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Homeowner issues warning after Wi-Fi router sparks devastating fire: ‘We literally lost everything’
New York Post ^ | Nov. 28, 2024 | Marianne Garvey

Posted on 11/29/2024 6:19:21 AM PST by george76

A woman is issuing a grave warning to homeowners after claiming her property was destroyed in a fire that she says was caused by her Wi-Fi router overheating.

Florida resident Keona Huntley.. posted a now-viral TikTok video in the aftermath of the fire, which she says started in her bedroom due to the internet box.

Huntley shares horrifying footage of her property after the fire, while detailing how the terrifying blaze quickly spread throughout the entire house, leaving almost every room a charred shell.

Beginning in her kitchen, Huntley captures the devastating aftermath of the fire, revealing blackened walls that had been burned by the smoke, with debris littered across almost every surface.

Her bedroom, which is just off the kitchen and is where she says the fire started, was in an even worse state, with her bed reduced to nothing but spring coils after the mattress ignited and burned up.

...

Huntley notes that she had been experiencing issues with her Wi-Fi router ahead of the fire, explaining that a technician from the company responsible for it—Quantum Fiber—had been out to visit her home on a number of occasions to try and sort the problem.

Two months before the fire, she says the router box had actually been replaced, but that the service had become so unreliable that a technician had been forced to visit her home to try and address her internet issues.

...

While Huntley believes the Quantum Fiber Wi-Fi box caused the blaze, fire investigators will need to stage an investigation and confirm whether the device was defective or if it was external factors that caused the incident.

...

she did not have renters insurance .

...

inspect that Quantum Fiber box before Quantum does. You don’t want to lose the evidence.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Music/Entertainment; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: overheating; router; routeroverheating; wifi; wifirouter
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1 posted on 11/29/2024 6:19:21 AM PST by george76
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To: george76

bkmk


2 posted on 11/29/2024 6:20:48 AM PST by sauropod ("This is a time when people reveal themselves for who they are." James O'Keefe Ne supra crepidam)
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To: george76

Quit watching triple x porn. That will do it every time.


3 posted on 11/29/2024 6:26:32 AM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: george76

I don’t know if it applies here, but…

My internet provider was at my house twice to try to repair my Wi-Fi router. In each case he ended up swapping it out. “What’s the deal?” I asked.

“We had no problem with the routers when they were made in the United States,” he replied. “But now they’re all made in Mexico.”

🙁


4 posted on 11/29/2024 6:26:43 AM PST by Leaning Right (It’s morning in America. Again.)
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To: george76

“she did not have renters insurance”


5 posted on 11/29/2024 6:36:54 AM PST by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: george76

This is a confusing story. How is she both a “homeowner” who is rebuilding “her home” and clearing up “her property” and an uninsured renter who lost everything she owned?

And why would anyone take seriously her self-investigation of the fire? Are there really people out there who believe everything an unknown person says on TikTok?


6 posted on 11/29/2024 6:41:24 AM PST by Tax-chick (Sounds like a great idea, with the best of intentions. What could possibly go wrong?)
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To: george76

SOHO router/modem devices [even half-way decent ones] do throw off quite a lot of heat and don’t last all that long for that reason, so best to lease at least the modem from your ISP, and let them deal with the problem, plus eliminates a ton of finger-pointing ...

also, make sure these devices have decent surrounding air circulation ... kiss of death [for the device and maybe even for yourself] to enclose in a drawer or a cabinet, or to fully engulf with books and crap ...


7 posted on 11/29/2024 6:41:36 AM PST by catnipman ((A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil))
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To: george76

Is that the finding of the fire Marshall ? If not, I would wait until they have finished their investigation.


8 posted on 11/29/2024 6:42:33 AM PST by OldHarbor
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To: catnipman

I buy my modems after too many failed ones that Time Warner gave me.

As far as SOHO goes for routers, the Orbi system has been great. Almost zero touch including periodic firmware updates and password changes I do every so often.


9 posted on 11/29/2024 6:47:30 AM PST by wally_bert (I cannot be sure for certain, but in my personal opinion I am certain that I am not sure..)
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To: george76

The gas-powered ones are particularly dangerous.

