When lightning strikes it can be a serious issue, especially when it comes to phone lines and modems. Lightning commonly causes spikes and surges on your power. Surges and spikes spread throughout the power company's network, affect equipment over large areas, even in your home.

Contrary to popular belief, lightning does not need to strike a power, phone, or monitor line to cause extremely high voltage surges. Lightning between clouds can set up magnetic fields which may also cause surges that can create significant damage.

Also, equipment that is connected to the phone line is prone to damage from lightning. Phone lines are placed on the same utility poles as power lines all across the county, so surges and spikes are given great opportunity to enter phone systems. This makes it easy to cause damage or interference to modems. In severe cases, spikes and surges entering a modem may travel through the modem, entering the connected equipment, causing extensive damage to that equipment.

If you suspect that your modem may be damaged, you will want to see either the equipment manufacturer or a computer repair company to get it repaired or replaced.