Lightning, Boom, No Internet
 

Yesterday at about 6pm we had a lightning/thunder event that fried my wifi/modem. I have a spare one which I hooked up and it seems to be working except there is no internet connection. My neighbor is also down. This is Comcast internet and we are in the Lake Deaton village. The automated Comcast check says it is our modem which it isn’t. Does anyone have any suggestions of what else I can check?
Thanks in advance for any help

If Comcast can't find your Mac Address on your working modem you will not be able to connect to the Internet. It's listed on your modem and will need to contact their customer support.
I'm assuming Comcast does not have the equipment you connect to in home

xfinity lists all modem/routers that are compatible with their signal.

Have you gone through the Xfinity modem activation process? Here is the website.

Activating Your Own Modem Using the Xfinity App - Xfinity Support

Hmmmmmm, what good is it to have a website explaining how to activate a modem so you can access the internet?

Can you try your cell phone?

We are at Mallory and I saw the lightning, but everything still works.

Use another device like iPhone.

///

Obviously, the OP has an internet connection because they started this thread.

I guess I am old school. I use my computer for the internet and my phone for phone calls and the occasional text.

Take a look at the website on your phone and then do the repair as needed.

It's OKAY you are on the ball 99% of the time. :1rotfl:

Thank you everyone for responding. This turned out to be a bit of a comedy of errors (on my part). The cable modem/router we were using was fried yesterday, despite being on a so-called surge protected power strip AND having the SECO surge protector. Anyway, I replaced it with the old cable modem router we had (that I thought worked, just was slow). Any we had internal wifi (printers, etc) but no internet connection. Got hold of a live person at Comcast (that was fun!) and they confirmed that they could not see the modem from their end. Set up an appt for tomorrow. Meanwhile, I went to Best Buy and purchased a new modem/router, hooked it up and everything works! Apparently, the modem part of the old modem/router had died at some point.
Cancelled the Comcast appt and we are back online.

You did that all by yourself? (Channelling my 26 yo daughter, who says that to me all the time... :icon_wink: )

Last time she spent the weekend home, I had a new router delivered.

She opened it, took my laptop and had it set up, including all devices (iPhones, iPad, printer) in about 10 minutes...

When I told her, "You know, I could have done it myself...", she patted me on the head, and said, "I know you could, but it would have taken three times as long and there would have been major cursing involved..." I hate that kid... :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I know what you mean. My son is like that, and my grandson leaves us both in the dust. But then, I'm not sure if he knows what end of a hammer does what, so they still find us oldies of some use!
Believe me, there was plenty of cursing going on this morning!

I made sure to teach all of my girls how to use tools and change a tire...

They are experts in assembling IKEA furniture,,,

When I bought my middle one a power screwdriver, you would have thought she won the lottery! She's currently (pun intended) switching out some outlets in her condo kitchen to GFIs...

So far, no ZAP!

Because you can use your phone or your tablet to activate your modem. Or you can use a hotspot off of your phone if you have one. Everyone needs to have a multiple options to get on the Internet.

The Transformer or Coupler in the garage may need to be replaced.

Lol. I didnt realize that either until you said it

Sorry to hear of your debacle. We had the same thing on August 7th. It took us a month to fix/replace all things that got fried. ($3000+) Thinking the surge came through the irrigation or water lines. Really! But, a clarification on the SECO surge protector. If the surge doesn’t come through the surge protector, they’re not responsible. Ours didn’t. And, THEY ONLY REPAIR NOT REPLACE motorized items like the refrigerator and AC compressor. Things like TVs, computers, dishwasher, etc. ARE NOT COVERED! Wondering why we are paying for that surge protector. We even purchased SECO’s recommended in-home surge protectors for TV, computer, etc. thinking we had to, to be fully protected. Stupid us!

Most people have smartphones these days, smarty pants

Surge
 

If you have a surge through your irrigation and maybe you should have an electrician do some more work for you or have lightning rods on your house for about $3,000.

The Orlando Central Florida area is one of the top five points in the US for lightning

This happened to me. The inlet portal to the modem was fried. I went to Best Buy and they have a part you can buy that will by pass the portal inlet and it fixed mine right up. Good luck

I lost an almost new big screen smart TV, shortly after moving here, in a storm. After that I got three APC UPS back ups and now plug all my TVs, Tivos, and modem into them. So far so good <knock wood>

My modem got fried last summer during a thunder storm. Had a huge lighting strike. I was in the room when it happened. There was a loud high pitch pop. The electricity never went off, It was just the modem that got hit. This same thing happened a few months prior. I just bought a new high-end modem. This time I called Comcast. Requested a Tech service call to check the ground coming in with their cable.
Sure enough, a ground was never put in when installed. No charge for service call, and Comcasts insurance company called me and sent me a check for $192 to replace my fried modem.

Problem is, only the phone is smart in many cases, not the owners!:icon_wink:

The surge protectors probably worked fine. My guess is that the surge came through your cable. Make sure you have a surge suppressor that includes cable protection. They have two coax connectors on them. Instead of running the cable directly to your modem, run it through your surge suppressor.

You should now check to make sure your suppressors have not been used up. Call SECO for instructions on how to determine if theirs is still OK.

Hay, great idea. I must have looked at those cable connectors on the surge protector a hundred without putting two and two together.

Surge protectors, even TWO, are not lightning protectors.

Skip

She sounds like my kid, exactly!!

Except what if your home had a power failure and you had to contact emergency services of some kind wouldn't you have to become "new school" and use your cell phone for internet? Well, you could send up smoke signals! That's very OLD school. :D

LIghtning Strike
 

Did you actually tell Comcast you were installing a new modem, if not you have to get it authorized or it will not connect, basically it is your modem, contact Comcast or open a browser page to see if it goes to Comcast and answer the questions to get your connection back.

Yes I installed a new modem/router including the Xfinity part. It is a lot easier these days. No need to talk to anyone

Wow nice result with Comcast!!! :bigbow:

WOW... SECO told us our tvs were covered if newer than 5 years old.
We have the surge protector service...
:shocked::shocked::shocked:

The small print from SECO. Notice that the strike cannot be between your house and the transformer.

Under no circumstances will MTI guarantee performance due to a lightning strike not carried down the utility power
lines and through the utility transformer and then the SPD to the residence.
This warranty excludes all stand-alone “electronic equipment” using microchip, microprocessor or transistor technology, such as but not limited to computers, televisions, DVD Players/Recorders and Security Systems.

I read the entire SECO surge protector warranty and I could not determine that anything that is covered by the warranty. They don't cover electrical outlets or wiring, security systems, fire alarm systems, electronics, or anything with a motor or a microchip. Washers, dryers, microwaves, and almost everything else you plug in has a microchip. So, what is covered by their warranty???

I agree that not much, if anything of real value, is covered. I know some people who have the SECO "ring" on their power meter and I read the warranty and came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the money, plus I have home owner's insurance.

Surge protectors are a risk reduction if the power line is hit. There are many other ways a strike can enter the home.

Best that can be done to further reduce risk is add protector at key devices and a lightening protection system. But still no guarantee.

Homes South of 44 have thin wall metallic gas lines in the attic that are a reason some are adding lightening protection systems.