So I cut a hole in my modem.

Pattonias

I use a DSL modem from At&t and it has provided me with so much joy I can barely contain myself.

Over the last six months or so and I have noticed that despite my paying for 3mb down I usually got .9 to 1.5 on average, but after several days it would slowly dwindle until it finally reached about .2mb and I would reset the modem. This would start the whole process over again.

Every time I reset the modem, I would notice that it was incredibly hot. Finally I got fed up and I decided to take it apart and attempt to improve its airflow if I could. Taking it apart was not hard at all, and I found that it worked fine when put together without its case.

I went to RadioShack and bought a heat sink and attached it to the most important looking chip on the board. I then cut a hole through the case above the chip, which permitted the heat sink to sit in fresh air.
Once I put it all back together, I plugged it back in and ran it for a few hours. I tested the speed and I was getting a solid 3.5 mb down without any variation. After a week I have still not reset the modem and I am still getting 3.5 mb down. When you touch the heat sink it is very, very hot. I have considered attaching a small fan, but at the moment their appears to be no need.

I make this post because I had done a little research into this before I made this attempt, and I found mixed feeling about how effective this might be. I can say that from my experiment, that adding a heat sink to improve the cooling of your modem may be a good idea if you are getting sub-par service and you find your modem is excessively hot to the touch.

NeoDevin

Sending it back as defective is out of the question?

Pattonias

I'm fairly sure the design is the problem, they simply don't design the modem to dissipate the amount of heat that it puts off. This isn't the first modem that I have noticed getting hot. My neighbors modem of the same model is the same way. The modem is out of warranty and a new one from AT&T is about 25 dollars, so I thought I would go out on a limb and try a different solution.

So far I am pleased with the results. A less radical solution would have been to get heat sinks that were small enough to not need a hole in the case. As I was doing this somewhat on the spur of the moment, I didn't want to hunt for a better heat sink. This was more of an experiment than anything. I am just very pleased with the results. I had intended only to avoid having to cycle the router as often as I was, and now I haven't had to do it since I have made the modification. The increased speeds are a bonus I had not expected. Honestly the modem had never been running this fast. I think that it would just get too hot and end up failing.

If had been a more expensive dsl modem, such as the wireless model, I probably would have pestered them until they sent me a replacement unit.

Mark44

Clever sig!

Pattonias

Thank you

pallidin

Welcome to the world of cheaper electronics needing proper heat-dissipation not built-in for long term use.

Mark44

OTOH, I have a DSL modem from Verizon that's been working just fine for about 4 1/2 years. When it's in use it is warm to the touch, but not hot. I think the brand is Westell.