A few issues with my new M1 router

Question

Hi everyone,&nbsp;&nbsp;I just purchased this router on amazon (France) and started using it.I quickly ran into the "battery overheating" issue. I updated the firmware but it didn't change much. One thing I tried and that seems to work is that I had a 256G sd card, and now I've removed it and I don't get the "battery heating" indicator so far, although it's not charging really fast. Also, I might be crazy but looks like some power outlets give me the 'heat problem' and some other don't.&nbsp;I've seen there's a few threads about this, but wondering if there was a fix, or a specifig configuration (for instance people were talking about 'ethernet standby' but I'm not sure if I should have it set to 'disabled' or '2 min').&nbsp;The usage I plan to do with this router is:- Mainly plugged in, I'm going to a remote area this summer where there's no internet except 4G network. I would use the router as the main internet provider of the house- Also, on the go (car, train, etc)- I don't plan to use ethernet at all- Ideally I'd like to put a SD card with content on it (for instance for watching content in the plane), but that's optional (turns out the UX is pretty poor, can't really stream directly from the device - if you know how to, let me know!)&nbsp;One other thing: I was not able to change anything on the administration on my router using chrome (the 'apply' button wouldn't load), but then I tried using Safari and it worked.&nbsp;&nbsp;Configuration: I'm not sure what informatino is helpful so I'll update this post as requested:- firmware is up to date: NTG9X50C_12.06.12.00&nbsp;Thanks!Geeum

icaruspony · Answer

If you are leaving it plugged in, do not have the battery in. It will swell and possibly explode. This is true of all lithium ion batteries. You don't leave them plugged in 24/7.

Geeum · Answer

Update: I left the router plugged in all night and it went all the way to 100%.

This morning I tried to put the sdcard back, and sure enough I got the heat warning icon. Then I removed the sdcard, butthe router still got the heat warning (I turned it off, let it cool, then plugged it in and after 20 minutes or so I got the warning).

Any idea how to fix this? For now I removed the battery and I have the router plugged in.

Note: the temperature where I am gets much cooler in the night so it might explain why it went all the way to 100%. That being said, it's not particularly hot during the day, so I'm surprised I get the heat warning issue.

Geeum · Answer

icaruspony&nbsp;wrote:If you are leaving it plugged in, do not have the battery in. It will swell and possibly explode. This is true of all lithium ion batteries. You don't leave them plugged in 24/7.Cool, thanks, I'll do that. A few follow-up questions:&nbsp;1- Can you remove/add the battery while the router is on? Or should I turn it off? The design allows to do either2- Any advice for charging the battery without running into the heat warning (which stops charging)? I will need to take the router on the road (car/train) so I'll need a 100% battery3- I read here and there people saying the stock charger is worthless and one should use a better charger, is there any truth in this?4- Is the SD card an issue? What about the ethernet mode? Is there any setting that would reduce heat?5- Would it be possible to insultate the battery?&nbsp;Thank you so much!

icaruspony · Answer

1. This depends on how often the device polls for the battery's presence. If it only does so on boot up, then a reboot would be necessary.2. The battery stops charging if the temperature goes above a threshold. Temperature is affected by use (wifi/cpu heat), ambient temperature, and airflow. Leaving the battery door off and using a fan could help, perhaps. Or moving the device to a cooler location (ex basement instead of attic) if applicable and if wifi conditions permit. You could also offload the wifi workload to a separate router connected via ethernet (which could also improve wifi and add new features) . I have also heard people adding small heatsink (like you find on ebay) to the chips inside the device where clearance permits.3. I use the stock power supply but do not have a battery inserted. I would say it is not a lack of sufficient power, or else the battery wouldn't be getting hot while charging. You can try a USB C charger with higher available amperage, but either nothing different will happen or the battery will try to charge faster (at the cost of producing MORE heat).4. The SD card could be an issue. There were some SD cards that got so hot, themselves, that they melted a hole in the plastic of some Nintendo Switches. However, I doubt a high-temperature SD card that is not touching the battery is doing much to the temperature, but then again, maybe it is contributing some heat. Have you tried a different SD card to see if you get the same results? As for the ethernet, if you aren't using it and you set it to sleep after 2 minutes instead of staying on, obviously, this saves electricity and reduces heat. Although probably not as much heat savings as leaving the ethernet on always and disabling the 2.4ghz and 5ghz radios that produce much more heat, and using an external router. This is the setup I have with an Asus AC86U router that has hardware VPN encryption.5. You don't want to completely insulate the battery on all sides because the battery needs to dissipate its own heat or it will explode. The battery also rests against an internal heatsink (the one with the sticker with all the print on it). This heatsink is trying to dissipate heat as well, meaning the chips and the battery are heating each other. Ideally, the battery would be external, connected by a wire. You could simulate this with a USB C rechargeable battery pack plugged into the USB port, it would just be slightly less portable.

Geeum · Answer

OK.&nbsp;&nbsp;1- I just tried, looks like I can hot swap the battery in and out.2- Sounds crazy that I have to take my router to the basement just for charging its battery. Maybe I'll just turn it off and charge it.&nbsp;3- Got it. I think I'll do just like you and use the stock power supply with the battery removed4- SD card: I think I just won't use one. The UX is super poor anyway (for instance on my iphone, it downloads the file on my device before playing it with a 3rd party player. I would have assumed I could have streamed directly).4- ethernet: I'm confused, I thought 'disabled' meant ethernet was off. This is not what this means? In which case, the best setting is leaving it to '2 minutes'?4- wifi: I should probably turn off the 2.4ghz and only keep the 5ghz, but not sure which devices would not be able to connect to it (it mentions 'old devices', but not sure how old)5- Got it. Good thinking about having the battery removed, and power it with a battery pack, but I think like you said it will be a bit bulky and the internal battery will be ok for the trips I'll take.

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A few issues with my new M1 router

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