Umbrel Temp Concerning

Support and Troubleshooting
1

I recently noticed my Umbrel Home 2024 with some erratic temps. I only have a few apps installed (bitcoin core, electrs, lightning node, mempool, public pool), and I use my Umbrel exclusively for bitcoin related stuff. I have a regular NAS for my network shares / networked computer backups.

Anyway, I constantly see temps jump from 55c to 69c (nice / I lol at that easter egg every time) to 95c where it says it’s too hot. The UH is kept in a cool place in my basement (on a wire shelf) which is a constant 60-65F with plenty of air circulation around it.

Here is everything I’ve tried to test…

  1. tore down the Umbrel Home as I suspected the fan wasn’t spinning or the thing was somehow clogged with dust… neither was the case.
  2. flashed the drive and reinstalled UmbrelOS on the UH to eliminate the possibility of some random process that got out of hand.
  3. setup UmbrelOS on a Beelink Mini S12 and placed it on the wire shelf next to the UH. After everything is synced the Beelink stays at a very consistent 40-50c and rarely ever goes above this.

So anyway, is this just “normal” behavior for the UH? I understand that the UH is much smaller and compact compared to the Beelink and air circulation is expected to be better on the larger miniPC. I’m not overly concerned with the temps fluctuating between 55-75C, but I do worry about it hitting 95C several times per hour.

2

I’m glad you’re addressing this topic. It’s a bit different than usual here on the forum. Let’s start from the beginning.

The Umbrel Home is a glorified and overpriced mini PC/NUC. To put it in a way, so it’s easier to understand. It’s like an iMac or a MacBook, in other words, hardware that will cost you double or more its true value just because it has a little “apple” logo that will allow you to brag to the whole world that you can afford a Mac.

Well, comparing it with the example you mentioned: the Beelink Mini S12. For practical purposes, you get the same thing as the Umbrel Home, except the Beelink Mini S12 costs half (or less) and doesn’t have the “little umbrella” like the Umbrel Home.

At this point, I’ll tell you about my experiences, the results of tests and trials.

One of my nodes runs on a Beelink Mini S12 (16GB RAM, 1 SSD for OS, 1 NVME for storage), working with Bitcoin Core, Electr, Bitcoin Explorer, Adguard Home, and Qbitorrent 24/7.

From the start, temperatures could reach 70/80°C. At first, I attributed it to living in a tropical area. You know, a lot of heat and humidity. But that conclusion didn’t satisfy me.

After much testing and research, which I won’t detail here because it’s too much to write, I came to my conclusion and solution.

  1. Each mini PC (Beelink Mini S12, Umbrella Home, any) comes with a default configuration. This default configuration can be adjusted for most users, but perhaps you are one of those users with different circumstances (my case in particular).

  2. I changed the thermal/fan settings in the Beelink Mini S12’s BIOS until I found the optimal one for my needs. Obviously, I kept trying until I found the one I liked.

  3. Currently, the Beelink Mini S12 runs stably at 42°C (although every morning I find it at 38°C), using Bitcoin Core, Electr, Bitcoin Explorer, Adguard Home, and Qbitorrent 24/7.

  4. There’s a catch. If I download, for example, a movie through Qbitorrent, the temperature shoots up to 55°C. At that point, the settings come into play and the fan goes to full power, keeping it between 52°C and 55°C while the file downloads. Once downloaded, it returns to its usual 42 C.

With this, you may need to modify the thermal/fan section in your Umbrel Home BIOS to adjust it to your actual circumstances.

You can refer to the Beelink Mini S12 for guidance.

3

Thank you for the reply. I regret when I had the UH torn down not looking through the BIOS for when I had the hidden HDMI port plugged in. Can anyone confirm if there are options for thermal / fan controls in the BIOS?

Also ya I’m aware the UH is just a miniPC, and an expensive one at that. However, being a former IT professional that changed careers almost two decades ago… I still enjoy supporting software devs when they make a great product that is open source / source viewable. I know I could have built an S12 with a 2TB drive for less than $300, but again as a former under appreciated tech super hero I like to give back to devs who create good tech projects.

I’m also an iPhone / macOS user, but I’m willing to pay the Apple tax for all my devices to work seamlessly together. These days, money spent to save on support time creates more valuable earn time in the long run. I didn’t understand that when I was young either. To each his own obv, no hate intended.

4

And you don’t offend me. I enjoy and appreciate your honesty.

In your situation, I dare say you’re not the “common user” who tends to do things like my harsh criticism of Apple products.

Like you, I share the idea and practice of supporting developers when they deserve it.

In my case, I’m a retired sysadmin and I’ve been using Umbrel for a while now, due to its potential. However, during all this time here on the Umbrel forum and Discord, I’ve seen many attitudes from the development team that I don’t agree with. Of course, everyone is free to think and act as they see fit.

For my part, and up to this point, I’m trying to help other users in any way I can because official Umbrel technical support is conspicuous by its absence. Even for those who have paid for Umbrel Home.

But, well… I don’t want to make this a wasteland of complaints. This is what it is, and we’ll see how it turns out.

Back to your point. I don’t have an Umbrel Home, but like any mini PC, it must have a thermal/fan configuration option in the BIOS.

That’s why I told you to refer to the Beelink documentation. In the end, it’ll be the same. Maybe some terms and locations in the BIOS interface will change, but it’s the same.