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I love my Sony Bravia TV (XBR-65X900H) which is now about 5 years old. It's not OLED or even MiniLED, but the picture quality is so much better than any of our other TVs (which are were certainly much cheaper too). The color and LED backlighting consistency is the difference. We haven't had a...

I have been using CQC for years. However it is becoming less and less functional since it is no longer being supported. It seems the best software option out there right now is Home Assistant, so I am ready to install it on a new N100 mini computer and try it out. I know Pete is actively...

It's good to see someone carry at least some old stock of Jetstream devices. I only had three Jetstream switches, but I ended up having to replace them several years ago because one switch and the RS-232 Bridge died. I couldn't find any suitable replacements for those devices at the time, so I...

I'm just a home hobbyist, but I think my AV distribution system was pretty nice back in the day. I used CQC for the home automation hub, SageTV for my DVR system, and had a whole house audio system as well as a home theater style receiver/amp for my surround sound system in my Den. A large...

Since this is in the Home Security sub section, are you wanting just those types of discussions? I think there would be be more stories if it isn't so narrow in scope.

Well the first paragraph of that section of the document pretty much sums it up. "VLANs are not inherently insecure, but misconfiguration can leave a network vulnerable. There have also been past security problems in switch vendor implementations of VLANs." In other words, you need to make...

Again, anytime a VPN connection works without opening a port somewhere in your network scheme means that the company is using a server (Tailscale calls it a "relay") somewhere else in the world to make those connections. This means your traffic does not travel "directly" between your network...

An OpenVPN server on a Unifi router ALSO needs an open port to function correctly. The default OpenVPN server port is 1194. A "Teleport" server is Unify's "non-configuration" VPN which is what I referred to as the "Unify Cloud VPN" (likely incorrectly, but I don't use Unify or know their...

No, that shouldn't affect things now. It doesn't sound like you have any secondary device trying to communicate with the unit. I assume you power cycled the XEP (not the whole ELK unit) as part of your troubleshooting? I know I occasionally will have a loss of communication and power...

The ELK panel only allows a single communication stream at a time via it's serial port. Have you tied the alarm system into a larger automation network? If so, you need to remove/stop the alarm in the automation system before you will be able to communicate with the panel using the ElkRP2...

Traditional VPNs do require a port to be open. It's encrypted which is obviously infinitely more secure than an unsecure port (which is why we all suggest using a VPN in the first place). But your network still has to accept VPN communication with the outside world to work. A quick internet...

I'm using the Elk. I don't remember exactly when I installed it, but it's probably pushing 20 years now. It is overkill for my situation because I don't actually use any the "automation" functionality built into the system. I wasn't sure exactly how my automation journey would unfold at the...

I guess I should clarify what I am actually doing. I also started using WiFi lighting switches and plugs with the open source third party firmware Tasmota installed on them. I use the MQTT functionality built into the devices to communicate with my larger automation system. That being said...

MQTT is over 25 years old. WiFi is the defacto standard when it comes to short range wireless data transfer. I agree that everything else seems to come and go. I don't think it is a stretch to thing that WiFI and MQTT will be one of the longer lasting technology choices available today. It...

100% you should look into running your own VPN service. You can likely run it on your router. This way you will only have a single port open to the internet, and it will require a matching encryption file before the system will allow an outsider access to the network. Currently your entire...

I will say that the "king" of doorbell cameras right now seems to be the Reolink Wired POE doorbell. It pains me to recommend Reolink because normally their cameras are total crap, but the doorbell camera works very well. It also outputs a regular RSTP video feed so it is compatible with most...

It's unfortunate to hear about the limitations/issues with the new touch screens. Given this information, I honestly think the Elk KP2 keypads are still the "best" option. They look pretty modern (ie they don't have a door that you have to flip open to use) and don't have the issues that the...

If you can use other company's SIM cards, then the phone is definitely SIM card unlocked. This should allow you to use the phone with another carrier. However in the US, the different carriers use different frequencies and data transfer methods. For example, Verizon is still the "odd ball"...

At 41k, I would be doing this project myself! 🤦‍♂️ I don't know if the labor to terminate the fiber is higher than average, but that might explain some of the cost. Or perhaps they are charging "labor" on top of the directional boring piece (that they are going to sub out I bet). 17k in labor...

2.4ghz is going to be the most common with wi-fi switches. There is no need for 5ghz speed, and the 2.4ghz bands broadcasts farther and is less prone to being blocked by objects/walls. Therefore 2.4ghz is more preferable IMHO. I would suggest sticking with something that already has the third...