Thermal Issues With Home Internet Gateway/Router as a Cause of Dropped/Slow Internet or Wi-Fi Connection

Been there.  Done that.  Here’s my public record of troubleshooting over the last few months.

I summarized my findings for easy reference here.

And I will add that my current uptime is only 3 days and 16 hours.  The last reboot I documented in my Weekly Reboot thread was probably around a week ago during a period of heavy bidirectional transfer.  But then I had to reboot a few days ago when I wasn’t even on my computer.

Rebooting is annoying but I’d rather do that once a week as opposed to the issues I was having with my previous provider where a reboot did nothing.  I’m in more control now.  I’m only using T-Mobile for home internet and my phones have been on Verizon for years.  If Verizon starts offering a similar service in my area I will be quick to try it out and switch if it’s more stable.

Having that same issue my connectivity started to become an issue and I’ve only had it for 2 months. Was very good WiFi strength to now currently weak WiFi strength. I’ve restarted the home gateway but I’ve never gotten back to very good WiFi strength even though I have coverage. Lately even my cell phone (iPhone 11 pro max) has been experiencing terrible cellular coverage having only one bar. 

I used my hand held temperature and pointed it to my gateway.  It read “HIGH” I bought this fan and set it to medium.  Its very silent. I found this on Reddit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G059G86?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

When I point my Temperature back at the Tower it now says 90 degrees.  You can plug the USB right in to the back of the router tower  or put a little brick on the end.

It really makes a difference.  This fan is a very high quality/build device.  I’m very happy with it.

I have not seen a single user report the actual hardware version. This may be an important factor in the equation. The HTML reporting will show the hardware version. I know mine is 3TG00739AAAA and I do not see heat related issues. Is it important? I cannot say for sure but it is a data point that should be considered and posted. I agree with Farjohn 100% the more facts people report in the thread the better the profile of the facts.

The point made about using the power button is an excellent point. If the router is unplugged and the power switch is still on then it stands to reason the battery can still provide power to the LTE and 5G radios but NOT the WIFI radios.

Has anyone with heat issues looked into the top of the can with a flashlight and examined the heat sinks? I recall seeing two in opposition to one another while working with my router. Heat sinks can fall off when the adhesive is not applied properly so look at the heat sinks. If they are not secure the chips are not getting proper heat transfer away. Shake the can and see if it rattles. If it rattles there may be a heat sink that has fallen off the board. In manufacturing there can be equipment runs that are made with materials that are not to spec and this can lead to batch failures. The layout is sort of bilateral with the antennas in a radial pattern around the outside of the internal board. There are (4) WIFI and (4) 5G alternating about the inside of the router. It is common that serial numbers have details for model and other aspects of the appliance in addition to its individual part. If T-Mobile were to provide information on the part(s) of the serial numbers that could be relevant to expose a serial run of components it might be a problem due to components or heat sink glue that is not to spec for a build run that can clarify why some people have head related issues. Adding a fan is a work around. Identification of the root cause is what needs to happen. Data. Not what we think but what is KNOWN. As many facts as possible.

• hardware version
• software version
• serial number of units, (sequential pattern could indicate bad manufacturing run)
• heat sinks secure/present
• fan used or not (air transport bottom up)
• environmental factors (warm, cool, sunny, shade etc…
• number of wired and/or wireless devices recorded on the Overview page
• details recorded (bullet the facts) make things obvious and quick to consume
• alarms reported on the LED panel in the top of the can (yes/no)
• indication of periodic element or total random
• Report the upload and download of cell data and primary/secondary channels
• record the “Running Time” if possible with issues present from the HTML page (192.168.12.1)
• Record the “Data Sent” & “Data Received” values from the Status/WIFI reporting (this may help relate the traffic loading over the uptime period) 
• SHARE this collection of data points with T-Mobile support engineers
• Add any other data points, facts that you feel may be important
• Discuss common factors in the thread with others

Great list, I think the only other thing I would add is ambient temperature. You do mention environmental factors (warm, cool, sunny, shade etc…) that can be helpful say if its in front of a window or not. Then again my windows don't shot much of a change in temp with the double glass UV prevention coatings.
So if your in a climate controlled environment the ambient temp may also play a part in this troubleshooting.

