Question for any tech people about my router

[JackiesMom]

Does anyone know anything about this? I have a Linksys wired router. I turn both of our computers off over night but of course the router stays plugged in and turned on. Well the past few days I was smelling something getting hot, thought it was the UPS backup because I'd smell it first thing in the morning before either computer was turned on, so I disconnected it and took it out of the room, but I could still smell something so I checked the router, which was the only other thing on and it was fine, then Ic rawled under the desk and started feeling stuff and when I touched the power supply for the router, it was real hot, I unplugged it and touched the metal part of the plug and it was so hot I couldn't hold onto it. Tried unplugging a few other things and they were slightly warm but not hot. Now my question, is the router bad, is the power plug bad, could this be just from it being turned on all the time? Not sure if it has an on/off switch but I don't think it does. I also had it plugged in to a surge protector strip along with the desktop, monitor and printer since I only have two outlets near the computer desk, I wondered if that would cause the router to over heat. I've always had everything plugged into this strip and nothing else ever gets hot, but I dind't know if maybe the router needed it's own plug directly into the wall or not. I wouldn't think it would since I wouldn't think it would draw that much current, I had the UPS backup supply plugged in and that never got hot. Any suggestions? I thought about just unplugging the router overnight, but being I work at home and have my computer turned on from morning til after midnight, it would still probably overheat in that amount of time too. I don't want to risk a fire obviously. I've only had the router for about 6 months, so I'm not sure if it's still under warranty or not and if it were if the power plug would be covered. Also if I need to just replace the whole thing, I don't know if I want to get another Linksys being this one started doing this in such a short amount of time. Someone suggested going to Radio Shack and buying a universal adapter for it, but not sure if that's a good idea or not.

[JackiesMom]

OMG, I almost had to find a new home! I kept smelling it even after I unplugged the router. I crawled back under there and felt the surge protector strip and it was still hot where the router had been plugged in. I picked it up and there was a burn mark on the carpet and the strip was starting to melt and had a black burn mark on it! YIKES! Thank God I was home! Now I don't know if it was the router getting too hot and causing the surge protector to over heat or if the surge protector was just shot but boy now I'm afraid to leave anything turned on. I have one that my tv, vcr and dvd player are plugged into also, if I shut it off everynight I'd have to reset everything every day so now I don't know what to think or do. Would the router cause the surge protector to do that? I figured once I unplugged the router it would be ok, but I don't know if just buying new surge protectors is all I need to do or if I should buy a new router too.

[compcons]

Here's what I would do and here are a couple things I need clarification on:

Where does the UPS fit into all this? Do you have a UPS with some plugs for battery backup and others for standard surge? Do you also have a just a plain surge protector? Is this plugged into the UPS in any outlet or directly into the wall? Is the UPS plugged directly in the wall?

APC, a major surge/UPS company, suggests these rules if you haven't already followed them:

-Do not plug any surge protector into any outlets on a UPS, power supplied or regular surge.
-The UPS should be plugged directly into a wall outlet.
-Separate surge protectors should be plugged directly into the wall.

Try plugging in the router directly into the wall or a totally different surge protector (don't use a UPS.) It's unlikely a router would cause a surge protector to overheat, but if it does, it is more likely to be a bad surge protector.

Routers can get hot normally, there is nothing wrong with that. But odd smells and an extremely hot surge protector are severe warning flags. I have a feeling you just have a bad surge protector, but I need you to clarify your situation a bit more.

Since the router is less than 6 months old, it's still under Linksys warranty. There 24 hour phone number is on their website (http://www.linksys.com) and they might have better ideas for you too. Linksys routers are reliable and I would not hesitate buying one again, but yours should be covered under warranty if the router is causing the problem. If the replacement of the surge protector solves the problem, I think your router will be just fine. The black transformer plug will get hot no matter what conditions -- this is normal. But if it steams or smells -- then something's wrong.



Please feel free to ask if you need clarification. BTW, there is no physical on/off switch on most routers.