Can you be more specific or at least recommend a brand?
View spec numbers. Ask for a 'whole house' protector. Ignore brand names. Repeating again only what is relevant: 1) it must have a dedicated wire to make that all so important 'less than 3 meter' connection to earth. And 2) it must be rated at least 50,000 amps. Did the Belkin sales rep provide any numbers? Or discuss what is critical - earth ground? Of course not. He made subjective sales claims that are best ignored. Because he did not provide numbers.
Apparently you have assumed a protector does protection. No protector does protection. A protector is only a connecting device. Only effective when connected to something completely different - 'protection'.
Over 50% of your questions should be about the other item. Where do hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate? Protectors are simple science. The art is earthing. Only protectors with a short (ie 'less than 3 meter') connection to earth (the protection) will even discuss numbers. Inferior earthing means the world's best protector remains useless. Protection is about spec numbers and earthing. Not about brand names or magic boxes.
A lightning strike far down the street was a direct strike to your every household appliance. Was everything damage? To have damage means both an incoming and outgoing path exist - electricity as taught in primary school science. A best path to earth was incoming on AC mains, through a millimeters gap in the switch, through computer and modem, and then to earth via the coax cable. Cable was not the incoming path. Damage was probably on outgoing paths. A surge, incoming to every appliance, created damage on the outgoing side. Because a surge was all but invited to hunt for earth destructively inside the building. Only some appliances provided that earth connection.
Earth a 'whole house' protector so that lightning is not hunting inside. So that a shortest path to earth remains outside. Nothing (ie Belkin) will stop, block, or absorb a destructive surge. Either a surge is earthed outside. Or earthed destructively inside via appliances.
Facilities that can never have damage always earth a 'whole house' protector. Lightning is typically 20,000 amps. A minimally sufficient 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps. No brand name defines 50,000 amps, 'less than 3 meters' or earth ground. As repeated often: numbers (not a brand name) are only important.
If you need a name, try Siemens, ABB, Clipsal, Keison, General Electric, Leviton, Eaton, Schneider Electric, Ditek, Novaris, Erico, or Protection Group (Polyphaser). Companies with reputations obviously superior to Belkin.
Protection means every incoming utility wire connects to earth BEFORE entering a building. Best protection means no protector. Best protection is a short wire to earth (ie cable modem, satellite dish). Other utility cables (AC electric, telephone) make a 'so short' connection via a 'whole house' protector. The protector is only doing what a wire would do better. More important, proven solutions connect surges to single point earth ground. Spend most time and labor on what actually defines protection - absorbs energy - earthing. Earth ground also has no brand name. And is also defined by other important numbers.
