Using HomePod bought in England in Denmark - power watt problem?

Hardware
1

I bought a HomePod in 2018 in England and brought it back to Denmark.

The plug on the HomePod didn’t fit the plug in my apartment. So I put the HomePod plug into a travel adaptor and kept it that way for years.

However this summer with the 14.6 update to HomePod, it started getting really hot out the top of it. And it still is.

So my question is, obviously there is something with the software (yes I did update to 15.1).

But my question is now if the problem is also the different watt and power standards between England and Denmark - I know nothing about this, so.

Maybe that’s causing the heat? And if so, can I fix that somehow with an aggregate?

2

There is no difference other than the shape of the plug. Both have the same voltage and frequency, watt/power is irrelevant.

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3

Thanks Lars! Just so weird with the constant heat from that thing. Even when not in use it’s hot

4

I am intrigued. The power difference between GB and DK is not existent and not an issue. I you look at the “charger”, it’s probably multi-voltage (110V-220V).

When I said “watt/power is irrelevant”, I meant the socket side. Your wall outlet doesn’t care if it’s 10 or 40W. That only is interesting if you get near the breaker limit (power-tools).

I don’t own a HomePod. But, looking at other devices, and similar problems I saw:

  • maybe completely resetting/restoring the HomePod (CPU/memory load high due to whatever issue?). I once had an iPhone that was “too warm” and draining battery. Nuked it, problem solved.
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5

Is the HomePod getting hot or the plug/adapter? If the plug then it may be a problem with the plug not making good contact which generates heat.

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6

I have reset it many times. But I’ll try again :blush:

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Only the HomePod out of the top of it even when not in use it’s too warm

8

Maybe it’s faulty… is it a fire risk for you? Maybe.

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In the UK most people knew how to wire a plug. I guess few do now. I wonder if the same applies in Denmark (which shares plug format with many European countries).

But the voltage - 240V - and the frequency - 50Hz - are common between the UK and mainland Europe. You shouldn’t need a transformer.

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10

Nice thing about wiring: either it works, or it doesn’t. Not possible to wire a plug in a “wrong” way that will overheat a HomePod.

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11

It was at some point in June July after the 14.6 update it was really hot. Like faulty software made it stuck. And then using the HomePod as an output for the new Apple TV 4K really made it hot even when not in use. So I turned that off

I can’t replace it as they don’t sell them here and the apple repair won’t even touch it. I have to return it to the shop in the uk that I bought it at.

I still occasionally pull the plug on it if it put my hand there and it’s not in use and it’s too hot then I pull the plug and leave it.

But I’m sure apple will bring some kind of improved HomePod in the new year. So I’ll wait it out and get that one

12

That isn’t the actual hazard. But I agree. (Wiring is less messy than plumbing…) :slight_smile:

13

No. Messing with fuse boxes, grounding, etc. is the dangerous stuff.

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14

Is your HomePod connected to an AppleTV? disconnect and see if it still stays hot.

I have standalone HomePods which are fine.

As soon as they are in either a stereo pair or connected to and AppleTV they get hot. I do disconnect Stereo pairs and AppleTV connections after use.

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15

A badly wired plug is hazardous - which is why it fell out of practice in the UK many years ago. (Some of us, though, still remember.)

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16

a travel adapter should be more than adequate to do the plug conversion and be of no impact on the issue.

please google Homepod running hot. there is a lot written about it out there, however not many solutions.

I had one HomePod running hot consistently and in the end it lost all of its Bass. Only plays Treble and Mids, but strangely enough no longer runs hot. 14 months old so out of warranty and Apple doesn’t repair these things. They replace if you pay.

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There is no wired connection. The HomePod 2018 and Apple TV4K stand next to each other. But I no longer use the HomePod as sound out for my Apple TV. I suspect that made it really hot. But perhaps there is some configuration behind it that I’m not aware of in which the two communicate and wirelessly and that can perhaps make the HomePod hot some way

18

Maybe turning off the bass on the thing helps.

I did a lot of work on this in July and august. And was in touch with a senior Apple support person who would pass it on to the engineers and get back to me but he never did…

19

have you tried using a different wall outlet just to make sure it isn’t some odd wiring issue?

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20

my experience is that stand-alone it works well and doesn’t get hot. A.s.a. connected, either in stereo pair or to an AppleTV it runs hot. It seems that it wants a constant connection verification and doesn’t switch off or sleep to allow for instant connection.

I have 2 on my desk and only connect them to my AppleTV or as a stereo pair when I use them for that purpose, otherwise, I keep them as stand-alone devices.

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