[Koala77]

I can claim dumb blonde here with this question, but for me it is a genuine one that I'd like the answer to please.

When there's an electrical storm around I always turn off my desk top computer to prevent a power surge, but now that I have a laptop, do I have to do the same if it's running on battery? Are there still electrical waves in the air that can cause it damage?

My wireless connections haven't arrived yet, so just for now I'm still running on ADSL cable. Is there a risk to my laptop via that cable during an electrical storm?

[FinLady]

There is still a possibility of having power surge damage using a cable. It still uses electricity to transmit data.

Do you have surge protectors? Those little things can come in handy.

We were fortunate that we had a wireless network when we had lightning strike close to our home. My laptop wasn't plugged in at the time, so it was the only computer we had for a few days as my hubby was trying to bring everything back online.

[AfterMyNap]

First, your laptop is only in danger if it is connected to an external power source, your DSL cable IS an external power source. The short answer is, unplug everything if you are truly concerned.

You can purchase a special surge protector that will work as a "middleman" between the power sources and your computer. Basically, you plug your devices into the surge protector instead of the wall. The type of surge protector I am speaking of has a phone filter plug that will also protect your phone line, modem, and your DSL line.

Because we have no way of knowing how your power systems work down there, you might be well advised to seek local information from a trusted tech supplier. My home is electrically grounded and has more modern electrical building codes in place, your case may be very different so guidance from overseas might not be applicable.

A wireless connection CAN carry a surge, but it's unlikely. However, I'm in the camp of "better safe than sorry" so when we're facing a significant storm, I might just go unplug the surge protector, thus disconnecting all of my equipment from external power sources at once.

Hope this helps a little, Anne.

[Jomar]

I've heard that is a storm is really looking to be bad -
unplugging all expensive electronics is best.
refrigerator, TV, microwave, computer, etc.

Just turning them off doesn't always protect them.
The power spike/surge can travel thru the lines sometimes.

It doesn't happen very often but when it does it's expensive to replace those things.

It happens here every few years, someones tv explodes or something...
the home wasn't grounded or had other wiring issues.

but if it's bad I unplug to be safe until the storm is gone.

[Koala77]

Thank you very much ladies. Your answers are much what I expected, but I wanted to be sure.

As we live in rented accommodation I have no idea if the house is "grounded" or not. I didn't know you could get separate surge protectors but I run my computer etc via a power box with an automatic cut off switch. I'll look into surge protectors for the house.

We were living in an area where big electrical storms were common, so I got used to unplugging everything in the house when they were around.

Thank you again. Your replies were very helpful.