The SurgeGate Cat6-LAN solid-state primary surge protector from ITW Linx features circuitry that allows the device to provide the quick response times characteristic of solid-state devices along with a low capacitance typically associated with gas-tube technology. The surge protector is UL 497-listed and is tested to Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards, ITW Linx says.
Of the quick-response/low-capacitance combination, ITW Linx director of new product development Mo Masghati said, “Today the market is divided between gas tube and solid state primary surge protectors, each of which offers unique performance advantages and disadvantages. The SurgeGate Cat6-LAN is unique in that its patented design allows it to offer the faster response time benefits of solid state circuitry and the lower capacitance level typically associated with gas tube technology, bringing together the best of both worlds.”
The company further explained that solid state protectors are superior to gas tube technology because the solid state devices have response times up to 1,000 times faster. “Whereas the SurgeGate Cat6-LAN can stop a lightning surge in as little as 2 to 5 nanoseconds, equivalent gas tube technology can take as much as 4,000 to 5,000 nanoseconds,” the company says. “This makes it far more likely that gas tube technology will not respond quickly enough to avoid surge damage.”
Additionally, the solid state circuitry in the surge protector does not have moving parts and does not generate additional heat, ITW Linx notes. By contrast, the company says, the ionization chambers required for gas tube technology generates heat that can reach up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The traditional advantage of gas tube technology, its lower capacitance level for greater ease of data transmission, is closely mirrored in the new SurgeGate Cat 6-LAN,” ITW Linx asserts. “The technology’s patented design features special circuitry allowing for a typical capacitance of 6 to 8 nF [nanofarad], very close to the 2 to 5 nF provided by gas tube technology and significantly superior to the 1,700 nF provided by traditional solid state protectors.”
The protector contains all the hardware necessary for proper initial grounding, the company says, and offers a connected-equipment warranty up to $50,000 for any damage to equipment that is properly protected by it.