Can a cable modem freeze from the cold?

[armaneo]

This summer, I placed my cable modem (Motorola SB6141) in a networking box in my garage.  The box is right next to the garage door itself and is not well insulated.  Recently, the temperature dropped in my neighborhood to approximately -20 degrees celcius.  While I don't think the modem is exposed to quite those temperatures (it's probably more like -10 degrees in the garage), I was wondering if the extreme cold could pose any problems.  My gut tells me no since the hardware is so simple, but I'm no expert or even moderate tech person.

 

I'm asking because today, my internet has been extremely spotty, i.e., on for 5 minutes, off for 5 minutes.  And my ISP says there are no reported outages.  Could this be due to cold?  Should I move it inside (which will come at extreme burden and tradeoff of signal)?

[dragoon20005]

not really freezing from the cold but possible condensation will damage the modem

[Enderman]

Yeah it can, but condensation is more of an issue than temperature, especially when you put it in a garage.

[armaneo]

OK.  Thanks everyone.  There isn't much temperature fluctuation in the garage, and, generally, there is not much moisture in the garage or near the networking box, so I think I should be safe from condensation.  I would imagine the condensation would have to be of the nature that I could actually see moisture on surfaces or frost on items, right?  Definitely don't have that.

[Ssoele]

I just looked in the manual and the operational temperatures are between 0°C to 40°C.

[armaneo]

I just looked in the manual and the operational temperatures are between 0°C to 40°C.

 

Damn it.  Damn you weather.  What in the modem could possibly suffer from cold alone? Wouldn't the modem actually welcome the cold and operate better/more efficiently in it?  (Notably, the storage temperature goes down to -30°C).

[dalekphalm]

Damn it.  Damn you weather.  What in the modem could possibly suffer from cold alone? Wouldn't the modem actually welcome the cold and operate better/more efficiently in it?  (Notably, the storage temperature goes down to -30°C).

Cold isn't always good for electronics. You're thinking about CPU's and cooling too much. The circuit boards and chips inside that modem aren't exactly super high end in the sense that they aren't built for extreme temperatures. Plastics and other materials expand and contract with temperature changes. With cold, they contract (shrink). This can cause micro fractures in the PCB or even cause chips to crack or traces to break (though this is rather extreme).

 

Have you tested the humidity level in the garage? It might be higher then you think. Even minor amounts of condensation can cause issues or even short out the device, especially if subjected to this repeatedly.

 

Also keep in mind that using your modem outside the operating temperatures DOES void your warranty. Of course, they likely won't catch you, so you're probably still fine there. I would highly suggest insulating the box/cabinet that the modem is in. This will help keep the temperatures closer to the operating range, and the heat a modem normally produces will help to heat the inside of the cabinet.

[armaneo]

Cold isn't always good for electronics. You're thinking about CPU's and cooling too much. The circuit boards and chips inside that modem aren't exactly super high end in the sense that they aren't built for extreme temperatures. Plastics and other materials expand and contract with temperature changes. With cold, they contract (shrink). This can cause micro fractures in the PCB or even cause chips to crack or traces to break (though this is rather extreme).

 

Have you tested the humidity level in the garage? It might be higher then you think. Even minor amounts of condensation can cause issues or even short out the device, especially if subjected to this repeatedly.

 

Also keep in mind that using your modem outside the operating temperatures DOES void your warranty. Of course, they likely won't catch you, so you're probably still fine there. I would highly suggest insulating the box/cabinet that the modem is in. This will help keep the temperatures closer to the operating range, and the heat a modem normally produces will help to heat the inside of the cabinet.

 

Yea.  That makes sense.  But, the storage temperature permits as low as -30 degrees, while the operational floor is 0 degrees.  Maybe the fluctuations in temperature when operating is not good for the parts.  Argh.

[dalekphalm]

Yea.  That makes sense.  But, the storage temperature permits as low as -30 degrees, while the operational floor is 0 degrees.  Maybe the fluctuations in temperature when operating is not good for the parts.  Argh.

With electricity flowing through the device, you'll have temperature increases and fluctuations, all of which can cause more damage. If the device is turned off, with no power, then it can handle temperature changes more easily without damage.