F5F Stay Refreshed Power Users Networks Why is it taking much longer for an old modem to start working when the air outside feels chilly?

Why is it taking much longer for an old modem to start working when the air outside feels chilly?

Why is it taking much longer for an old modem to start working when the air outside feels chilly?

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kriissy
Member
144
05-21-2026, 05:00 AM
#1
I bought an old modem in 2011 that has been running for 11 years now. When the fourth light turns on, it means my internet is working. Before 2020, the light came on right after I turned it on. After 2020, when the room was cold, it took longer to come on. For instance, on December 23, 2022 (yesterday), in the morning at a temperature of 20.9 degrees, my old modem waited up to 9 minutes and 23 seconds just to light up. But today, when I got a new modem from the ISP, it finished way faster—only taking 18 seconds at a similar temperature of 20.6 degrees. Why does my old modem take so long in the cold? The colder it gets, the longer it waits. In summer, when it's hot, my old modem wakes up fast.
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kriissy
05-21-2026, 05:00 AM #1

I bought an old modem in 2011 that has been running for 11 years now. When the fourth light turns on, it means my internet is working. Before 2020, the light came on right after I turned it on. After 2020, when the room was cold, it took longer to come on. For instance, on December 23, 2022 (yesterday), in the morning at a temperature of 20.9 degrees, my old modem waited up to 9 minutes and 23 seconds just to light up. But today, when I got a new modem from the ISP, it finished way faster—only taking 18 seconds at a similar temperature of 20.6 degrees. Why does my old modem take so long in the cold? The colder it gets, the longer it waits. In summer, when it's hot, my old modem wakes up fast.

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Daboss132
Member
161
05-21-2026, 05:59 AM
#2
It's waiting on the internet service provider for a piece of info called an IP address. You might look at the log files just to make sure things are okay.
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Daboss132
05-21-2026, 05:59 AM #2

It's waiting on the internet service provider for a piece of info called an IP address. You might look at the log files just to make sure things are okay.

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U_M
Junior Member
6
05-21-2026, 06:37 AM
#3
If it was supposed to take forever because of an old IP, why can this new modem finish so fast with just 18 seconds compared to the same internet provider?
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U_M
05-21-2026, 06:37 AM #3

If it was supposed to take forever because of an old IP, why can this new modem finish so fast with just 18 seconds compared to the same internet provider?

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AlexGamer11_HD
Junior Member
6
06-04-2026, 09:11 AM
#4
Which parts should you buy first: a better CPU, more RAM, or faster storage?
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AlexGamer11_HD
06-04-2026, 09:11 AM #4

Which parts should you buy first: a better CPU, more RAM, or faster storage?

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SoapSenpai
Junior Member
48
06-04-2026, 10:42 AM
#5
Everything stays the same, only the modem is different.
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SoapSenpai
06-04-2026, 10:42 AM #5

Everything stays the same, only the modem is different.

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Mountain_Girl
Member
172
06-15-2026, 08:06 PM
#6
The guy is asking about the stuff inside his modem, not your computer. The brand new model is going to be quicker because it has better parts.
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Mountain_Girl
06-15-2026, 08:06 PM #6

The guy is asking about the stuff inside his modem, not your computer. The brand new model is going to be quicker because it has better parts.

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grr_face1
Member
144
06-16-2026, 03:38 AM
#7
I began using the old model in 2011. For a few years, it was super fast, taking just over twenty seconds to work as good as the new one did. But yesterday, when the air temperature hit 20.9 degrees Celsius, it took almost ten minutes and twenty-three seconds to run. Even back early this year at about ten degrees Celsius, it took longer than half an hour just to start working.
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grr_face1
06-16-2026, 03:38 AM #7

I began using the old model in 2011. For a few years, it was super fast, taking just over twenty seconds to work as good as the new one did. But yesterday, when the air temperature hit 20.9 degrees Celsius, it took almost ten minutes and twenty-three seconds to run. Even back early this year at about ten degrees Celsius, it took longer than half an hour just to start working.

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Peedy
Senior Member
641
06-16-2026, 04:04 PM
#8
It's been a while since I bought this. How would you guess what happens if something stays on all the time? Does anything break after a long time like that? Maybe it gets too hot or cold and stops working. I had a Comcast modem for several years before I needed to swap it out.
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Peedy
06-16-2026, 04:04 PM #8

It's been a while since I bought this. How would you guess what happens if something stays on all the time? Does anything break after a long time like that? Maybe it gets too hot or cold and stops working. I had a Comcast modem for several years before I needed to swap it out.

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tippestwolf70
Member
227
06-18-2026, 11:56 AM
#9
Do you mean parts inside your modem broke because of cold weather, making your internet slow? You don't have to fix it forever. The ISP can give me a fresh one for free if I ask. It never worked 24 hours a day anyway. I always turned the modem off when I didn't need the connection.
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tippestwolf70
06-18-2026, 11:56 AM #9

Do you mean parts inside your modem broke because of cold weather, making your internet slow? You don't have to fix it forever. The ISP can give me a fresh one for free if I ask. It never worked 24 hours a day anyway. I always turned the modem off when I didn't need the connection.

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jonhub
Junior Member
32
07-06-2026, 06:21 AM
#10
If it just looks like it's old, tell them about it and they might swap it out for you. You should probably leave it on all the time because that way it gets updates. You don't want to turn it off, maybe that's why things aren't working right now.
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jonhub
07-06-2026, 06:21 AM #10

If it just looks like it's old, tell them about it and they might swap it out for you. You should probably leave it on all the time because that way it gets updates. You don't want to turn it off, maybe that's why things aren't working right now.

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