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PSA: If you have your Switch wired via ethernet, it will warm up in the dock overnight!

Deleted member 28962

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Oct 31, 2017
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I picked up my Switch this morning after leaving it in its dock all night and noticed it was warm. I remembered reading this thread a while back and so knew it was because I recently connected a Hori ethernet adapter. Hopefully Nintendo fixes this soon now that many people are getting ethernet adapters for Smash, in the meantime I'll keep my Switch in its case when not in use.
 
MrMette

MrMette

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Oct 29, 2017
2,303
Belgium
I bought a UGreen USB 3.0 adapter and it arrived today. When I took out my Switch from the dock after a couple of hours, I noticed it being slightly warm (which I never noticed before).
I unplugged the ethernet adapter and was going to check tomorrow if the Switch was cold after that, but decided to search for it online as well... I guess I know the answer before I check tomorrow.

I'm glad I noticed it after half a day, but it sucks that it doesn't work properly (even with the licensed Hori adapter). I'm on 6.2.0 since yesterday, so that hasn't fixed it either.

I guess I will just keep using wireless then. I bought the ethernet adapter because wireless reception can be spotty where my Switch is docked (it's fine with the beefy antennas of my router, but not with most handheld devices). Usually it works fine (although somewhat slow to download software), but other times I can't even browse the store properly. I guess I will keep living with that. I should have checked online for problems with the ethernet adapter before I bought it.

Some more info:
I let all the DNS requests run through a pihole and there aren't more requests when it's running on the USB ethernet adapter compared to the wireless adapter (both adapters have different IPs so it was easy to check). It just seems that running a USB device warms up the switch for some reason. The weird thing is that (from what I read) it wasn't the case prior to the 5.0 update. Not sure what they have changed.

Edit:
It clearly makes a difference in temperature for the system when I unplugged the USB ethernet adapter to when it was running.

When the USB ethernet adapter was plugged in, the Switch was noticeably warm to the touch (it didn't feel hot, but it was clear something used energy). The Switch felt cold after getting it out of the dock with only wireless running.
 
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UsoEwin

UsoEwin

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Jul 14, 2018
2,063
I just unplug the Ethernet when I'm done. Annoying and Nintendo should fix this, but not the end of the world.
 
Dekuman

Dekuman

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Oct 27, 2017
19,026
So it gets a little warm, but no known impact or issues. Could explain why they haven't fixed it yet.
 
ASaiyan

ASaiyan

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Oct 25, 2017
7,228
Kinda surprised this was never patched, especially when they went out of their way to patch the Hori JoyCon bug in 6.0. Maybe once Smash comes out more people will complain and they'll look into it?
 
senj

senj

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Nov 6, 2017
4,430
Daffy Duck said:
As a new Switch owner, is this really something to pay attention to?

Should I just run it over wi-fi?
Click to expand...
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No, it's not worth paying attention to it. To the touch it's either the same or slightly cooler than my PS4 in sleep mode. It's really a meaningless amount of heat.

WiFi could be fine. Depends on what you're playing, I suppose. Ethernet will help with lag if you're playing things like Splatoon or w/e online, particularly if your wifi is in the 2.8 GHz spectrum
 
Pooroomoo

Pooroomoo

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Oct 28, 2017
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Daffy Duck said:
As a new Switch owner, is this really something to pay attention to?

Should I just run it over wi-fi?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
From my personal experience it's not an issue in any way, my daughter has her Switch nearly 24 hours a day for over a year connected with an ethernet adapter with no hint of adverse effect. I really don;t get it, why should a little warming harm any electronic device, when 99% of the electronics surrounding us get far more than slightly warm on a daily basis yet nothing happens to them.
 
Thatguy

Thatguy

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Oct 27, 2017
6,207
Seattle WA
Pooroomoo said:
From my personal experience it's not an issue in any way, my daughter has her Switch nearly 24 hours a day for over a year connected with an ethernet adapter with no hint of adverse effect. I really don;t get it, why should a little warming harm any electronic device, when 99% of the electronics surrounding us get far more than slightly warm on a daily basis yet nothing happens to them.
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I agree. You're likely draining a little power and possibly battery life. I'll take that over laggy online.
 

