What are some good choices out there with docsis 3.0 protection for someone that lives in a tropical storm prone area? thanks
Best protection for that coax cable is a wire. Coax cable must drop down and connect short (ie 'less than 10 feet') to single point earth ground via a wire. Wire is superior to any protector. Then a surge does not enter the building on that coax cable.
Some wires cannot be connected directly to earth. That is what a 'whole house' protector does. Make the same connection to earth when a utility wire (ie AC mains) wire cannot connect directly.
Surges seek earth ground. Either you connect energy harmlessly to earth before it enters a building. Or that surge is inside hunting for earth destructively via appliances. Only you make that choice. Only you decide what path a surge uses to find earth. Once inside, nothing (as in nothing) will stop or absorb the typically destructive surge.
Informed consumers earth a coax cable, before it can enter the building, to have best protection. Much fewer and informed consumers earth one 'whole house' protector from more responsible companies such as General Electric, Siemens, ABB, Square D, Intermatic, Keison, or Leviton - to name only a few. A Cutler-Hammer solution sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50.
Essential for any protector is the low impedance (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to earth. A ground wire from the breaker box and from the coax cable that must have no sharp bends, not be inside metallic conduit, no splices, as short as possible, and must route separated from other non-grounding wires. Again, protection is never about a protector. Protection means energy is not hunting for earth destructively inside the building.
Above is only a secondary protection system. Each protection layer is only defined by what does the protection. You are strongly advised to also inspect your primary protection system. A picture demonstrates what to inspect:
http://www.tvtower.com/fpl.html
One fundamental fact exists. Protection is always about where energy is absorbed. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.
