A lightning strike recently destroyed a desktop PC inside an apartment complex. The electrical surge traveled through the building's coaxial cable infrastructure and entered a resident's unit. This incident highlights how network lines can bypass standard power protections to damage sensitive electronics.
A lightning storm sent an electrical surge through a building's coaxial cable infrastructure, destroying a resident's desktop computer and router.
The affected device was a gaming desktop computer. A Reddit user reported that the surge damaged the motherboard and completely destroyed the router. Burn marks appeared on the wall near where the coaxial cable entered the apartment, indicating the entry point of the electrical fault.
Physical inspection revealed concentrated damage around the Ethernet port on the motherboard. The user speculated that the surge traveled from the router into the PC via the Ethernet cable. The surge probably traveled through this route, damaging the motherboard's Ethernet port and nearby components.
The incident occurred during a recent lighting storm in the complex. A community member noted that an external grounding attachment appeared disconnected, which may have worsened the voltage spike. The user stated they cannot rebuild the system at this time due to financial constraints.
This event demonstrates a specific vulnerability for home networks. Standard surge protectors on AC power lines do not guard against surges entering through data cables like coaxial or Ethernet connections. Home users may want to install surge protection devices on all incoming cables to prevent similar hardware failures.
Discussion
0 comments
Log in to join the thread with a thoughtful take, question, or correction.