Bigly

Member
Dec 12, 2017
20
I noticed this issue as well, my Switch was warm after a few days of non-use. Personally thought it was from hitting the power button in the middle of a game then docking the Switch. I'll keep an eye on it next time.
 
Garcia el Gringo

Garcia el Gringo

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Oct 25, 2017
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If this really isn't something to be even a lil bothered by as some people in this thread are saying (I assume speculating as layman instead of speaking as experts) and Nintendo has no plans to "fix" it, I'd appreciate it if Nintendo simply stated in system patch notes or a support page to expect an idle Switch to get warm now when docked w/ ethernet compared to before the 5.0 update. Then I can temper my irrational concerns and keep it moving.

Next week's the week when I just let me Switch stay warm indefinitely out of laziness. Need that wired Smash!
 
names2hard4you

names2hard4you

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Oct 25, 2017
4,328
Toronto, Canada
Bumping this thread as I just recently bought an Ethernet Adaptor to hook to my Switch upgrade's dock. I was noticing how the Switch was warm to the touch even though it was docked for quite some time, so I did a bit of digging before I deemed this to be a "new" Switch issue.

I've unplugged the Ethernet cable from the adapter. It is cool again. Seems I have to keep the connection unplugged until I play online docked.
 
Uncle at Nintendo

Uncle at Nintendo

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Jan 3, 2018
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I bought my Switch in July last year and its been docked and connected to an ethernet 99% of the time.

Is it fucked?
 
catboy

catboy

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Oct 25, 2017
4,322
Uncle at Nintendo said:
I bought my Switch in July last year and its been docked and connected to an ethernet 99% of the time.

Is it fucked?
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I wouldn't worry about it. There's no issue with the hardware being warm, the battery may be worn down if it's constantly charging / draining and too warm but it's probably not catastrophic. If you leave it docked anyway I'm not sure why the battery would bother you.
 
kirbyfan407

kirbyfan407

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,103
Is this still an issue? I haven't checked temperatures, but sometimes when I wake my Switch, it doesn't instantly show that I have Ethernet plugged in. I also noticed a difference in activity (while asleep), but I admit I don't remember the details of what it was like before anymore since I also replaced my adapter. My speculation is that my Switch is no longer constantly accessing the Ethernet connection.
 
ApeEscaper

ApeEscaper

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Oct 27, 2017
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names2hard4you said:
Bumping this thread as I just recently bought an Ethernet Adaptor to hook to my Switch upgrade's dock. I was noticing how the Switch was warm to the touch even though it was docked for quite some time, so I did a bit of digging before I deemed this to be a "new" Switch issue.

I've unplugged the Ethernet cable from the adapter. It is cool again. Seems I have to keep the connection unplugged until I play online docked.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I thoought with the New Switch this ethernet heat issue would be gone
 
Aru

Aru

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Oct 28, 2017
783
I bought a Ethernet to USB3 adapter (also acting as a USB hub) a couple month ago. Tried it on my Switch but couldn't get it working at all.
 
names2hard4you

names2hard4you

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,328
Toronto, Canada
Ametroid said:
I thoought with the New Switch this ethernet heat issue would be gone
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I wasn't even aware of this issue with the old model, since I only got the adaptor now. I figured if I didn't know, it was worth bumping this thread since there is likely more Switch owners now than last year, and I'm sure a lot of them have adaptors plugged in and don't even think about this... I wouldn't want my brand new unit to get it's battery ruined because of something like this.
 
Pargon

Pargon

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Oct 27, 2017
11,994
Was this ever fixed? I was planning on buying an Ethernet adapter, and remembered this topic.
Also wondering if anywhere has compared adapters to see if it only happens with specific ones, and to see which ones perform best.
I've seen people say the Hori adapter is limited to about 30 mbps, UGREEN about 60 mbps, and saw a test for the AmazonBasics adapter at 120 mbps. There's a handful of other adapters using the same AX88179 chipset.
 
