Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 39 Location: Alabama, USA
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:27 am Post subject: Fonera's Heat Problems
I have heard some people say they have had some problems with DD-WRT on their foneras such as loosing signal frequently, or rebooting, and it might be because their foneras are getting too hot. I had also heard about foneras getting too hot and possibly melting here: http://tech.am/2007/03/17/fonera-overheating-are-we-cooking-yet/. That site claims that at the current tempratures, the electronics inside the fonera will only last 7800 hours, or about 325 days. I have been noticing my fonera getting pretty hot, and the heat sync inside, sometimes, is too hot to touch. So I decided to do something about it.
I used a razor knife and a T-square ruler to cut a grid into the cover of the fonera with lines approximately 1/2 inches apart. I then used a drill to drill holes where the lines met.
Also, while I had the fonera open, I used a sharpie to black out the LED lights. They were really bright when the lights were turned off and it was keeping me up at night. The LEDs still light up, but they are not nearly as bright.
I put it back togeather and admired what I had done. Then it hit me. The holes I drilled were about the same size as the antenna hole in the back. I decided to move the antenna to the top of the router. After I put the antenna in the middle of the router cover, I realized that I could mount it on the wall with the antenna pointing up and the cords going down.
I realize this isn't 100% related to DD-WRT, but I hope it helps some folks who have been having problems with their fon rebooting.
want to try drilling the hole on the other side of fonera (opposite of ethernet and power) and actually have antenna point up when mounting on wall ?
That should give best coverage.
want to try drilling the hole on the other side of fonera (opposite of ethernet and power) and actually have antenna point up when mounting on wall ?
That should give best coverage.
What about trying to add a second antenna using the second mounting pad on the circuit board?
Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 39 Location: Alabama, USA
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:32 pm Post subject:
User47 wrote:
want to try drilling the hole on the other side of fonera (opposite of ethernet and power) and actually have antenna point up when mounting on wall ?
That should give best coverage.
The only reason why I didn't do this is because I would have had to cut the wire that goes to the antenna already because it's not long enough. I just didn't have the time to do it this time. Might have to do this in the future.
One problem with that might be that the wire could come too close to the heat sync.
gowking wrote:
What about trying to add a second antenna using the second mounting pad on the circuit board?
I might do this with the antenna from one of my other fons... More to come...
Those holes on the top plastic will allow the dust to accumulate easily inside the fonera, after some days the metal parts will just be full of dust and the fonera will just be destroyed, look at your electronic devices like TV sets or routers, if you want to have holes on the top you need to have very small holes and/or someking of dust barrier.
Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 39 Location: Alabama, USA
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:09 pm Post subject:
PJMDS wrote:
after some days the metal parts will just be full of dust and the fonera will just be destroyed
Hasn't been destroyed without a cover on it for a few months. Also, have you looked inside most computers? Most people's computers are filled with dust, and they work fine. I also clean things in my house every now and again.
after some days the metal parts will just be full of dust and the fonera will just be destroyed
...Also, have you looked inside most computers? Most people's computers are filled with dust, and they work fine...
I know what you mean. My old PC had an overheating problem, so i took one of the side panels off and ran it like that - no problems at all. I think there was a creepy crawly living in there at one point.
after some days the metal parts will just be full of dust and the fonera will just be destroyed
Hasn't been destroyed without a cover on it for a few months. Also, have you looked inside most computers? Most people's computers are filled with dust, and they work fine. I also clean things in my house every now and again.
The cover protects the fonera from the dust that comes from the top (90% of the dust will come from the air on top of the fonera), the hot air still gets out by the side holes easily, you can't compare one computer to your fonera with the giant holes on the top, computers don't have the top open and the cooling parts exposed to the dust that comes from above, I got tired to open computers so I know what I'm talking about, when you say "Most people's computers are filled with dust", those are computers that will have problems sooner or later due to overheating.
You can clean your house everyday but the dust will enter your fonera by the giant holes, in less than one month the fonera will have more than enough dust inside it to overheat, you think that your house is clean but that's only because your eyes can't see the small particles of dust suspended in the air, there's dust everywhere.
Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 39 Location: Alabama, USA
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:10 pm Post subject:
PJMDS wrote:
you can't compare one computer to your fonera with the giant holes on the top, computers don't have the top open and the cooling parts exposed to the dust that comes from above
My fonera doesn't have fans bringing in the dust like a computer does. My point was that settleing dust is nowhere near the amount in a computer because the fans are constantly bringing in air and dust.
PJMDS wrote:
in less than one month the fonera will have more than enough dust inside it to overheat, you think that your house is clean but that's only because your eyes can't see the small particles of dust suspended in the air, there's dust everywhere.
Cleaning reduces the amount of dust in the air, and I plan on blowing the fonera out every now and again.
I guess in a month we'll just have to see if it's still working, or if it sets my house on fire because of the massive amounts of dust that have accumulated on the heatsync. I won't even clean the fonera between now and then.
That actually looks kinda cool though. Now you should paint the whole thing black and put some mesh behind the holes with an extra led or two and rice that sucker out lol.
Great idea!!