Networking
Surge Protection
Also called: TVSS, SPD, transient voltage surge suppression
Devices that clamp voltage transients from lightning, utility switching, and large motor loads before they reach connected equipment.
Surge protection belongs in layers: at the service entrance, at the panel, and at the equipment. Point-of-use strips alone do nothing about a surge arriving on a coax, a long copper data run between buildings, or the ground path — which is how lightning most often gets into AV and security gear in Florida.
Suppressors are consumables. They degrade with every event absorbed and eventually pass surges straight through with no outward sign, so units with status indication and a replacement schedule are worth the premium.
Related terms
- UPS
- A battery-backed power source that keeps equipment running through outages and, just as importantly, filters the sags and surges that shorten hardware life.
- Ground Loop
- A hum or buzz caused by two pieces of connected equipment sitting at slightly different ground potentials, creating current flow through the signal path.
- Grounding and Bonding
- The code-required practice of connecting equipment, racks, cable shields, and telecom backbones to a common electrical reference so fault current has a safe path.
More Networking terms
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