Lightning strike enters apartment through coaxial internet cable, blows up gamer's PC — surge causes extensive damage to motherboard, destroys router, and leaves burn marks on the wall

A lightning strike has reportedly turned an internet connection into a destructive pathway for thousands of volts, leaving behind a damaged router and PC motherboard. The rare incident was shared on Reddit by user u/Greatfulx, who claims that during a recent thunderstorm, lightning entered their apartment complex through its coaxial cable infrastructure before damaging their network equipment and desktop PC.

According to the shared photos, the Ethernet port on their PC appears to have suffered extensive damage, leading them to believe the surge traveled from the router into the PC via the Ethernet cable. Notably, the damage on the motherboard appears to be concentrated around the Ethernet port rather than the entire board. While most modern Ethernet ports include surge protection designed to shield devices from electrical faults, an extremely high voltage power surge can potentially overload such safeguards. Additionally, the photos showcase the damaged router alongside large burn marks on nearby walls and the coaxial cable outside the apartment.

"Recent lighting storm struck my complex and traveled down my coaxial cable and into my apartment. Blew up in the middle of the night, so that was scary," the user wrote. "Thought I’d share, not in the position to rebuild so there that I guess!" The user told onlookers in the comments they were chasing up parties over possible negligence after one user pointed out a grounding/earthing attachment outside the building didn't appear to be connected properly.

The incident draws parallels to similar lightning-related hardware damage stories shared on Reddit. In one case, a user reportedly lost internet connectivity after a loud thunderstorm and initially assumed the issue was limited to their network connection. After some inspection, they discovered that the motherboard's dedicated LAN protection component, branded as "LAN Guard," had reportedly detached from the board. The user claimed that a surge possibly traveled through the Ethernet connection and was absorbed by the protective circuitry, potentially preventing more extensive damage to the rest of the PC. A similar lightning-related incident was shared by a user on Reddit who reported that a thunderstorm damaged their PlayStation 5’s Ethernet port while the console was connected via a wired network connection

Such incidents highlight a common vulnerability that is overlooked in most home electronic setups. While many users protect computers and other components with surge-protected power strips or uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), surges can enter through network and communication lines as well. If a lightning strike enters through a coaxial cable, modem, router, or switch, the resulting electrical energy may bypass protections designed primarily for AC power outlets.

Although no consumer-grade protection device can guarantee safeguard against a direct lightning strike, it is highly recommended that coaxial lines are properly grounded and that the use of surge protection for both power and data connections is used where possible.

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