ISDn ( Hi Speed) boxes highly susceptible to lightning

spongebob

According to my sources very few of these survived the electrical storms in the west early this week.

While PSTN lines were reasonably robust even where there were hits the hi speed boxes died big time around Galway Cork Kerry Limerick and Clare which were the worst affected.

Rumour has it that spares had to be rushed form central stores and that Eircom may have difficulties in meeting installation targets for the next month or so until stocks can be replenished.

As you all know, if the line was out for 24 hours (or is it 48) you are entitled to a full refund on your line rental for the period..... 2 months for a home user or €40 euros for just one phone call.

As the hispeed boxes are hardwired to the line, it is very difficult to work out how to protect them. Turning the power off will apparently make no difference.

M

fatherdougalmag

Are you referring to the NT1 sitting on the wall or the ISDN T/A?

Anima

Yeah my ISDN installation is going tits up atm. Dunno when there gonna do it. Wánkers

BKtje

Not the TA im sure but the actual Boxes as Eircom wouldnt replace your TA's.
How would lightning effect your TA unless it came down the elec wires and by then the fuse would burn out etc?

Ronan|Raven

Yes having watched our Plug n Play unit at work produce a great white flash infront of me on monday I would agree with how much they dislike lightning Fortunatly they had 1 PnP unit in one of the vans.

David C

I notice the boxes are *very* susceptible to rfi (radio interference), beit a mobile phone ringing, a broadcast transmitter or a hair dryer..

Try it... put an active gsm phone anywhere near the box and listen to how loud the interference is when you pick up the phone.
When I used to use an analogue modem I used to get disconnected regularly due to my mobile being in the locality of the computer.
ISDN connections thru the box seem to be robust enough not to be affected most of the time...

Urban Weigl

Tell me about it... Mine got fried on Monday. I opened it to check for damage, and though I could not see any physical damage it made an odd clicking sound, and neither the power or network lights came on.

Had to get it replaced by Eircom, which is a huge pain (ever tried calling their repair line?)

At this stage, I have been without phone for a week this year, two weeks last year, two weeks the year before. Not funny for business.

shabbyroad

Yup been there.
Our "HiSpeed" :rolleyes: box was fried in a storm a couple of years ago. It was the smell of burning plastic that gave the game away.

Be careful with those ISDN wires though.....they carry a hefty voltage (more than PTSN....

Dunno how they're getting fried though because nothing else in the house was affected (and I have enough freaking co-ax, speaker cable and cat-5 in the walls of this house to build a faraday cage...)
Methinks it's a spike coming down the ISDN line.
Hmmm......can you say 'liability' ??? I knew you could....
[ or can you say 'jumping to conclusions' I knew I could ]

spongebob

Originally posted by shabbyroad
Yup been there.
Our "HiSpeed" :rolleyes: box was fried in a storm a couple of years ago. It was the smell of burning plastic that gave the game away.


Methinks it's a spike coming down the ISDN line.
Hmmm......can you say 'liability' ??? I knew you could....
[ or can you say 'jumping to conclusions' I knew I could ]

Yep. Liability is an issue.

MET Eireann bear much of the responsibility for underpalaying the scale of the thunderstorms out in the Atlantic. I looked at the Wetterzentrale and saw a line of stuff from the coast out to 400KM west or so. That was after a rumble on Sunday BEFORE the RTE 9pm news. See this link Here . That Evelyn wotsist wan came on and said something about occasional or scattered thundery storms when she should have said that there was a stack of them coming in.

Eircom should put a surge protector outside the house (a fuse basically) which would isolate and protect their own hi speed boxes.

If the line is hit the fuse gets it and can be replaced easily from outside, no pissing around waiting for the linesmen to show up.

A friend lost his ISDN Fax and will be looking for Compo off the Rat for it

M