Steve Jenkins

ecobee4 with Amazon Alexa Voice Service 4
Today is the official launch of the ecobee4 smart thermostat: the latest in what’s now a long(ish) line of WiFi thermostats from the eponymous Toronto-based ecobee Inc. Whenever ecobee releases an even “smarter” version of their smart thermostat, you can pretty much guarantee I’m gonna be all over that product […]

ecobee4 Smart Thermostat Review

This entry was posted in Home Theater & Automation Product Reviews Technology and tagged Alexa Amazon Amazon Alexa Apple ecobee ecobee 4 ecobee 4 review ecobee4 ecobee4 review home automation HomeKit IFTTT product review review SmartThings thermostat voice control on by (updated 2774 days ago)
Google Fiber speed test of EdgeRouter Lite 7
Many moons ago, I replaced my Google Fiber Network Box with a UBNT EdgeRouter Lite router at our house in Provo, Utah… and never looked back! With a street price of under $90, the ER-Lite was a tough act to beat for the money. But later, when Ubiquiti Networks released the newer EdgeRouter […]

EdgeRouter X vs. EdgeRouter Lite Google Fiber Speed Tests

This entry was posted in Linux Networking Technology and tagged EdgeRouter EdgeRouter comparison EdgeRouter Lite EdgeRouter POE EdgeRouter X ER-L ER-LITE ER-Lite vs ER-X ER-POE ER-X fastest Google Fiber speed speed test Ubiquiti UBNT on by (updated 2863 days ago)
APC UPS Diagnostic Events interface
By default, if you configure a notification email address on an APC Smart-UPS, it will send you an email every time your UPS passes a self test. Depending on how often you have your UPS’s self tests scheduled, this can fill up your inbox or SMS alert system with messages you […]

How to Turn Off “UPS: Passed a Self-Test” Emails on ...

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged APC notifications self-test self-test emails Smart-UPS turn off emails turn off notification UPS UPS: Passed a self-test on by
ecobee3 Lite calibration mode 1
Are you wanting to get on the smart thermostat bandwagon, but aren’t sure if it’s worth the $249 price tag of the full-featured models like the ecobee3 and Nest? Then has ecobee got a deal for you. They recently added the ecobee3 Lite to their line-up with a very tempting MSRP of […]

Review: ecobee3 Lite

This entry was posted in DIY Home Theater & Automation Technology and tagged DIY ecobee ecobee upgrade ecobee3 ecobee3 Lite Install remote thermostat smart thermostat thermostat WiFi thermostat on by (updated 2894 days ago)
Kernel Version vs Firmware Version 6
In March of last year, I published this article claiming that the latest (at the time) DD-WRT builds based on the Linux 2.6 kernel (K2.6) ran faster on a Linksys/Cisco E4200 router than their K3.x counterparts. Since then, I’ve heard apocryphal stories from some in the DD-WRT forums that the […]

DD-WRT K2.6 vs K3.x vs Tomato Router Firmware Head to ...

This entry was posted in Linux Technology and tagged DD-WRT ddwrt EdgeRouter K2.6 K2.6 vs K3.x K3 K3.x Linux networking speed speed test speedtest Tomato UBNT USG which is faster on by (updated 2905 days ago)
Hazard switch pin and channel system
Imagine you’re driving a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS through Utah’s Wasatch Mountain canyons near Park City with a group of other European exotics. As the group pulls off to the side of the highway to let the stragglers catch up, you hit your hazard lights button. When it’s time to depart once […]

How to Fix a Broken Ferrari 328 Hazard Switch

This entry was posted in Cars DIY and tagged broken DIY Ferrari Ferrari 328 Ferrari 512 Ferrari F40 fix hazard fuse hazard lights hazard switch how to stuck turn signals won't turn off on by
AC Infinity S3 fan
If you’re like most homeowners, you probably keep your receiver, amplifier, router, network switch, or any other electronic equipment inside a cabinet… which means you have a heat problem. Heat is the enemy of electronics, and circulating air through and around anything electronic is vital to its performance and longevity. This is the cabinet […]

Review: AC Infinity Airplate Cabinet Fan

This entry was posted in DIY Product Reviews Technology and tagged AC Infinity cabinet fan computer fan cooling fan equipment cabinet product review review usb USB fan on by (updated 3085 days ago)
Even if you don’t understand the function of a GFCI outlet, or know what “GFCI” stands for, there’s a really good chance you’ve seen at least one (and probably a few) in your home. This is what a GFCI outlet looks like: GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, and that’s precisely […]

You Should Test and Replace your GFCI Outlets More Often ...

