W1700k Openwrt: Hot |work|

| Temperature Range | Status | Action Required | |-------------------|--------|------------------| | 40°C – 60°C | Excellent (Idle) | None | | 60°C – 75°C | Normal (Load) | Monitor, but acceptable | | 75°C – 85°C | | Improve ventilation | | 85°C+ | Critical | Immediate cooling + Underclock |

| Scenario | CPU Temp (Idle) | CPU Temp (Full Load) | Wi-Fi Temp | |----------|----------------|----------------------|------------| | Stock OpenWrt (Performance gov) | 68°C | 89°C | 78°C | | Ondemand Governor + Tx 20 dBm | 58°C | 79°C | 70°C | | + USB Fan + Thermal Paste | 42°C | 61°C | 54°C |

By applying the fixes above (especially the $10 USB fan and CPU governor change), you get the best of both worlds: a cool, stable, and incredibly powerful router.

But is this heat normal? Is it a design flaw, or is OpenWrt simply unlocking power that the stock firmware kept hidden?