Finding a router under $100 (USD equivalent) that supports 2.5G Ethernet and runs native OpenWRT is difficult. The W1700K fills this niche perfectly. If you have multi-gigabit internet, this is one of the cheapest ways to utilize that speed without proprietary vendor locks.
The stock firmware uses proprietary drivers that sleep between beacon intervals. OpenWrt’s open-source drivers (like mt76) keep radios active for better roaming and fast handoffs. The W1700K’s 4x4 MIMO radios generate significant heat—often hotter than the CPU itself.
By: Network Hardware Analyst
If you own a W1700K router and have recently flashed OpenWrt onto it, you might have noticed something alarming: the device runs hot. Very hot. Searching for "w1700k openwrt hot" brings up dozens of forum threads filled with users concerned about thermal throttling, system instability, and even long-term hardware damage.
But is this heat normal? Is it a design flaw, or is OpenWrt simply unlocking power that the stock firmware kept hidden?
In this deep dive, we will explore exactly why the W1700K runs hot under OpenWrt, what temperatures are considered "safe," and the definitive steps to cool it down without sacrificing performance.