The lonely tech post thread.

[existentialist]

Actually that Philips lightbulb is weird.
It has its own WiFi identity, has no Bluetooth and was a right pain to set up.

I don't buy anything that isn't Zigbee.

Well, I say that...I ordered two Sonoff relay controllers from AliExpress, and they turn out to be Matter/WiFi. Still a breeze to connect compared to Philips stuff (and, TBH, IKEA Tradfri stuff can be a bit incantation-prone).

 

[UnderOpenSky]

"smart lightbulb"

That prompted me to do a visualisation of my Zigbee network.

View attachment 451721

What is it all?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Was pleased to find Yubico keys have dropped in price since I last looked, so was only £25. I wish more consumer level stuff supported them. I do feel having so much stuff authenticated against my phone is a bit of a worry if something happens to it.

I can't help but wonder if they'd actually suit older people who don't use smartphones as much. Text based authentication is a pain and hate it when it's the only option.

 

[existentialist]

What is it all?

Don't you trouble your pretty little head

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Don't you trouble your pretty little head

You've got a smart dungeon, haven't you?

 

[existentialist]

You've got a smart dungeon, haven't you?

Firewalled subnet, don'tccha know...?

 

[two sheds]

I don't buy anything that isn't Zigbee.

Well, I say that...I ordered two Sonoff relay controllers from AliExpress, and they turn out to be Matter/WiFi. Still a breeze to connect compared to Philips stuff (and, TBH, IKEA Tradfri stuff can be a bit incantation-prone).

is your microwave on there?
your fridge?
toilet?

 

[existentialist]

is your microwave on there?
your fridge?
toilet?

Nah. I'm not that obsessed.

ETA: I do have an emoncms system monitoring my mains usage, though.

 

[two sheds]

well I'd understand fridge and toilet links - keeping track of bodily inputs and outputs

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I'd probably be way more up for toys if I didn't have to share my living space, and why in the end I went for a Google Nest Thermostat and removed the OPNsense router when it crashed twice.

It's almost guaranteed the time my Plex setup will decide to misbehave is when I'm full of food, tired, pissed and about to watch a film with my OH.

 

[two sheds]

Nah. I'm not that obsessed.

ETA: I do have an emoncms system monitoring my mains usage, though.

yes apologies I'm just confused by connected home equipment, I'd be a bit concerned about living somewhere that's more intelligent than I am

 

[two sheds]

well that was interesting

Had a power cut yesterday and my second monitor stopped working. Checked on the web and general consensus was that it's fucked I'll have to get another one. So I thought I'd just try swapping monitor cables (difficult to trace which is which from the rat's nest at the back of the puter) , still fucked. I swapped them back and tried the monitor's VGA socket - luckily I still had a DVI-D to VGA adapter because it was originally set up as that but I'd converted to all digital to see whether it gave a better display (it had done, a bit).

Switched the computer on and still nothing on the monitor and my main monitor also looked fucked, just a very faint Linux Mint symbol on the screen and I couldn't enter the password. So main monitor now fucked, too

But hold on if it's displaying LM symbol it has to be working somehow so I switched the second monitor on and changed the input setting to VGA ... and it all works - that one was acting as primary which is why the LM symbol was greyed out.

So all working again

 

[UnderOpenSky]

well that was interesting

Had a power cut yesterday and my second monitor stopped working. Checked on the web and general consensus was that it's fucked I'll have to get another one. So I thought I'd just try swapping monitor cables (difficult to trace which is which from the rat's nest at the back of the puter) , still fucked. I swapped them back and tried the monitor's VGA socket - luckily I still had a DVI-D to VGA adapter because it was originally set up as that but I'd converted to all digital to see whether it gave a better display (it had done, a bit).

Switched the computer on and still nothing on the monitor and my main monitor also looked fucked, just a very faint Linux Mint symbol on the screen and I couldn't enter the password. So main monitor now fucked, too

But hold on if it's displaying LM symbol it has to be working somehow so I switched the second monitor on and changed the input setting to VGA ... and it all works - that one was acting as primary which is why the LM symbol was greyed out.

So all working again

Sounds horribly fustrating, but glad you got there.

 

[two sheds]

Sounds horribly fustrating, but glad you got there.

the feeling of triumph at not having to buy a new monitor when I'd assumed I'd have to makes it all worthwhile