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FTTC box overheating

alanbell1
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎03-08-2011

FTTC box overheating

I got FTTC today, really pleased at first but then it dropped out after an hour or so, called support and they were not too sure what was up with it. We went through a decent diagnosis process and they didn't seem to mind that I was using an Ubuntu laptop which is nice. It didn't get resolved other than "will probably work tomorrow" but later in the day I unplugged the FTTC box because I was rerouting a power socket anyway and when powered up again it connected for a while. This was totally repeatable, the time it stays on for was clearly related to how much time it had been left off to cool down. I read the other reports on this forum about overheating FTTC boxes and have now mounted the thing sideways and will wall mount it properly tomorrow. I expect a lot of people who already have had them installed and are not wall mounted will be having dropouts in the hot weather.
75 REPLIES 75
Bojangles
Grafter
Posts: 102
Registered: ‎24-08-2007

Re: FTTC box overheating

Looking at the vents on the modem you can see that its designed to be vertical. Had ours on non stop since the beginning of May with no problems at all. Shame the engineers who install them aren't saying anything about keeping it vertical.
matt_2k34
Grafter
Posts: 1,300
Registered: ‎09-07-2007

Re: FTTC box overheating

in the meantime try putting a nice big fan if you've got one on it if you've got one.
Bojangles is spot on, verticle mounting helps lots.
i went abit further Smiley
If you call PN CS they should be able to get you a new modem but im assuming that will be a BT engineer visit.
Regards
alanbell1
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎03-08-2011

Re: FTTC box overheating

desk fan pointing at the router keeps it up quite reliably, turn off the fan it dies in minutes. Pretty annoying as I can't have the fan on all the time and every time it reboots I get a new dynamic IP, and when I ordered the package I specifically asked if I could have a static IP, was told yes, ordered it, then found out they can't do a static IP f Cry I can cope with this if the line stays up and I can keep an address for months at a time, but this fan requirement turns it more into a dialup experience than an always on broadband service!
matt_2k34
Grafter
Posts: 1,300
Registered: ‎09-07-2007

Re: FTTC box overheating

Quote
then found out they can't do a static IP

Check here, what package are you on ?
You cant be on Fibre Value, Surely??!
Static IPs cost £5 setup (but then theres no monthly charge, unlike most other ISPs!
Quote
desk fan pointing at the router keeps it up quite reliably,

Have a chat with PN CS about this, You'll probably end up with an engineer visit to replace the cooked modem. The next one you get try and keep cooler (stand vertically if possible)
Regards
alanbell1
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎03-08-2011

Re: FTTC box overheating

yes, I am on the Plusnet Value Fibre package apparently. From poking about it seems I need to upgrade from the £16.49 package to the  £21.49 package to be allowed a static IP - which amounts to a £5 per month charge for the IP address really. Bit annoyed that the value package was missold to me. I wonder if I can upgrade, get an IP and downgrade and keep it.
matt_2k34
Grafter
Posts: 1,300
Registered: ‎09-07-2007

Re: FTTC box overheating

Quote
I wonder if I can upgrade, get an IP and downgrade and keep it.

Rather cheeky!
Someone may be able to "do something" for you, because the original agent did mis-inform you (and a static IP doesnt really cause PN a problem...)
Regards
mkuser
Newbie
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎03-06-2011

Re: FTTC box overheating

In case you follow Matt_2k34 and raise a fault for a cooked modem, make sure that you mention that you keep a fan on it to avoid it overheating. I forgot to do so and the PN guy who picked up the issue thought that the issue had been resolved since it hadn't had any drop-outs in the last day, so it took a couple of extra days before the engineer came and swapped the modem.
Also, I kept my second modem standing on it's side with plenty of empty space around it the whole time, but when it got warm enough outside it still overheated.
alanbell1
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎03-08-2011

Re: FTTC box overheating

heh, I did tell them I had a fan on it, and they still canceled the engineer visit because they re-tested the line, so I sent them a picture. I think I will turn it off for an hour or two each day so they can see it dropping
matt_2k34
Grafter
Posts: 1,300
Registered: ‎09-07-2007

Re: FTTC box overheating

Quote
and they still canceled the engineer

This is WRONG Plusnet you need to start distinguishing that the BT supplied modem is not up to scratch in some cases. - Two Users in the same thread - posts next to each other with the same issue - Doesnt look good on CS agents reading tickets.
Alan, Youd be better off standing the modem on its "other" verticle face, as it remains much cooler (the lights to the right, seems to work best with the two i have)
Regards
AlaricAdair
Champion
Posts: 5,658
Thanks: 647
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎21-03-2011

Re: FTTC box overheating

Not to mention the cost of keeping the fan running - probably close to a tenner a month depending on the size of the fan.
There is another thread about this somewhere.
Now Zen, but a +Net residue.
alanbell1
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎03-08-2011

Re: FTTC box overheating

it is a 40W fan, on it's lowest setting, probably less than 10W, and things running constantly cost approx £1 per year per watt. Anyhow, not bothered about short term costs, and really don't want this to be a long term solution!
lexusuk
Grafter
Posts: 567
Registered: ‎20-10-2009

Re: FTTC box overheating

Hi alanbell1,
Love the cooling solution for the Openreach modem! Cheesy
All joking aside:
@Static IP.  I can see that you have scheduled to upgrade your account.  There is an open ticket on hold for your next billing date to add the Static I.P. for you.  You will receive a confirmation email once added.
@Overheating modem.  I have asked our faults team to take a look at your account and they will be in touch before the end of the day.
Bald_Eagle1
Grafter
Posts: 313
Registered: ‎24-06-2011

Re: FTTC box overheating

Hi Guys,
Just curious. What effect has the overheating modems had on your connection / download speeds?
I had a similar issue, temporarily fixed by a desk fan 4th July.
I have experienced all sorts of issues since then, with download speeds dropping as low as 8 Mb & uploads dropping to 0.7 Mb for part of the time.
The issues may have been due to various coincidental line faults though.
I received modem No. 3 yesterday. It is still a HG612, but is now a version 2B (supposedly much improved).
I still have an unresolved open ticket regarding my download speeds (currently levelled off at around 22Mb - a drop of 11 Mb from before the modem first played up).
@ Alex Rolls: I think you may even have had a dabble in the early days of my now very long open ticket.
I'll let you know the ticket No. if you are at all interested in helping in finding a resolution.
Paul.
matt_2k34
Grafter
Posts: 1,300
Registered: ‎09-07-2007

Re: FTTC box overheating

@baldeagle put the ticket number in anyway, else you'll be waiting for PN to reply in the morning to give it (then another delay for when they get round to finding the ticket ID etc.. (unless they look it up - which isnt hard, just thinking of saving abit of time Wink )
Id recommend that the speed has probably dropped due to the Disconnections caused by the cooking modem. (thus lowering the IP profile on the DLM) if you do a BT Speedtest, id say that this is probs much lower than the 37K + you should be seeing.
Also, if you did a Speedtest.net stylee speed test, it may have been artificially capped at 20mbps at peak time (traffic management, web traffic is capped @ 20mbps)
Again id still recommend propping the modem on its "end" (with the cables on the LHS and the LEDs on the right) -- as you are looking at it. I personally think this is the *coolest* way to run the modem (seems the hot components are "at the top" when stood this way)
Regards