It’s that *special* time in Arizona!  Yup!  Monsoon Season starts June 15th!

In this article, we will explore the potential issues that can occur during energetic weather seasons, and what we can do to help reduce the chance of a catastrophic event affecting our home or business electronics systems.

Keep in mind that this information does not only apply to those who live in Arizona… anywhere  there are energetic weather patterns you could easily apply these protective measures!

I have always loved Monsoon Season!  That was before I became a Computer Professional…  Now I realize just how bad this season can be for your computer systems!

Tucson / Phoenix residents know that as we leave Spring and jump into Summer, the wind gets blowing, the dust storms become more severe… and all those particles in the air begin to generate static electricity.  This helps to make electrical distribution more difficult…

Just for more fun, let’s add the need for more power to *COOL* our homes to the mixture… and the result???

• UNRELIABLE POWER CONDITIONS
• MASSIVE LIGHTNING POTENTIAL
  
• DAMAGED ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
  
• DAMAGED, CORRUPTED, OR LOST DATA
  
• WICKED $ERVICE CALL FEE$
  

Now is the time to get busy and address the protection of your electronic devices – computers, TV’s, receivers, DVD players, VCR’s (?) , monitors… basically any thing that plugs into a wall, or receives a signal from an outside source or antenna!

If it can carry electricity – like your cable or satellite feed – you need a surge protector on it!

I did a presentation a while ago to a group of business people on the topic of power and electronic device protection.  Immediately after the presentation a woman came up to me and told me this story:  The snow (in the Lake Tahoe NV area) had dropped a power line on the cable access in her back yard.  The resulting voltage had jumped onto her cable TV line and took out every component in her house – Big Screen TV, receivers, AV components, DVD players, and all the computers!  They were all electrically connected to the cable feed, so they ALL TOASTED.  Her insurance called it an *Act Of God* and covered *NOTHING*…  That will sober you RIGHT up!  It cost her close to $20,000 at that time…

Keep in mind that the antenna on your roof or apartment rail, or that satellite dish is rather vulnerable to lightning strike.  It would be bad to take a hit to your AV system…

What about your cable feed?  Don’t know about yours, but my internet service pretty much connects to EVERY electronic device!  All of my AV systems, my phones, assorted electronics, and computers are connected in some way shape or form to my cable feed.

When I was building my systems on my move in, I was quite aware of the Monsoon Season here in Tucson AZ.  I was born here, and I remember the lighting shows from my youth.  I remember the swamp coolers ripped off the roof of the home in the Tanque Verde and Pantano area….  Yah, the Monsoon weather gets pretty *frisky* here some times…

That is why all of my critical systems are on UPS’s, Surge Protectors, or Quality Line Conditioners in the case of my AV systems.

I also take the time to label the purchase date on the device in a location I can read when doing system services on equipment.  I use a Sharpie color that I can read easily for this purpose.

UPS’s are replaced every couple of years.  Hey – I have DECADES of data from businesses, patents, and research that I would NEVER be able to replace… and I still access quite a bit of it these days.

Here is your goal:

• Protect Incoming Power
• Protect Incoming Data Feeds (Internet)
• Protect Incoming AV Feeds (TV, Cable, Satellite)
• Protect Radio Feeds (FM, AM, Ham)

The least you should do is use a quality surge protector and be sure the manufacturer includes an Equipment Coverage Policy for your equipment in case a spike or surge gets through their device!  Then, make sure you have one or two spares still in the garage for “Just In Case”…  If you do take a spike or a surge, there is nothing like waiting days to get a fresh one to test your equipment…  Do keep in mind that a strike may hit your cable box that services your NEIGHBORHOOD… and you may not be the ONLY one looking for a surge protector on the day after… 

I typically purchase APC products for my power protection.  I like their UPS line, and their Surge Suppressor line can accomodate many cable in/out styles – typically CATV, RJ11 (Phone) and RJ45 (Network) jacks can be found on their line of products.  Look for the “net protect” style of surge/UPS.

I have been a PanaMax reseller in the past… and they had an outstanding warranty on their products.  I haven’t checked on them lately… cause I still have one or two of their surge suppressors hanging around.

I also like the CyberPower line of UPS’s. I have one protecting my Windows Home Server system, and it’s been rock solid!  The price was reasonable too… and it has all the jacks available – CATV, RJ11, and RJ45.

I am just now coming around to the Tripp Lite product line… I know little about them, but may invest in one or two of their products to test them out.

So, that is the way I think about power protection.

These days my local purchasing is through Office MAX – Outstanding Service, and reasonable pricing.  It is HARD to purchase a UPS online and NOT get stung on shipping.  Those Dudes are *heavy*, and it pretty much knocks out your savings to ship them.  So my recommendation is to visit Office Max, or find a nice local computer retailer that you can *groom* to your needs through your purchasing power.

But Wait – There is more…  What about your DATA???

If you have been around me for any length of time, you have heard that “There are two kinds of people in this world – Those who Backup their Data religiously, And Those Who SOON WILL”…  I have seen it time and time again!

My current system for backups is my Windows Home Server system.  This system will backup up to 10 of my computer systems in my WORKGROUP network.  Nope, it won’t touch Domain based security…  but there is one thing I do not like about it…

My Data will still be in the house if my Home *BURNS* to the ground!  Yup, I probably won’t have time to snatch the server out of the house… so what is a Home User, SOHO (Small Office Home Office) user supposed to do???

Well, I am glad you asked.I have been working on a review of the Acronis Online backup, and the MOZY Online backup.  I am not ready to present my results, but I am leaning heavily to the MOZY Online backup at this time.

For under $60 US you can have your Home User data go out of your region and still access the data from anywhere you have functional Internet access.  Yah, that’s right!  When you are evacuated, or running out of your *BURNING* house you can rest assured that your photos, music, documents, scanned documents… all of your data is SAFE AND SECURE!

That’s just too hard to beat.  You will most likely soon read the review article of my purchase of MOZY Home backup.  Not that I would tip my hand… 

If you are realizing your backup should go offsite,I would recommend MOZY Online to you at this time, and I don’t think that will change any time soon.  You can even *click* on one of the advertisements and go directly to their site if you wish…  They like to make it easy on you, and that is just how all my installations have gone… Easy…

 

Be Safe Out There – Till we talk again,

Patrick Seeber . President of Seeber Consulting . The Seeber Consulting Blog Any questions, please send me an email.

 

PS – Love It?  Hate It?  Leave me a comment so I know How I’m Dooin!