Can your modem overheat

However, sometimes they get too hot or damaged due to excess heat. What makes them hot? Is it a design flaw? Are you overusing them? This leads to poor convection of heat from the modem. To prevent this, always clean your modem, keep it upright, and give it at least 4 inches 10 centimeters of clearance.

In most homes, modems are constantly running. They continuously communicate with your Internet Service Provider and handle all traffic to and from the internet. Like other electronics, modems with a heavier thermal load accumulate more heat. As you start gaming and streaming from multiple devices, the modem will work harder to accommodate these additional connections and start to produce more heat. Clean them out as much as needed.

Hackers can hijack it to harvest your personal information, commandeer your smart devices, install malware on your computer and redirect your traffic to fake websites. This newly discovered malware campaign does precisely that. Read more about this attack. Why not share your source of digital lifestyle news, tips and advice with others? When your friends and family subscribe to Kim's free newsletters, you earn points toward awesome rewards! Skip to Content. Sometimes, your modem may over heat frequently and it may get exhausting to frequently move it and put on a fan.

If you are looking for a more permanent solution to keep your modem from overheating, then you should consider purchasing a cooler that has been designed to reduce overheating on your modem.

Coolers and cooling pads, operate to reduce the temperatures that stress your modem. It works by moving air around your modem and pushed cold air into ventilators to remove the heat instantly. One of the most recommended coolers for your modem is the Evercool Dr. It is very easy to set up because all you need to do is extend the clips, fit in your modem and power it up using a USB. It cools your modem at the top and the bottom at the same time.

However, in case the bottom of the modem continues to remain hot, you can elevate it on a block surface with the cooler on top to allow air to flow in from the bottom as well for more efficiency. Generally, the fixed operating temperature of your modem should be between zero and forty degrees Celsius. Whenever, the temperatures go above forty degrees, your modem starts to overheat and becomes slow. If this persists, then your modem can turn itself off either temporarily or permanently.

As you make use of your modem, you should always keep in mind that when your modem overheats it needs to be brought back to its normal temperatures for it to work effectively. Anything beyond this will cause your modem to overheat. When your modem begins to overheat you will notice connectivity issues such as dropped internet connections without any kind of warning.

Now, keeping the can upright, aim directly at the vents from about an inch away then spray them with quick, short bursts. If your router is hot to the touch, it could be a sign that a firmware update is needed.

It's just like a PC, except most router builds—especially older models—aren't designed with cooling in mind. Heat is bad. It affects performance in the short term by slowing connection and dropping signal.

Go to the Lights Your router has a series of indicator lights, usually located on the front of the device. These lights will let you know if your router is operating properly. The indicator lights will usually show functions that include power, Internet connection and Wi-Fi signal strength. Asked by: Vannessa Jankowska technology and computing computer networking How do you know if your router is overheating? Last Updated: 14th August, Jianlin Goce Professional.

How do I cool down my router? Place the router on a hard and flat surface ideally something cool , which should allow the air to move freely around it especially below the device. Wall mounting the device can also help vertically. In other words, never put your router on a surface that doesn't allow heat to escape e. Prabhjot Seimann Professional. Can a router start a fire? Complete hardware failure, of not only the router but the computer's motherboard, occurs in the worst-case scenario from a scorching router.

Some computer owners confess to burns from touching a super-hot router ; an overheating router can even start a fire. Joe Houten Professional. What causes router to overheat? A pretty box, a hollowed out book, a drawer or a basket can prevents hot air from circulating out of the router , raising the temperature of the device. Ultimately, it could cause your router to overheat. Even if your router doesn't overheat , tucking it away may slow down your connection.

Audelino Esterlechner Explainer. Why does my router get so hot?