The Lance J. Technoweb

I have a large window in the front of my house and a roller shade was just the right window treatment for it.  But I also wanted to automate it. My MotionBlind Upgrade kit and my new roller shade I looked around to buy something that I was comfortable with, but simple non-automated roller blinds can be expensive, especially when they're larger than 6 ft x 6 ft.   This is disappointing, as a roller blind is just a tube with a small amount of synthetic cloth but can easily cost hundreds of dollars. Plus, since I wanted a smarthome blind, we're talking $500 or more from the "service oriented shops". I'm a tech guy.  I think can do better. After thinking about DIY and creative solutions, I decided to try out the Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade (MBU) kit.  This kit transforms an ordinary roller blind into a smart blind.  The MotionBlinds mechanism is basically consists of a small motor and battery in a long metal tube.  This motor tube slides into a roller blind ...

I like measuring things, and I like the weather.  So why shouldn't I own a weather station?  I've thought about it for several years, but never committed to it. Why not? Cost! But since I found a $35 solution, this year I did it! My Weather Station Configuration Why did it take me so long? When I looked online, I saw a bunch of $120 to $1000+ kits that did everything: wind, rain, solar radiation, barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, lightning, etc.  They looked big and complicated, and was more than I wanted to spend on what amounts to be a toy. The reasons I didn't buy one of these weather stations: Installing a weather station seemed like a pain in the butt. My property isn't really set up for quality weather data collection (limited open space, with trees, buildings, fences, etc). I didn't want to spend a lot of cash on finicky equipment.   Every other weather-related thing I've ever purchased has been pretty limited. But then I learned that this is...

 It has been a few years since installing my network backboard.  Since then, I've made a few updates.  Gear changes I relocated my Apple TV HD from the backboard to my living room, since I now I have a TV.  The Apple TV still functions as my HomeKit hub.  I added a MikroTik hAP AC2 to operate as my network router, replacing my hAP AC Lite. I added an Arris cable modem, replacing my hAP AC Lite WISP strategy I added a CyberPower UPS to the backboard.  I added a custom-built 12v DC power system, used to power my router, modem, and doorbell: I added a voltage boost converter so I could power the Ring doorbell with a 12VDC power supply.  My Ring wants about 14VDC minimum. I removed the less efficient 16.5 VAC transformer that previously powered the Ring In all, my backboard is consuming about 24 watts of power, which includes powering these devices: MikroTik hAP AC2 router PoE gigabit switch (with attached MikroTik Cap AC access point) HD HomeRun TV Tuner ...

I was reviewing the Comcast Xfinity "compatible cable modem" list in my area and I see that Comcast has started to organize their certified cable modems into four distinct quality categories: Recommended Next-Gen Modems Recommended Modems Compatible Modems that are recommended Compatible (but not specifically recommended) Modems Hitron CODA56 cable modem In terms of future proofing, it is clear that the "Recommended Next-Gen" category lists all the modems that Comcast prefers moving ahead, as the modems in this category all support the fastest high-speed upload performance.  What I've read is that these most advanced "next-gen" modems support "mid-split" and "high-split" mode, allowing them to deliver higher speeds on modernized cable TV systems.  Of course not all cable systems are modernized - some might be decades old.  Surprisingly, Comcast only lists two non-"voice telephone" models in the most advanced "next-g...

There are many choices when powering a wired Ring Video Doorbell.  Most people just reuse their existing doorbell power, but I wanted to see if I could improve that situation. When I first hooked up my Ring Wired Doorbell , I used an existing Honeywell Plug-in AC Transformer .  These AC transformers are very popular for both video doorbells, traditional doorbells, and security systems.  They reduce standard home voltages (120VAC in North America) to 16.5 VAC. In contrast, modern DC power adapters for home electronics are efficient. There are global efficiency standards on modern adapters , and in the USA the current efficiency standard is called "Level VI".  These efficiency standards help ensure that idle equipment has near-zero power draw, and that active equipment isn't wildly inefficient. The thing is, the standards are for modern single-voltage DC power adapters, but given that my Ring Wired Doorbell was hooked up to my home's 1990's vintage AC doorbell ...

We all read the ads and have seen "reviews" about Internet service provider costs and performance, but it is 99.99% advertising and affiliate link disinformation. The Speed You Need Most people think they need a gigabit download performance for great Internet performance.  This is nonsense.  Most people are restricted by upload speeds, not download speeds. Why?  Because upload speed is almost always the bottleneck. Some examples of where upload speed is critical: Zoom and other video calling technology VoIP telephone calling Online real-time gaming Some examples where download speed is just not important The number of devices you own Streaming video  Streaming audio All these technologies have a need for timely packet delivery, and with upload speeds being relatively slow, this is where nearly 100% of bottlenecks occur.  If your video call or game isn't behaving well, you've almost certainly saturated your Upload performance. So let's take a look at the Comcast ...

I find or acquire a whole bunch of used electronics, and they often don't come with a power supply.  My adjustable power adapter solves this problem.  It's a pretty cheapo SHNITPWR Adjustable Power Adapter .  Yes, that is the name! For about $20, it solves a whole bunch of "I don't have the power adapter" issues. The Strategy of the Adjustable Power Adapter  The basic information I need to power a device includes the following: DC or AC current Voltage Polarity (center-positive or center-negative) Amps  Once I have all this data, then I configure my adjustable power adapter accordingly and plug it in!  If I find that the device is working appropriately and has some value to me, then I will buy a standard aftermarket power adapter from Amazon of the correct specifications. So what if I don't know this critical information?  Easy!  Strategy 1: Look at the label! I look on the device in hope that it shows the exact power spec.  Sometimes it...