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Forum Discussion
New Firmware -- Overtemp warning
Saw a new message and icon on my mr1100 since updating to the most recent AT&T firmware a week or so ago.
While it's good that the mr1100 now tells you why it is not charging -- due to battery/device over temp. Both in words and with a spiffy new icon (see attached).
But, it doesn't change the fact that the unit is way too temperature sensitive. The otherday I went to charge my device after only an hour or so normal usage. The mr1100 was slighlty warm in my hand from usage on a mild summers day (in the shade). And it refused to charge.
I had to turn the unit off, remove the back cover, and let it sit open for 30min or so to get it to accept a charge. Of course then, when I plugged in the power to charge the unit annoyingly turns on. So then I had to wait for it to boot, then shut it down, all because the safety temp thresholds are way to low (or sensors are not properly calibrated).
32 Replies
Hi JSchnee21,
Welcome to NETGEAR Community!
What is the current firmware version?
Do you have Ethernet standby enabled?
What is the temperature of the battery being reported on the device diagnostic page on the MR1100 UI?
Regards,
Blanca
Community TeamHI Blanca,
Thanks for following up. At the time, I believe Ethernet standby was "disabled." When Ethernet is on (aka not disabled) the idle train on the battery is definately increased which could elevate the unit and battery temperatures. But since then I've changed it to 2min as I am not using Ethernet right now (but I do from time to time)
Here are my unit's details:
MR1100-1A1NAS, H/W 1.0, SKU 6112B
Purchased March 2018FW: NTG9X50C_12.05.05.00
FW Date: 2018/07/25, AT&T Wi-Fi
PRI: 03.12
Web: MR1100-1A1NAS_04.01.70.02
Current Temp: 26 degrees C (78.8F)*
Battery Temp: 26 degrees C (78.8F)**Unit was turned off overnight sitting inside my house whose
ambient temperature is 71F (21.67C)Currently, at this temperature, the mr1100 will accept a charge. I didn't check the temp
when it was refusing a charge a couple days ago, but from fealing it in my hand it was definately warmer at that time -- perhaps approximately body temperature.Compared to ambient, the temperature sensors definately have at least a 3 to 4 degrees C positive bias (aka calibration error).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery
It's generally accepted that Lithium Ion batteries have a working and charging range of at least 5C to 45C.
Though some reputable sources claim that up to 60C is fine
https://ehs.mit.edu/site/sites/default/files/documents/Lithium%20Battery%20Safety%20Guidance.pdf
For example, my iPhone which sits in my pocket which is ~35C all day readilly accepts a charge under heavy use on at hot summers day when the device it at least 50C.
In order for the MR1100 to be practical, it must be able to accept a charge while simultaneously under normal to heavy data use (wifi, ethernet USB) under ambient conditions that are at least 75-85F.
Next time I get the message that the unit is unable to charge, I'll try to get the temperatures for you.
Thank you,
Jonathan
As another piece of data. I just ran a few speed tests on the unit -- maybe 5 -- from my phone which is tethered via Wifi (5.8Ghz). And the temperatures (as reported on the Web Admin page) have already climbed to:
Current Temperature 34C
Battery Temperature 30C
Now after sitting idle for a few minutes the current temperature has fallen back to 31C.
Once again, ambient temperature is only 21 to 22C.
-Jonathan
I discovered this thread just this evening.
I first got an mr1100 last December. In short order, it was clear that the battery wouldn't charge very far, getting stuck <20% and never improving. I thought I had a bad battery. I didn't think much of it because the device has been always at home. But it needs to go genuinely mobile soon, so I finally (this past Monday) got a warranty replacement of the entire unit because AT&T aren't equipped to replace just the battery. New unit came to life without incident after interacting with AT&T on the phone for ICCID & IMEI. Settings were loaded from saved backup.
New unit fired up and immediately requested firmware update. Now I have new LAA and AP isolation capabilities, as well as this battery nonsense. My new unit is again not charging, stuck below 40%. See attached image for stats. Device screen says "Battery Heat Mode -- Battery charging stopped due to high device temperature." It's mildly idiotic for it to be panicking over heat yet also report "battery status - normal" and "battery charge status - yes".
I'm guessing my original unit was fine as well, but just didn't have the firmware smarts to say what it thought was wrong. Frankly, this is inane -- my unit sits on a table in my home office 95% of the time, always plugged in. How exactly is it getting so warm? Why are its tolerances so finnicky when this is as bland an environment as one could ask for?
Unit is Gen1, firmware 12.05.05.00, build date 2018/07/25. Ethernet standby is disabled (attached to house network on a Netgear switch, for wired printer & other devices) and unit is always on, acting as the external gateway for the household. Having ethernet on is no excuse for reacting badly to warmth.
Hi vanillaknot,
I've actually never seen the behavior you describe where the unit starts charging but then gets to a certain percentage and stops. While I agree it could be a thermal issue, I would not expect charging to stop at the same battery percentage each time -- unless the battery (or charging circuit) were defective as you already surmised.
