School networks and electrical equipment damage

[Hal Murray]

dsd at laptop.org said:
> I have seen that some UPSs (unfortunately not these ones) allow a phone line
> to be passed through them, supposedly offering some protection. Would such a
> system protect against a lightening bolt, assuming thats what happened here?

Surge suppressor is the buzzword you are looking for.  They will help, but 
nothing will stop a lightning strike that is near enough.  The only question 
is how-near.

The wiki page looks good:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_suppressor
Note the discussion about MOVs getting used up.

Some outlet strips include a pair of phone jacks and/or cable TV connectors.  
That's the quick, simple, and low cost approach.  You can also get industrial 
type units at higher prices.  Google has lots of hits.

I'm far from a wizard in this area.

How many schools are you talking about?  If it's more than 2 or 3, it might 
be worth a phone call to one of the non-cheap places to see if they have 
suggestions.   (Or see if they have some documentation on the web.)



-- 
These are my opinions.  I hate spam.