Categories: Privacy

Fire Safety and Technology — Things to Keep in Mind During Hot Months

With higher temperatures and lots of direct sunlight, summer provides the perfect conditions for fires. Electronic devices in particular are affected by these weather changes and are significantly more susceptible to overheating during summer months. Luckily, you can easily prevent the possibility of electronic fires and protect your devices from overheating by keeping the following information in mind. If your phone is overheating from overuse, however, use the cpu cooler feature to instantly cool it down:

Phones
While the likelihood of a phone catching on fire is thankfully low, the aftermath of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fires is a reminder that accidents happen. While a phone may not always catch fire due to sun exposure, higher temperatures can damage both the device’s screen as well as its internal components. To keep your phone safe, make sure to protect it from direct sunlight at all times. Smartphones should never be left in an overheated car; they can even overheat when left in a pocket, where it is within close proximity to body heat with no air flow.

Your phone may also benefit from ditching your phone case for the summer. While cases are a great tool for protection, the extra layer prevents heat from escaping, potentially leading to overheating. Overheating can also be caused by overuse, which includes running multiple functions or apps at the same time. In addition to rising temperatures, this is an easy way to trigger your phone’s temperature sensor. If your device overheats from the sun, turn it off and remove the case. Place the phone in a cooler area, out of sunlight, and let it cool down slowly.

Lithium-Ion Batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are present in a majority of personal electronic devices. This is because lithium-ion batteries are the smallest and lightest option when compared to other batteries for storing the same amount of information. However, this trend towards smaller and lighter electronics severely limits the capacity for efficient heat dissipation within the phone. In instances of overheating related to lithium-ion batteries, the process of sparking a fire is accelerated at higher temperatures, making these tips for preventing overheating especially important. In some instances, simply leaving a phone with a lithium-ion battery in a hot car or in direct sunlight can be enough to trigger flames.

Other Appliances
Other devices at risk include laptops and mp3 players, both of which rely on lithium-ion batteries, as well. In addition, cooling units are at risk since running multiple units together for extended periods of time can lead to overheating and overloading, creating conditions ripe for a fire. Exhaust fans are one last risk for fire and should be cleaned out regularly to decrease risks.

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The dfndr blog is an informative channel that presents exclusive content on security and privacy in the mobile and business world, with tips to keep users protected. Populated by a select group of expert reporters, the channel has a partnership with dfndr lab's security team. Together they bring you, first-notice news about attacks, scams, internet vulnerabilities, malware and everything affecting cybersecurity.