Smart Hub 2 off-gassing - July 2020

[peoplegetreal]

Why is there no chemical emission data for this device?

okay... I've been forced onto fibre and have had this Smart Hub 2 router up and running for ten-days in anticipation of the switch-over in my area on July-28-2020

The master socket which it is connected to is in my bedroom, with connection to my computer through a disused serving hatch to the kitchen table where the workstation sits.

All WiFi is off (theirs and mine). Connected via Ethernet.

Here's the deal - - since installment, I have been suffering with a constant physical headache due to the pungent plasticky chemical smell that this thing emits. I live in a three-bedroom bungalow and this smell is in every room.

It was real bad on day one, and unfortunately it is showing very little signs of abating.
Windows are open as much as possible.

Router is hot to touch when in use, and still warm when idle, i.e. when the workstation is shutdown at night.

Having a headache for ten-days is no joke, and to be honest, it is wearing me down.

"A guy" from BT telephoned yesterday to confirm that I was setup for the changeover. I mentioned my concerns to him, and of course, he had never encountered this problem before.
I asked if he would pass my concerns on, which he agreed to. His only suggestions were to send me a new Smart hub 2 - - which I declined, or purchase a third-party router capable of handling fibre.

I didn't catch the make or models that he mentioned.

So... there you go. I am being slowly poisoned in my home by a massed produced product from BT which has no (retrievable) chemical emission data.

Greg.

oh... this is a home where the workstation/internet is on 16 hours a day.

[imjolly]

If your hub is In a well ventilated position and is hot to the touch not just warm then you have a faulty hub and you need to phone 150 and get a replacement

[peoplegetreal]

Thanks for the reply, and apologies for posting in the wrong forum.

My usage of the word Hot may be incorrect. It is warm when on. You can comfortably hold your hand on it, and it is less warm when idle.

Noticeable heat from a device like an internet router is a new thing for me.
I have had an ADSL Zoom X5v NAT-router since 2005

I've just zapped it with an infrared thermometer.
Front-left upper quadrant is 28°C the opposite (rear) side is 40°C

Greg.

oh... the router is standing upright on a rigid 25lt plastic storage box, 6" from the wall.

[peoplegetreal]

If a distance of ~26 feet is acceptable for the male-to-male RJ11 cable, (master socket to router), I could move the router to an annexed building which contains my oil-fired boiler and laundry machines, and feed Ethernet back into the main building.

Greg.
oh... I'm already connected to the test socket of the NTE5

[pippincp · Accepted solution]

26 ft of RJ11 would introduce quite a speed drop however there is still a way using CAT5e. Everything is available from a well known online auction site, even a toolless interstatial plate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trk9OnZTIsE 

[WSH]

I don’t often post here but I do work as a techie in the IT support sector so I’m familiar with the behaviour of kit.  I am very concerned about what I am reading here.  While kit often runs warm, there is no chemical emissions data because IT kit should not get hot enough to smell.  This sounds like a fire hazard to me.  Unplug it immediately and request a replacement.

[peoplegetreal]

So, in the world of dB/ft losses...
RJ11 cables for Data, and long runs thereof is too lossy.
It's okay for Voice.

CAT5e (along with its brothers and sisters) for the transmission of Data is a low loss cable.

For an old HF ham radio guy this makes perfect sense.
pipincp, thanks...

------------

WSH thank you also for your concerns. I have a working smoke alarm.

Me-thinks... I must be hyper-sensitive or allergic to whatever was used in the manufacture of this thing. The moment I removed it from the mailing box it had that (similar only different) strong PVC beach-ball smell, which got a lot worse when powered-up.

Trying to convince myself that I'm not totally bonkers.
...I'm sure that it was a lot hotter to the touch when first installed - - maybe it took a while for the BT Wi-fi hotspot (built-in transceiver) to be completely disabled even though it showed Not active in the Smart Hub 2 Manager. Yes, I opted out on-line too.

The bottom line is that I work from home and this thing is still off gassing (badly).
I will move it to my annexed utility room with the CAT5e (back-of-master-socket) → (back-of-master-socket) extension.

Thank you for the support.
73 de Greg.