Thunderstorm/Lightning struck, TV HDMI ports not working, CCTV DVR not working and more

aneeshrelan

Estimable
Sep 24, 2014
2
0
4,510
Recently, my area received heavy rainfall with thunderstorm and lightning and on that night I observed a spark near my internet router which tripped the mains electricity. On checking the nearby electrical sockets, didn't find any sign of short circuity but my router did not turn on, even though its power adapter was working (checked its output voltage through a multimeter). Next day morning, I observed that my CCTV DVR was not working which was connected via lan to my router. On further inspection, found out the HDMI switch used to connect multiple devices to a single HDMI port on my TV was also not working anymore and so were the 2 HDMI inputs on my Television. To the switch was connected my CCTV DVR and an extra HDMI cable. The TV, Set-Top box was switched off the night lightning struck (possibly) but the DVR was ON. Contact concerned companies for repair of the damaged appliances as most are under warranty but am unable to find out the cause of all the damage.

One possible explanation I am guessing is that maybe a surge (due to lightning) came through one of the outdoor CCTV camera which caused the DVR to fail and because it was connected to the router, in turn it died. Also, the DVR was connected to the TV via the HDMI switch, the switch died and the HDMI ports on the TV. Can this happen?

Or another possible explanation is that the surge came through the main internet cable causing the router to blow up, in turn killing the DVR connected via LAN and in turn the HDMI switch and HDMI ports on TV.
 

weberdarren97

Estimable
Aug 10, 2015
225
0
4,910
Both are possible and there really isn't a way to tell (that I know of) other than just checking for scarring along connectors and circuit boards if any of them have areas that are visible. Don't void your warranty by opening your equipment simply to determine the cause of something if the companies have chosen to replace the equipment.

I believe that contacting the companies and explaining the situation along with requesting assistance is probably the best route you can take.
 

aneeshrelan

Estimable
Sep 24, 2014
2
0
4,510


I opened the DVR as it was out of warranty and observed blackishness around a set of camera input connector.