There is essentially no difference, just different names.
To be more detailed:
Lightning protector:
It is generally used inside the equipment, such as communication power supply and UPS, which all have lightning protectors. , basically all have D-level lightning protection (refer to the German lightning protection standard, 20KA, 8uS). The structure is three varistors (connected between the 3-phase live wire and the neutral wire) and a gas discharge tube (connected between Between the neutral line and the protective ground), each device has a fuse or circuit breaker in front to prevent the lightning arrester from catching fire in the event of a severe lightning strike. There are alarm contacts, which will trigger the equipment alarm when there is a fault.
Lightning protection box:
It is generally used in computer rooms (also called TVSS), such as IDC data centers, small and medium-sized computer rooms, and is essential. It contains one or more enhanced Type of lightning protector, the entire lightning protection box is generally designed according to Class B or Class C lightning protection standards (also refer to the German lightning protection standards), the structure is more complex, has historical records, can record the number of lightning strikes, and has faults Alarm function.