Router Mod - Jake's Garage

This is a mod I did in 1998. I was having problems with my DSL modem overheating and shutting off, so I screwed a small fan to the top of it and it started to work fine, but it looked like hell. I had an old rack-mount fiber patch panel I got for free from an old bank, and decided to mount my DSL modem and router inside it to make a nice all-in-one network hub.

The empty rack-mount fiber patch panel before modification — Here's how it looked before I started.

I had to do a little cutting to make everything fit and to add a fan over the DSL modem, then added bolts to the bottom to attach the modem and router to.

Interior of the panel showing mounting bolts attached to the bottom — Bolts added to the bottom to mount the modem and router.

Modem and router mounted inside the patch panel — Everything mounted.

Next I added the fan, a front cover I cut out of Lexan, outlets to plug all the power packs into, and a long power strip.

Interior with cooling fan and Lexan cover installed — Fan and Lexan cover going in.

Here it is all finished and closed up.

The completed router mod, closed up with fan running — Done: a cooled, all-in-one network hub instead of a fan zip-tied to a modem.