So you had your unit replaced under warranty and the replacement is still a Gen1? That's surprising to me, I didn't think AT&T was still stocking the Gen1. How did you go about getting it replaced? Corporate over the phone? Or a local store? Did they hassle you or was it a piece of cake?
Total agree that the thermal envelope parameters are crazy small and/or the placement of the sensors is too close to a heat source or miscalibrated. Or all of the above.
Here are two things I would try:
1) Put your mr1100 and battery in the refridgerator for a few hours and then try to charge it. If it is truly a thermal issue you should be able to charge further befor tripping the thermal overload. While charging, turn the unit upside down and remove the back cover. If you have a small fan or "Cool pack" / "Blue Ice" etc. you can cool it down as it charges -- but be careful you don't get condensation/liquid water in the unit.
2) I threw out the stock charger that came with it long ago. And am using an Anker QC3 charger. This charges the battery at a faster rate and higher voltage and may help it get past an internal inefficiences more easily. The mr1100 only supports QC2 I believe, but the Anker falls back. I'm using both the original USB to USC cord from Netgear and one I bought from Anker -- both seem to perform the same
3) I only usually charge my mr1100 when it is turned off. Aka my kids use it in the car to watch shows, when they get home I take the mr1100, put it on charge, verify the charging indicator comes on, then turn off the unit (so it doesn't interfere with the Wifi in my house). Generally, unless the unit is too warm it will start charging right away. But sometimes the USBC connection doesn't "sync" and nothing happens. At which point I unplug the USBC, wait and few seconds and plug it back in or switch to the other USBC wire I have. It seems there is some negotiation that takes place. Once I'm good I shutdown the unit.
Some have claimed that when the unit cools down, it will start charging automatically. Also that when left plugged in as the battery drains it will start charging automaticlly and then stop when full.
If none of these things work, I suggest creating a real support ticket with Netgear
Good luck,
Jonathan
How can I tell if I have the old or new model of the Nighthawk?
Two ways. Either open up the back, remove the battery, and there's a tag there.
Or, while the unit is running, login to the self-management web pages and go to WiFi Status -> Device.
vanillaknot wrote:Two ways. Either open up the back, remove the battery, and there's a tag there.
Or, while the unit is running, login to the self-management web pages and go to WiFi Status -> Device.
Thank you kindly for the prompt reply. It is much apreciated.
I'm a newbie here, what am I looking for on the screenshot? (what tells if it's the old or new model?)
Does the MR1100 Nighthawk log errors that record that it has overheated at some time?
JSchnee21 wrote:Saw a new message and icon on my mr1100 since updating to the most recent AT&T firmware a week or so ago.
While it's good that the mr1100 now tells you why it is not charging -- due to battery/device over temp. Both in words and with a spiffy new icon (see attached).
But, it doesn't change the fact that the unit is way too temperature sensitive. The otherday I went to charge my device after only an hour or so normal usage. The mr1100 was slighlty warm in my hand from usage on a mild summers day (in the shade). And it refused to charge.
I had to turn the unit off, remove the back cover, and let it sit open for 30min or so to get it to accept a charge. Of course then, when I plugged in the power to charge the unit annoyingly turns on. So then I had to wait for it to boot, then shut it down, all because the safety temp thresholds are way to low (or sensors are not properly calibrated).
One of the failings of the MR1100 is that it provides no user-accessible logging at all.
I have two Nighthawks units that are both plugged in all the time. I use them for home interent due to living in a rural area. One of them is still working like a champ. The other is now displaying the battery heat mode and "turns off" the LAN port. I did a factory reset and it fixed it for about two hours and then I lost internet connection again. Check on the unit and it says battery heat mode and no internet but the unit is still working on WiFi. Anyone else have this problem? And is this strickly a firmware problem? Thanks!
Turning off LAN port: Are you sure you don't have "ethernet standby" set? See screenshot.
Otherwise, sounds like maybe your unit is just aging prematurely.
I am also a rural user of my MR1100 as the household's main connection. AT&T service in my area is quite good. I get steady rates in the range 40-70Mbps, better in the evenings and on weekends, of course. I'm insufferably annoyed that I can't reasonably take the thing mobile, but fortunately we have another hotspot (Unite) that does pretty well, too. One of the big advantages of the MR100 for us is the LAN port to keep it connected to the household wired LAN as well as providing wifi.
The recent busy-ness of this thread is indicative of how badly Netgear needs to address the problem. But I doubt that they're listening at all.
Does the Nighthawk MR1100 log somewhere that it had an "Overtemp" warning? Mine is plugged in 24/7 and feeds a SOHO router via Ethernet. How can I tell if the Nighthawk is experiencing this?
The only indication is the front screen, which will say "battery heat mode" plus words that charging is suspended. In this case, the web page indicators are stupidly wrong (see screenshot), because it says "battery charge status - yes" even though it's losing charge.