OP
OP
Alvis

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Oct 25, 2017
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shoutouts to nintendo for having the biggest ability to completely ignore blatant problems I have ever seen
 
Solobbos

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Oct 27, 2017
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Just checked with my Mariko Switch, this still hasn't Been fixed. Is OLED any different, since it has an ethernet port built-in and a chance to update the dock firmware?
 
Ninjadom

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Oct 25, 2017
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Solobbos said:
Just checked with my Mariko Switch, this still hasn't Been fixed. Is OLED any different, since it has an ethernet port built-in and a chance to update the dock firmware?
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On the OLED Switch there is an option in settings to enable/disable wired internet connection during sleep mode.

www.nintendo.co.uk

How to Enable/Disable Wired Internet Connection in Sleep Mode

Important If the regional setting of the Nintendo Switch – OLED model is set to Europe, the “Maintain Wired Connection in Sleep Mode” setting is disabled by default.
www.nintendo.co.uk www.nintendo.co.uk

I have mine enabled. When I pull my OLED Switch out of the dock it is cool to touch.
 
Wonky Mump

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Oct 30, 2017
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Solobbos said:
Just checked with my Mariko Switch, this still hasn't Been fixed. Is OLED any different, since it has an ethernet port built-in and a chance to update the dock firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I got my OLED Switch at launch, use ethernet and always left the setting to enable the wired internet connection during sleep mode and never noticed any issues when taking the unit out to play handheld. Also haven't noted a dock update since release.
 
Vespa

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Oct 26, 2017
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My regular switch has the "Maintain Wired Connection in Sleep Mode" option, a Reddit thread says it was added in firmware 13.0. I guess you can just disable it overnight instead of unplugging the Ethernet adapter
 
Skyfireblaze

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Oct 25, 2017
11,257
Ninjadom said:
On the OLED Switch there is an option in settings to enable/disable wired internet connection during sleep mode.

www.nintendo.co.uk

How to Enable/Disable Wired Internet Connection in Sleep Mode

Important If the regional setting of the Nintendo Switch – OLED model is set to Europe, the “Maintain Wired Connection in Sleep Mode” setting is disabled by default.
www.nintendo.co.uk www.nintendo.co.uk

I have mine enabled. When I pull my OLED Switch out of the dock it is cool to touch.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This option also exists for old Switches after an update. Both my launch-day and my OLED Switch have it disabled as my OLED got warm too after I ran a LAN cable to the dock.
 
Madao

Madao

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Oct 26, 2017
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Panama
i always turn off the switch and store it in a case like with past handhelds.

never been a fan of leaving it in the dock precisely in case stuff like this happens.
 
HighFive

HighFive

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Oct 25, 2017
3,626
My OLED hooked with ethernet was a bit hot this morning. I unplugged it and will see when i come back to work if it change.
 
thecaseace

thecaseace

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May 1, 2018
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I've just wired my Switch to my LAN then came across this thread, a couple of questions:


  • Is it ok to keep the Switch OLED connected to wired ethernet? Or are there still persisting issues?
  • Is it normal for the Switch to register a much lower download speed than my actual connection?
    • e.g: connection is 500mbps UL/500 mbps DL. XBSX tested @ 550mbps DL/200mbps UL. Switch @ 138mbps DL/83mbps UL
    • I know I don't need all of this bandwidth for the average game of Splatoon but just curious.
 
Jacknapes

Jacknapes

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Oct 26, 2017
3,169
Newport, South Wales
Is this issue affecting OLED models as well.

I have the OLED dock in my office/games room wired up with ethernet. But downstairs, the dock is on a wireless connection. Only ever use it when it needs charging
 
N1corex

N1corex

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Jun 7, 2020
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its slightly above room temp like 2 degrees f but not as warm as a tablet or phone thats been in use for hours.
 
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