modem needs reboot

[apoyusiken]

a few times a day my internet drops down under 1 mbps and sometimes the modems http interface becomes untesponsive, when i reboot it the problem disappears. i thougt maybe it was overheating and put a heatsink on it but no luck. i had this problem with multiple routers over the years, do you have an idea on how it is and how i can solve it?

[CasualExtremist]

Pictures might help. I am curious what you mean exactly by "put a heat sink on" and what existing conditions look like.

[OhioYJ]

What did you put a heat sink on? Just putting a heat sink on the outside won't do anything, in fact it may be impeding airflow. 

 

I've done several things over the years, I've added fans (as well as extra heat sinks internally):

 

 

Another thing I've used is smart switches / plugs, or even simple old vacation timers to automatically reboot the modem on a schedule to help these situations. 

[apoyusiken]

@OhioYJ @CasualExtremist

believe it or not i gets pretty hot, but dont think too much abt it, the problem is either not overheating or i cant solve it trivially

[CasualExtremist]

26 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

Just putting a heat sink on the outside

Based on the picture OP provided, it really does appear to just be a heatsink on the outside... @apoyusiken, for the love of god, if that is the case, remove it immediately. It is only blocking airflow. I recommend an old PC fan and one of those USB to PC fan adapters to run it on "low speed/noise" to actively push cooler air to components that are overheating. This is usually an easy fix because the back IO of modems typically have at least one USB port to tap into to power the fan.. Otherwise, crack it open and see if there is any existing heat sinks or other cooling devices that might need a refresh on thermal paste or have a ton of dust collected up inside that needs clearing out.

 

I took 30 seconds to type in "modem overheating" on youtube and found top 2 suggested videos that can help you...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXWOa1rH-CM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcDgAcDPhx8

They both take a slightly different approach to apply the same solution.

[apoyusiken]

22 minutes ago, CasualExtremist said:

Based on the picture OP provided, it really does appear to just be a heatsink on the outside... @apoyusiken, for the love of god, if that is the case, remove it immediately. It is only blocking airflow. I recommend an old PC fan and one of those USB to PC fan adapters to run it on "low speed/noise" to actively push cooler air to components that are overheating. This is usually an easy fix because the back IO of modems typically have at least one USB port to tap into to power the fan.. Otherwise, crack it open and see if there is any existing heat sinks or other cooling devices that might need a refresh on thermal paste or have a ton of dust collected up inside that needs clearing out.

 

I took 30 seconds to type in "modem overheating" on youtube and found top 2 suggested videos that can help you...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXWOa1rH-CM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcDgAcDPhx8

They both take a slightly different approach to apply the same solution.

ok but actually the sink pulls some noticrable heat, i can do a better system but i dont think the problem looks to be overheating, when i check the temp with my hands when it fails and runs normally i dont see a difference and when i reboot it can run normally for hours. I wish its as simple as that but doesnt look to be idk.

[OhioYJ]

33 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

ok but actually the sink pulls some noticrable heat

That's not how heatsinks work. Yes you are heating up the chunk of aluminum, but it is not cooling the modem. As mentioned, if anything you are heating up the modem even more by keeping the heat next to it.

 

I can put a heat sink next to my CPU, but it's not going to cool my CPU any. It's not wireless cooling. 

[CasualExtremist]

36 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

ok but actually the sink pulls some noticrable heat, i can do a better system but i dont think the problem looks to be overheating, when i check the temp with my hands when it fails and runs normally i dont see a difference and when i reboot it can run normally for hours. I wish its as simple as that but doesnt look to be idk.

Heat lags in transfer from source to external plastic body, so that test you did on it doesn't always eliminate that as an issue. So the chip on the modem's board inside can get to 100+ degrees F while the outside can feels as as cool as 80 degrees F. The fan is to take that 80 degree air right outside the modem and force it into the area where the 100+ degrees F air is hanging out inside.

 

If you bring a problem to the forums, perhaps try to be more open to suggestions and constructive criticism. 

[CasualExtremist]

38 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

the sink pulls some noticrable heat

You misunderstand the thermodynamics of the situation. Heat leaves the body of the modem. It concentrates on the large mass. By touch it would "feel" like perhaps it it helping by being warm to the touch, but it is really preventing heat from going further away.

[apoyusiken]

30 minutes ago, CasualExtremist said:

If you bring a problem to the forums, perhaps try to be more open to suggestions and constructive criticism. 

theres clearly smt wrong and im tryna find out, i appreciate you guys pointing it out but its just my thought that perhaps its not overheating, mainly bc after reboot it had so much headroom. 

 

so can i figure out if its actually overheating and if then what? i have some fans but how quiet will they be?

[OhioYJ]

13 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

i have some fans but how quiet will they be?

I've already mentioned I used to add fans to my modems and routers for many years. I was only adding small 40mm fans. It doesn't take much, just some air flow to make a huge difference in temperature.  I actually found out it doesn't necessarily need to even be directly over the heatsink, as this wasn't possible in some models / cases, it just needs to be there to help circulate air. 

 

For some models, like my in-laws they had a low quality model, that just need regular reboots, so I just scheduled a reboot in the middle of the night when no one was using it. No more problems. 

 

I can show you ton's of pictures of routers and modems I've added fans to over the years, many have been in the living room, never heard them:

 

Spoiler

 

 

As mentioned, you can test the theory just by setting a fan on top of it to see if cooling it helps prevent the problem.

[apoyusiken]

9 minutes ago, OhioYJ said:

I've already mentioned I used to add fans to my modems and routers for many years. I was only adding small 40mm fans. It doesn't take much, just some air flow to make a huge difference in temperature.  I actually found out it doesn't necessarily need to even be directly over the heatsink, as this wasn't possible in some models / cases, it just needs to be there to help circulate air. 

 

For some models, like my in-laws they had a low quality model, that just need regular reboots, so I just scheduled a reboot in the middle of the night when no one was using it. No more problems. 

 

I can show you ton's of pictures of routers and modems I've added fans to over the years, many have been in the living room, never heard them:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

As mentioned, you can test the theory just by setting a fan on top of it to see if cooling it helps prevent the problem.

i already scheduled a reboot but one random reboot doesnt cut it, yea i will have to try it i guess.

[Donut417]

5 hours ago, OhioYJ said:

I've added fans (as well as extra heat sinks internally):

Ive never wired fans in. But I had a old DLink router that I flashed with DDWRT and it used to run hot as a result. I used a Laptop cooler I had laying around and it kept it good, at least mostly.