They put out 300 HP and need a lot of ventilation.


10 posted on 11/29/2024 7:03:45 AM PST by PGR88
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To: george76

She bought the cheap router recommended by an “influencer” ON TICTOK.


11 posted on 11/29/2024 7:05:25 AM PST by Wuli
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To: george76
While Huntley believes the Quantum Fiber Wi-Fi box caused the blaze, fire investigators will need to stage an investigation and confirm whether the device was defective or if it was external factors that caused the incident.

The New York Post's headline 100% blames the WiFi router immediately and before the fire investigation b/c the renter "believes" that's what caused the fire.

What are the chances that the router did not cause the fire?

12 posted on 11/29/2024 7:06:22 AM PST by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolution?)
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To: catnipman
also, make sure these devices have decent surrounding air circulation

Yeah, if the device does not have thermal protection, and someone throws a blanket or pillow over it, it's a fire waiting to happen.

13 posted on 11/29/2024 7:07:02 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Si vis pacem, para bellum)
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To: wally_bert

Exactly. Buy a reputable brand, Insuggest the cable modem being separate from the WiFi Router. Each consume only a few watts of power. Generally your Modem (dumb, just translates between DOCSIS cable specs to Ethernet Not much intelligence here, dumb translator. A middle of the road by Motorola or Arris will last your decades and less than $100. They are made for speeds well in excess of what’s likely to be available to your internet provider for years.

The router (WiFi) is the second piece of the puzzle. Again reputable is going to run $200, but should be adequate to last many years.

Or you can rent low performing equipment from your provider for $20+/month and pay that forever. It won’t be upgrades until your product fails. $120+/yr on top of your regular bill. Some folks have paid $1,000+ for antiquated equipment that was worth under $100 when it was installed 10 yrs ago


14 posted on 11/29/2024 7:09:13 AM PST by Hodar (A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.- Burroughs)
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To: george76

I purchase my own router and modem. I don’t trust anything from the provider, in this case, Comcast/Xfinity. They hate that I use my own, but I don’t care. They can suck it up.


15 posted on 11/29/2024 7:16:28 AM PST by ducttape45 (Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?")
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To: Hodar

Arris had done very well by me.

Worth every penny.


16 posted on 11/29/2024 7:17:55 AM PST by wally_bert (I cannot be sure for certain, but in my personal opinion I am certain that I am not sure..)
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To: george76
It's possible that it isn't the router at all. I have fiber Internet; earlier this year the power brick that powered the demarc device went SNAP and the device died. (No chance of a burning power brick causing much damage, because my gear sits in a metal relay rack with absolutely no flammable material nearby.) The brick failure damaged the device; my provider replaced it, no questions asked.
17 posted on 11/29/2024 7:26:01 AM PST by asinclair (It's too bad there will never be a RICO indictment of the DNC.)
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To: george76

Notice:

I label this clickbait.

It is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY that the wifi box caused a fire.

Is it possible that the little wall wart power supply did? Sure, if it was plugged into an overloaded power strip under a pile of crap in a crap/messy house (MUCH more likely).

If you own one of these wifi boxes, I’d be more concerned about its reliability than any physical danger...by an order of magnitude.


18 posted on 11/29/2024 7:30:17 AM PST by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: george76
Such a strange story. RENTER without renter's insurance creates a GoFundMe account -- "So far, the family has raised a little over $3,000 of their $8,000 goal."

Those pictures represent more than $8K in repair costs.

What is missing from the news report is what the HOME OWNER had to say about this "renter" without "renter's insurance." It seems sure that the HOME OWNER's insurance will pay for the property damage, to some degree, and that the RENTER is interested in getting her stuff sponsored by the always-charitable "other people's money."

19 posted on 11/29/2024 7:37:41 AM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

“also, make sure these devices have decent surrounding air circulation”
I think I’ll go unplug my electric mower dual lithium battery charger as the season is over...


20 posted on 11/29/2024 8:12:46 AM PST by 9422WMR
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