According to the manufacturer's data, the lightning rod discharged in the early stage attracts the lightning that may appear nearby to the lightning rod in advance through the radiation substance in the needle (or the mechanism of lightning ionization and corona), and leads the lightning current to the earth safely through the good grounding device of the lightning rod. According to different products, the attraction of early discharge is equivalent to the protection range of 60 ~ 100 m independent lightning rod.

There are two prerequisites for using lightning rod for early discharge. First, the lightning rod itself must have a good down lead and grounding device, otherwise, the lightning rod will become a lightning rod and lead to a fire. Second, it is generally not recommended to use it in inflammable and explosive dangerous goods places, because the lightning rod will produce a strong electromagnetic field in the process of receiving lightning, and the potential of metal objects within the range of 1-2 km will rise instantly, which is easy to produce electric sparks and cause explosions.

Because the traditional lightning protection device is divided into four parts: grounding device, down conductor, lightning receptor and lightning arrester. Lightning arrester (lightning rod) calculates its protection range according to its height, that is, the higher the lightning rod, the greater the protection range, the fewer lightning rods needed in the same building, and the fewer grounding devices and down conductors connected with the lightning rod, and the lower the cost. It has certain advantages for the protection of dense buildings or open areas.

However, it should be noted that the pre-discharge lightning rod has not been recognized in China, and only a few countries in the world have officially recognized its function. Therefore, the pre-discharge lightning rod is not recognized in the lightning protection facilities in various regions of China, and can only be used as an auxiliary lightning receptor.