A lightning storm killed my electronics
A direct strike is rare. What actually destroys farm electronics is a surge induced on long runs of copper between buildings — and every one of those runs is an antenna you installed.
What actually works
Both ends of every run between buildings — ethernet, phone, camera, fence. $25–60 each. This is where the damage comes in, and it's the step nearly everybody skips.
The only genuinely immune option for a data link is one with no copper in it. If you're trenching anyway, consider it.
Multiple separate ground rods at different potentials is itself a cause of damage. This is a job to do right, and an electrician is cheap next to the alternative.
Deeply old-fashioned and completely effective. The one thing a surge cannot cross is an air gap.
A $15 strip is designed for small mains transients, not for an induced surge on 400 ft of buried cable. It will fail, usually silently, and most people never know their protection expired years ago.
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lightning damage · surge protection farm · surge killed router · grounding · lightning took out my gate opener · storm fried equipment