FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - Knowledge Base

[Thunder2 10GbE Adapter] Why is my device so hot?

The AKiTiO Thunder2 10G Network Adapter is a bus-powered and fanless adapter, which relies on passive cooling. It uses its aluminum case as heatsink to dissipate the heat, so it's normal for the device to get hot.

As long as the device is active, meaning when it's connected to a computer and the computer is turned on (not in sleep mode), the network controller and the Thunderbolt controller generate heat. The temperature will reach the maximum after about 1 hour of operation and will start to level out after that. The temperature while transferring data and while the adapter is idle is almost the same. As a reference, in an environment of 23.5° degrees celsius, the case will be around 49° degrees celsius. This is fairly hot to the touch and it's best to only pick up the device when holding on to the silicon sleeve.