Underclocking ASUS RT-N66U

[mustafa803]

Hi.

I know the default cpu/ram is 600,300,150.

I just feel the router is a bit on the hot side so i am considering underclocking the router.

Based on the following chart for Broadcom BCM4706, is it safe to underclock to 400,200 or 300,150? I am just using the router for regualr everyday use. 3 ethernet devices. 2 wifi devices. 1 flash USB. No VPN.

Will underclocking affect performance if we take into consideration that I am using the router for basic internet usage?

{ 200,100,50 0xc0011080, },
{ 300,150,75 0xc00110c0, },
{ 400,200,100 0xc0011100, },
{ 500,250,125 0xc0011140, },
{ 600,300,150 0xc0011180, }, default
{ 632,316,158 0xc00157e8, },
{ 650,325,162 0xc00111a0, },
{ 662,331,165 0xc00111a8, },

 

[wh7qq]

These routers run hot and are perfectly happy provided there is not excessive load on the USB ports, the radios are not over-driven and the cpu is not over-clocked. They do need free ventilation and the upright position is best. Mine has been on 24/7 for over 4 years now with no issues. As they do run hot, I would not advise frequent power cycles that would result in dramatic temperature shifts. I can't speak to the performance issues of under-clocking...never occurred to me to bother. Relax and enjoy your router.

 

[small_law]

After switching back to Merlin a few months ago, I forgot to turn off the USB applications on my N66U. I don't use the USB ports on the router at all, so I usually turn the media and file server features off to spare a little compute.

Just yesterday, I noticed I hadn't turned off the server functions, so I did. My N66U had been running noticeably hotter than usual since I switched back to Merlin, nothing alarming, just a bit warmer. After shutting off the USB applications, it seems to be running a little bit cooler.

tl,dr: shut off the media and file server applications under the USB app settings if you can and see if it helps. The router is perfectly fine with all that stuff on; the radios are happy at ~53° C for example.

 

[Dave Parker]

Had same issue with my N66U and I purchased 2 small USB fans from ebay. One for router and one for Sat. modem. Also purchased a small USB wall charger to power the fans. Better not to use the USB ports on router so as not to add extra load on power supply. As many others have said, this is not really necessary. Never had any problems with N66U running hot, but it doesn't hurt either. Just a personal preference. N66U has now been replaced with AC68U and I continue to use the same fan. Used Merlin firmware on both routers and never had any stability problems.