My ethernet drop in a $50 extension cord fried my whole home lab setup

I plugged a PoE switch into a cheap indoor cord for an outdoor camera install last Tuesday. Caught fire at 2am and took out my router, two cameras, and a raspberry pi. Has anyone else lost gear from using the wrong extension cord type?

2 comments

2 Comments

shanes6612d ago

Wait, you're telling me a $50 extension cord started a fire? That's rough man, I've been there with cheap cords myself. I once used a bargain bin cord to power a space heater in my garage and almost burned the place down because the cord was melting right into the carpet. It's crazy how something that seems like a solid deal can end up costing you way more when it takes out your whole rig like that. I've learned the hard way that if the cord feels light or thin for the gauge, it's probably lying about being good for high power stuff. Hope you can salvage some of the gear or at least the insurance covers it.

angelamurphy12d ago

Nah, $50 for an extension cord is plenty for most things, the problem's usually with what you plug into it.