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged DIY GFCI GFCI outlet GFCI reset button GFI replace replace GFCI outlet reset service life test test GFCI outlet on by (updated 2960 days ago)
Batteries wired in parallel are now fully charged 1
It’s a story that repeats itself in garages across America every summer. Your kid wants to drive his Power Wheels Jeep, or her Power Wheels Escalade (is it really selling for $800-$900 on Amazon?)… and the battery is dead. You plug in the proprietary charging connector (if you haven’t lost it, that is), but […]

Dead Power Wheels Battery? Maybe You Can Trick it Back ...

This entry was posted in Cars DIY and tagged battery battery charger battery won't charge charging Power Wheels battery CTEK dead battery parallel charging piggy-back charging Power Wheels on by
"Forget" your access point(s) on your existing UniFi Controller before adopting it on your hosted controller 10
UPDATE: Due to the positive responses I’ve received about this script, and repeated requests for Let’s Encrypt support, it now supports standard and Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates. Read on for details. The Ubiquiti UniFi Controller comes with its own self-signed SSL certificate, which means that every time you try to […]

Use an Existing SSL Certificate on a Linux UniFi Controller

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged existing SSL certificate Linux OpenSSL PKCS12 private key self-signed self-signed SSL certificate SSL Certificate SSL certificate import Ubiquiti UBNT UniFi UniFi controller Unix use your own SSL certificate on by (updated 2923 days ago)
5
UPDATE: Since most modern browsers yanked their trust for StartSSL certificates due to some funny business from StartCom, I no longer recommend StartSSL certs. I’ve switched all my certs over to LetsEncrypt (using the excellent Dehydrated script for easy setup and renewal). The article below remains here for historical purposes only. […]

Create a Free SSL Certificate with StartSSL

This entry was posted in Linux Technology and tagged .crt Apache bundle CA file certificate authority certificate signing request csr free SSL certificate key Linux pem private key self-signed self-signed SSL certificate SSL StartCom StartSSL on by (updated 2685 days ago)
GE LEG Bright Stiks, 760 lumens, 5000K color temp 1
As I was tearing my 1997 Sub-Zero 601F freezer apart recently to troubleshoot a defrost issue (expect a separate blog post on that soon), I noted that it used four traditional 40W incandescent appliance bulbs as its light source. The 601R refrigerator installed next to it used the same. As […]

Quick & Easy LED Light Upgrade for your Refrigerator and ...

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged Amana appliance bulb freezer freezer light bulb fridge KitchenAid LED LED bulbs light bulbs Maytag refrigerator refrigerator light bulb Sub-Zero Upgrade Whirlpool on by (updated 3102 days ago)
"Forget" your access point(s) on your existing UniFi Controller before adopting it on your hosted controller
After writing the post on how to quickly upgrade your Ubiquiti UniFi Controller on non-Debian Linux boxes (I run mine on CentOS), I decided that it still wasn’t quick enough. So I threw together a script called upgrade_unifi.sh that does the following: Stops the existing UniFi Controller Makes a backup of your old UniFi […]

Automated Script for UniFi Controller Upgrade on Linux/Unix Systems

This entry was posted in Linux Technology and tagged command line gist Linux new version script Ubiquiti UBNT UniFi UniFi controller update Upgrade on by (updated 2946 days ago)
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If you’re running the Ubiquiti UniFi Controller on a Linux box (I run mine on CentOS), the default instructions from UBNT walk you through building a simple SysV init script to run the Java .jar file as a service. I was in a tinkering mood, so I re-wrote the SysV startup script on my […]

Improved Startup Script for Ubiquiti UniFi Controller on Unix / ...

This entry was posted in Linux Technology and tagged CentOS init script Linux RHEL startup script Ubiquiti UBNT UniFi UniFi controller Unix on by (updated 3081 days ago)
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UPDATE: I’ve written an automated script that performs all the steps in this article in less than 60 seconds. Feel free to follow the steps below if you want full manual control, or download my script to make your life even easier. 🙂 Ubiquiti Networks’ Java-based UniFi Controller software has a […]

Upgrade Your Linux UniFi Controller Version in 5 Minutes

This entry was posted in Linux Technology and tagged beta version CentOS new version Redhat Ubiquity UBNT UniFi UniFi controller Upgrade on by (updated 3101 days ago)
"Forget" your access point(s) on your existing UniFi Controller before adopting it on your hosted controller 4
If you’ve ever set up a Ubiquiti UniFi access point, such as the UBNT UAP, UBNT UAP-PRO, or UBNT UAP-AC-PRO, you’ve had to run UniFi Controller software required to adopt, configure, and manage your UniFi devices. When I set up a UAP-PRO in our house (see my install guide) I ran the UniFi Controller software full-time on […]

