Customer Reviews

Protectnet for Coaxial Cables

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Protectnet for Coaxial Cables

The customer photo above is an example of installing this device according to APC (American Power Corporation) and Comcast instructions. I.e., install the Protectnet where the cable enters your residence, before a splitter or amplifier. The green wire must be connected to an earth ground (e.g., cold water pipe, ground rod, or, in a pinch, a ground wire of your house wiring). This device has screw lugs so it can easily be secured. Once installed, forget about it. Presumably, if there is a large electrical hit, the Protectnet will burn out and you'll have to replace it, which is far better than having your electronic gear fried.

Some coax surge protectors degrade the signal noticeably. I didn't see any change in TV picture quality or Comcast Internet service, after installing the Protectnet.

Years ago, we had an [unprotected] expensive tuner ruined by a lightning strike - the area on the tuner where the antenna wires connected was charred black. Two houses on our street have been hit by lightning - one had the top foot of his chimney blown off and the other caught the roof on fire. You decide the risk for your location...

For well over a year, I have had my DLP HDTV, DVR, DVD player, etc powered by my APC BR800BLK UPS with great results. While I trust the UPS to take care of the AC power feeding my precious equipment, the coax cable feeding my cable box was unprotected and represented a huge "back-door" entry point for damaging electrical transients (spikes).

I was concerned about putting anything between my cable box and the coax line providing the digital signal. My signal to noise ratio, as reported by my Motorola 6120 III DVR was already on the low side (32-34dB) so I feared that any coax protection would easily chop off 2-3dB of signal. This would, of course, create macroblocking on the video.

I purchased the PV since it has a 0-3dB rated insertion loss. I hoped to be closer to zero than 3dB. Using the TVSS grounding screw on my BR800BLK, I secured the PV's grounding wire. I routed my coax into the PV and used some surplus RG6 Quad Shielded coax for the 4ft span from the PV's out port to the cable box.

I then checked the signal reported by the cable box and it didn't move more than a tench of a dB. That's close enough to zero insertion loss for me! I'm thrilled to get this lifetime guaranteed product to completely shield my home theatre from power issues.

This is a highly recommended solution!

I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this product at suppressing surges, but I trust APC to make a decent product.

I gave it a high rating because the kit is very nice. The module is small, attractive, and has mounting flanges (I mounted mine on the wall where the cable enters the house). They even included a stubby coax cable so I had nothing more to buy.

I use this product in a lightning zone. Before I install this product, three of my DSL/Cable modems were damaged due to the lightning. However, after Installing this device my devices never damaged. I have used this product for last 3 years. This product is the best in the market. Product works.

I have a number of computers and always felt secure knowing I had them plugged into a battery backup - HOWEVER - I had an "all in one" printer/fax connected to my computer AND CABLE phone line and disregarded the possibility of a surge from the cable line.

I came home one day, to find all my Cable connected phones had a busy signal after a power outage. After many tests, I learned that the cable line had received a spike which blew my "all in one" printer/fax. Disconnecting the printer/fax restored my phone service.

I came across Protectnet from APC, a company that I have trusted for many years for battery backups. I ordered it and installed it in less than 15 minutes - it even comes with a small Coaxial cable - my home has the main Cable coming to one central box and split from there - I just removed the main connection, installed the main into the Protectnet and the other end to the splitter - now all my TV's, computers, phones and Printer are protected against a surge from the cable line.

One note - Protectnet is similar to an old fashion electric fuse - once it takes a hit, it has to be replaced - BUT better to replace a small ticket item then your TV or Computer -

5 Big stars for this product

Before I bought this item I had my cable modem replaced twice due to lightning nearby. Besides this device I also installed a grounding block that grounds the cable's shield when it comes into the house. Since I applied these two measures I never had any more problem with lightning destroying my cable modems.