In the world of home networking, there is a distinct divide between expensive enterprise-grade hardware and cheap, underpowered consumer boxes. However, every once in a while, a device bridges that gap, offering high-end performance at a bargain-basement price.
Recently, the W1700K has become a "hot" topic in the OpenWrt community. If you’ve spent any time on forums like Reddit’s r/OpenWrt or Chinese tech boards, you’ve likely seen this unassuming white box being discussed fervently. Here is why the W1700K is currently one of the most sought-after routers for flashing custom firmware.
If you can provide:
I can give you a device-specific guide. Otherwise, the steps above will work for 95% of overheating OpenWrt routers.
Install irqbalance (if supported) and powertop: w1700k openwrt hot
opkg install irqbalance powertop
powertop --auto-tune
Install cpufreq tools:
opkg update
opkg install kmod-cpufreq-dt cpufrequtils
Set to a lower max frequency (e.g., 600 MHz): In the world of home networking, there is
echo 600000 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq
Make permanent via /etc/rc.local.
If your W1700K feels like a space heater after switching to OpenWrt, you are not imagining it. Here is the technical breakdown of why "w1700k openwrt hot" is such a common search query. I can give you a device-specific guide
You do not need to revert to stock firmware. Here is how to keep OpenWrt and still keep your W1700K cool.