I’m having to update my post here as the edit function doesn’t seem to exist.

IMPORTANT: To reboot, use the power switch; power off for 30 seconds and then power back up using the switch. If you attempt a reset by unplugging the AC adapter a portion of the modem will remain powered by the battery. I’m not sure you can get an effective reset by using that method.

Great, Smoky, this is exactly the kind of documentation we need. Now if you could do one more thing: Take the fan away, set the tower up like it was when it was losing connection and see how long it runs without needing a reset. It would also be helpful if you can verify that the extra airflow is the only thing that changed, that is, you didn’t move the gateway to a new spot, etc.

@ Stary, Thank you. Do you have any sense of whether the original window location was receiving more direct sunshine than the second location? T-Mobile’s installation instructions cautions customers not to place the unit in direct sunlight, which of course translates to increased temperatures.

Definitely a heat issue. More than a few times I was having issues with slow speeds. Couldnt even run a Google speed test or Jitter it was so slow. So went to the router (did not power it down) and turned on the fan and pointed it right at it and within 5 minutes my speeds go up. You can feel the outside. Its not hot hot but pretty warm. Once it cools down speed goes up. 

Tested this method time and time again. Its like “hey my internet is slow. Oh yeah I forgot to turn the fan on.” 

Hope this helps. 

Thank you for the response. I was just thinking out loud and sharing. Right ambient temperature can be a factor. It would be helpful if T-Mobile support was more proactive and asked such questions OR better yet would leverage the software to automate the collection of key data points and use a template of questions to better profile customer problems. Hopefully T-Mobile will be able to improve their 5G deployments for more consistent service.

been moving it. and it over heating  with 2 device. both passive connection.

The new T-Mobile Gateway has sever over heating problems caused by the WiFi system. The more devices hooked to the WiFi 6 system the more heat that is generated. If you disable all the WiFi on the router, and use an external router to provide WiFi the heat will go down and the router will return to normal operation.  I am on my third router and they all seem to have the same problem. When they over heat, they break contact with the tower losing the Internet until the heat goes down then the connection is restored and then the  Internet comes back. This cycling happened over and over with every router I tried when ever I used the internal WiFi6 connection.  I have been working with this router for the past 4 months and discussed the problem with their tech support people on numerous occasions. They are either clueless about the heating issue or, as I suspect, they are being told not to acknowledge the problem to customers. Tech support proposed all kinds of probable solutions to my problems including replacement units but never once suggested the overheating problem caused by the WiFi system and that I should stop using it.

In an effort to reduce the over heating, I sat the router onto of an electronic cooling fan that blew a gentle stream of air up the router and out the top, but for some reason it made the router break the connection with the tower losing the Internet faster. Apparently, what ever is sensitive to the heat is located in the top of the router and blowing heated air up through the tower only causes it to trip out quicker.  I have been using my old Netgear Nighthawk router for several days now to supply WiFi for all my wireless devices and have not suffered a loss of connection with my tower and no loss of the Internet.

This problem has been documented by a number of people on the Internet and Facebook and many of them have employed the same solution to the overheating problem.  With the rate people in my neck of the woods are switching to the new T-Mobile Gateway system, I hope T-Mobile recognizes it and finds a fix before to many more of these defective routers get into the field. A lot of people are getting turned off by the bad performance and heating problems and are looking to other methods to getting their Internet service.

tlepird,

Thanks for posting. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but the fact that it seems many of the tech support reps won't admit overheating issues with the Nokia equipment makes me also wonder if T Mobile management is instructing them to claim ignorance about it. Sad to hear you're having problems with no less than three gateways, and that you've found it necessary to buy a fan, to go through the hassle of setting up and configuring your old router to work with the gateway after disabling the built-in wifi, and to take time to ship back two exchange gateways,  just to get the internet service you were assured would be provided.

I know this is not really a solution, and at best a workaround, but especially if you already shelled out for a cooling fan, I found placing it on top of the gateway provides better airflow, since when placed underneath a greater amount of the stream likely is diverted through the gaps at the base of the gateway. Sure, the LCD display is covered, but it's easy enough to lift up when you want to view it.