasonable control

None of Virgin Media Ltd, Virgin Media Entertainment and/or Virgin Media Payments will be liable for failing to do what it promised under these agreements if it is prevented from doing so by something outside its reasonable control which will include (but is not limited to):

* lightning;
* flood or severe weather conditions;
* fire or explosion;
* civil disorder;
* damage or vandalism to our network or equipment
* terrorist activities;
* war;
* actions of local or national governments or other authorities; or
* industrial disputes.

[aidanjt]

"* War"

[Bob Crabtree]

Just incase you are thinking of calling them to try and get some compensation

Matters beyond our reasonable control

None of Virgin Media Ltd, Virgin Media Entertainment and/or Virgin Media Payments will be liable for failing to do what it promised under these agreements if it is prevented from doing so by something outside its reasonable control which will include (but is not limited to):

* lightning;
* flood or severe weather conditions;
* fire or explosion;
* civil disorder;
* damage or vandalism to our network or equipment
* terrorist activities;
* war;
* actions of local or national governments or other authorities; or
* industrial disputes.

Thanks very much for that!

But, it's not the lack of service that's the issue, it's the fact that the service screwed my client's PC totally - in my estimation - as a result of a massive surge through the modem and down the Ethernet cable.

And that's why I'm interested in anything official from Virgin about that lighting strike.

Cheers

Bob

[TheAnimus]

This is why i have a UPS with ethernet isolation on my WHS!

[SiM]

This happened to me too. I live in E11 and the telephone pole outside our house was struck by lightening -> Surge down phone line -> dead router (which o2 has just kindly replaced) and one dead PC. Luckily the other more expensive PC connected to the router (mine) was ok because of an eternet surge protector.

This affected a few houses on my street. A BT engineer fixed the lines the following morning.

Funny thing is that this has happened to me before. And I ended up with a dead router and motherboard, exactly like this time.

[aidanjt]

It will always go like that, electrons will always follow the shortest path to ground (your PC, probably the one connected to the first ethernet port of a router), it's always a good idea to isolate the first connection coming into the house, preferably the phone line, in the case of cable internet, get a surge protector that can filter ethernet. It'll save you a large chunk of money and headaches.

[Salazaar]

Funny thing is that this has happened to me before. And I ended up with a dead router and motherboard, exactly like this time.

[aidanjt]

Brilliant!

[Bob Crabtree]

This is why i have a UPS with ethernet isolation on my WHS!

With 20-20 hindsight - and my advice - this is what she'll be doing from now on.

:-(

[Bob Crabtree]

This happened to me too. I live in E11 and the telephone pole outside our house was struck by lightening -> Surge down phone line -> dead router (which o2 has just kindly replaced) and one dead PC. Luckily the other more expensive PC connected to the router (mine) was ok because of an eternet surge protector.

This affected a few houses on my street. A BT engineer fixed the lines the following morning.

Funny thing is that this has happened to me before. And I ended up with a dead router and motherboard, exactly like this time.

Was this most recent incident within the last few days?

Oh, and clearly, lightning does strike twice!

:-(

Bob

[Agent]

it's the fact that the service screwed my client's PC totally - in my estimation - as a result of a massive surge through the modem and down the Ethernet cable.

Not wishing to be pedantic here Bob, but the service had nothing to do with it and it certainly didn't screw your clients PC - the lightening did that

The bolt could have hit the power lines, hit the garden, or smashed through his roof and hit his PC.

I'd be asking your client why he didn't have any surge protection in place, or why he didn't unplug and isolate his PC + accessories when the storm was inbound.

[Bob Crabtree]

Not wishing to be pedantic here Bob, but the service had nothing to do with it and it certainly didn't screw your clients PC - the lightening did that

The bolt could have hit the power lines, hit the garden, or smashed through his roof and hit his PC.

I'd be asking your client why he didn't have any surge protection in place, or why he didn't unplug and isolate his PC + accessories when the storm was inbound.

Informed pedantry is fine by me!

So, I note what you say but would be VERY keen to read a more detailed explanation - as I'm sure would others hereabouts.

And, for the record, there was no apparent damage anywhere else in or around the home (*).

Oh, and far from incidentally, this is the third of my clients to have suffered lightning damage in the recent storm!

One is in the next road to the client I mention here (*no other damage there, too, it seems - all that was hit was the motherboard network adaptor), the other is many miles away (and has been told by a visiting Virgin engineer that her network adaptor is dead).

Certainly was a very special kind of storm.

:-(

Bob

[SiM]

Was this most recent incident within the last few days?

Oh, and clearly, lightning does strike twice!

:-(

Bob

Yeh it happened on Saturday. No big deal though; PC cost 180gbp 18 months ago, so isn't worth much now... Maybe can claim on insurance, otherwise will buy new AM2 board for 20-30gbp. Not worth paying 30gbp to protect this equipment because low value and a lightning strike is a low probability event...

[aidanjt]

Except, if the lightening bolt 'decides' to take a trip around your motherboard, it'll take out more than the motherboard. Even your monitor may appear to be a tasty route to ground.

[Bob Crabtree]

Yeh it happened on Saturday. No big deal though; PC cost 180gbp 18 months ago, so isn't worth much now... Maybe can claim on insurance, otherwise will buy new AM2 board for 20-30gbp. Not worth paying 30gbp to protect this equipment because low value and a lightning strike is a low probability event...

Er, low-probability in the sense that it has happened to you TWICE?

Are you sure you stand by that statement?

Bob