My solution to router overheating problems...

[htismaqe]

As I've been posting my thoughts about my new Linksys EA6900 over in the Buying Advice forum, I came to the point where I wanted to record my observations about the unit's heat dissipation (seems to be a common complain with the EA series out on the Net). While I was getting ready to do that, I decided it might good for me to share the reason why I've never had thermal issues with really any home electronic device I've ever owned.

I have a big bag of these:

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608002910662953073&pid=15.1

They're felt furniture sliders for hardwood floors (we have hardwood floors). It took me about 2 seconds after we started using them to realize that I could also use them to improve air flow on all of my gear.

When I buy a new HDD enclosure, router, or whatever, the first thing I do is stick these babies together about 3 high and stick them on the feet of the device. It creates about an inch of clearance underneath and they're sticky enough that they don't shift or fall off but not sticky enough to be permanent.

Hell, I put them on my PS3 and Xbox too. I haven't had a single thermal failure in the 6 or so years I've been doing it. So far, my EA6900 isn't running even warm, let alone hot.

 

[azazel1024]

I've been using LRF for a long time for this sort of thing.

LRF = Little Rubber Feet

Conceptually the same, but it looks a lot better than felt pads for furniture. You can generally find them in the same aisle/section of a home improvement store. Also, you can generally get them up to about 3/4" thick, so you don't have to slap together a bunch of them to get resonable clearance.

 

[chadster766]

I've been using LRF for a long time for this sort of thing.

LRF = Little Rubber Feet

Conceptually the same, but it looks a lot better than felt pads for furniture. You can generally find them in the same aisle/section of a home improvement store. Also, you can generally get them up to about 3/4" thick, so you don't have to slap together a bunch of them to get resonable clearance.

I use LRF too. Luckily I notice the EA6900 overheat possibility right away. It's been working flawlessly with adequate cooling.

 

[Razor512]

I take more of a ghetto approach using thermal tape and salvaged heat sinks

E.g., my 3500l V2

http://i.imgur.com/iBseC.jpg

Handles the hottest summer days perfectly now.

 

[fistv]

I have 12 Direct TV boxes in one 8ft rack in the restaurant, stacked on top of each other, the directv guy put them in that way. Bottom one heated the next up, so on and so on. Finally just went and bought 6 more eia shelves and put two on each shelf. My interm solution was to take these nice cedar blocks out of one brand of cigars shipping boxes we carry that are 1" x 1" x 6" long and use them as legs or spacers. worked well and smelled nice and the 1" space worked well...
Those directv boxes have some kind of heat sink across the bottom front that will leave a blister. Still going to get one or two of those 3 fan setups to go across the back to pull that heat out.

 

[fistv]

I take more of a ghetto approach using thermal tape and salvaged heat sinks

E.g., my 3500l V2

http://i.imgur.com/iBseC.jpg

Handles the hottest summer days perfectly now.

I may have just found a use for all those heat sinks I toss with the mother boards.

 

[azazel1024]

I may have just found a use for all those heat sinks I toss with the mother boards.

Yeah, I've been considering getting a pack of stick on heat sinks at some point since TP-Link does not seem to be a big believer in heatsinks on their routers. That said, they also seem to make routers that run relatively cool to begin with...but it probably wouldn't hurt to have a real hit sink on the CPU in the router either.

Should have a used WDR3600 showing up sometime today for me to play with. Since I got it used and cheap and I know they don't have heat sinks, I'll probably try slapping one in. Just for the heck of it.