[OoklaTheMok]

My ethernet port on my iMac DVSE 500 (Summer 2000) was fried in a lightning strike that took out the DSL modem and the Linksys router in one shot. The repair place says they'd probably have to replace the logic board for $325. This isn't a very acceptable solution to me. I want to get around it by using an AirPort card and a new Linksys wireless router. My only question is, is the AirPort's interface completely separate from the Ethernet and thus wouldn't have been harmed by the lightning?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

[cejones]

Out of curiousity,

Was your router and cable modem hooked to a surge protector? I made sure mine is, but I wasn't sure how "protected" that makes it.

I would like to avoid having this very same problem occur to me....

For cable modems, should I also have some kind of coax in-line surge protector in case lightning propages through the coax ?

[tooki]

It's likely that your Airport slot is fine. It's actually more closely related to the hard drive and DVD drive's bus than to ethernet.

As for surge protection: you have to protect every venue to the outside world, basically. That means that ANY item that's on the network must be protected (since surges can travel through the LAN), so that means all the power cords and AC adapters, as well as the cable or DSL line, and ideally the cable/DSL modem's LAN port too.

tooki

[OoklaTheMok]

Thanks for the info. By the way, I can still ping myself, which the DSL people said I shouldn't be able to do with it being fried, but hooking ethernet cables up to the now-working network or a proven-good crossover cable to another computer shows no connection.

All three devices are on surge suppressors. However, the telephone line is not. I have to assume that the spike came through the phone line and went from the DSL "modem" to the router to my computer. The lights didn't flicker or anything. I wouldn't know where to get a phone line surge suppressor (though, I vaguely remember seeing a power tree that had one built in); it would definitely be worth a purchase.

[tooki]

It's more likely that the surge came through the phone line, but keep in mind that no surge protector, no matter how pricey, can protect against direct lightning strikes. Only a lightning arrestor can do that, and those are a *lot* pricier than any surge protector.

Also, since you've been struck by lightning, you may want to check your surge protectors. Most have a light on them to show if they are still protecting your equipment. If that light has gone out, or if your protector has no such light, replace it.

tooki

[Mutant]

Gee sorry to hear about your iMac - I've got a summer 2000 Sage iMac DV+, and had precisely the same problem - lightening strike!

You might want to have a second opinion on the motherboard story, unless you're already dealing with TekServe there in Manhattan - they have gotta be the best in the biz, and if they say its toast then you can believe it.

I was given precisely the same diagnosis by a local firm, fried motherboard. I live in London and they wanted a lot more than what you were quoted to replace it.

But there was something about the tech guys that I didn't like - they just weren't real Mac types. Most techs that are Mac heads are pretty willing to talk Macintosh, and these guys weren't.

So I paid them their diagnosis fee and on a hunch I took the iMac to a second shop, who discovered it had a blown power supply, nothing more. They swapped it out while I waited, and it cost less than 100 quid total, including the first shops fee.

Hopefully you'll have the same experience - in any case, good luck!