DIY Cloud-Hosting a Ubiquiti (UBNT) UniFi Controller

This entry was posted in Linux Reference Technology Windows and tagged access point cloud-hosted cloud-hosted UniFi controller controller hosted L2 network L3 network self-hosted UAP UAP-AC-PRO UAP-PRO Ubiquiti UBNT UniFi UniFi controller on by (updated 3110 days ago)
Close-up of Trex flaking 1
When it came time in 2006 to replace the deck at my log home in Eastern Washington, I wanted to go low maintenance. I already had plenty of maintenance tasks with the logs, the waterfront, the dock, and the teak furniture, so I decided to go with the most well-known and trusted […]

Follow My Trex Surface Flaking Class Action Claim

This entry was posted in Product Reviews Rants and Raves and tagged Trex Trex Class Action Trex Class Action Lawsuit Trex deck Trex decking Trex flaking Trex replacement Trex warranty on by (updated 3111 days ago)
SCOTTeVEST Enforcer internal features 4
A few years ago, a friend of mine who is a fellow fan of “tacti-cool” gear emailed me a link to the then-new Brad Thor Alpha Jacket by SCOTTeVEST. I couldn’t whip out my wallet fast enough. Founded in Chicago in 2000, SCOTTeVEST is now headquartered in Ketcham, Idaho and specializes […]

Review: SCOTTeVEST Enforcer vs Alpha Jacket

This entry was posted in Guns Product Reviews and tagged Alpha Brad Thor Enforcer guns jacket review SCOTTeVEST SeV tactical jacket tactical vest vest on by (updated 3202 days ago)
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Warning: this blog post contains a link to explicit lyrics. Perhaps a similar warning should have been posted on the door of the Covington, WA Starbucks I visited on Friday, January 29, 2016. Even though I’m not a coffee drinker, I’m a fan of Starbucks’ food, their non-coffee drinks, and their […]

Rant: Explicit Lyrics Warning Label Needed at Starbucks?

This entry was posted in Rants and Raves and tagged Chris Brown customer service lyrics rant Sean Kingston Starbucks Wiz Khalifa on by (updated 3235 days ago)
LanmanServer now dependent on Drobo Dashboard 1
I’ve had a problem with my Windows 2008 R2 server for over a year that I could never figure out. After every reboot (which I only do after a Windows Update), shared folders were no longer available to network clients. My initial workaround was to RDC to the server, right-click on […]

Fix missing shares on Windows 2008 Server reboot with Drobo

This entry was posted in Technology Windows and tagged DDService dependent service Drobo Drobo Dashboard Service file sharing iSCSI LanmanServer not shared re-share folders server Server service shared folders missing Windows Windows 2008 Windows 2008 R2 Windows Server on by (updated 3247 days ago)
WOSS Titan Suspension Trainer Kit 1
Like most other people who’ve visited a commercial gym in the past couple of years, I’ve seen those bright yellow TRX suspension trainer setups, like this: Initially, I wondered if they were simply the latest fitness gimmick, or whether there was something to them. I played around with them a bit, but never […]

WOSS Titan Review: Affordable TRX Suspension Trainer Alternative

This entry was posted in Fitness Product Reviews and tagged AttacK fitness fitness products Hurricane product review review suspension trainer suspension training Titan Tough Mudder TRX TRX bands TRX straps TRX training workout WOSS WOSS suspension trainer on by (updated 3248 days ago)
This is another of those posts that might only be for my own benefit, so that the next time I need to change the oil on my wife’s 2008 Cadillac Escalade, I can simply locate this post to remember what parts I used… and whether I liked them. 🙂 I […]

Oil Change and Filter Parts for 2008 Cadillac Escalade

This entry was posted in Cars DIY and tagged Cadillac cars DIY Escalade escalade oil filter K&N oil change oil filter reset oil light reset oil message Royal Purple synthetic on by (updated 3257 days ago)
The purpose of this particular post is to have a destination where I can direct people (the majority of whom are friends of mine) whenever they suggest that I try out a health, fitness, diet, and/or supplement product… and/or program… and/or system… and/or approach. Usually, I receive that suggestion online (via […]

No, Thank You (or Why I Don’t Participate in Fitness ...

This entry was posted in Fitness Personal and tagged diet exercise fitness fitness products fitness programs MLM network marketing supplements on by (updated 3273 days ago)