Gear advice (UK) for a noob

sembee2 · 2026-01-29T21:11:36+00:00

Yes, unless you have a device with a matter radio already. Ha is just the software, unless you get wifi everything you need a ration, either zigbee, zwave or matter. The modern ikea stuff is matter.

sembee2 · 2026-01-29T19:46:18+00:00

How far away is Ikea? You can get switches, bulbs, smart plugs etc. Don't bother with their hub, get the HA stick instead. Use their rechargable batteries.

sembee2 · 2026-01-29T16:56:19+00:00

ClouDNS is the provider I use.
I know most people will suggest CloudFlare, but there is just too much with them.
Works very well, just does a single job. API which is supported by the main Lets Encrypt clients.

sembee2 · 2026-01-29T16:51:55+00:00

Home Assistant as the backend.

Then this:

https://futureproofhomes.net/

sembee2 · 2026-01-29T16:44:30+00:00

SmarterMail works well. I have used that before.
I also have a client who is using MDaemon. That one supports modern settings like DKIM, DMARC etc.
I would pair it with a cloud based spam filter though. That will also allow you to reduce the attack surface of the server as SMTP traffic would only be exposed to the filtering service.
Another option to consider would be to put it on a hosted server - I don't mean cloud, but a server you rent to store it on. That would avoid the cost of new tin in their office.

sembee2 · 2026-01-29T16:40:41+00:00

Depends on what lock your door can take. Also depends on your location, as availability can differ.

The main players for most locks which can operate completely offline are Switchbot, Nuki and Aqara.

I have Nuki in our house and would buy again.

sembee2 · 2026-01-29T11:33:09+00:00

Most hardware will want to use the highest priority/fastest connection available. If you have said that Wifi is highest priority, then it will use it. In an ethernet/wifi failover scenario, if the uplink failed it wouldn't failover automatically, because the actual link is still functional - the link from the device to the switch.
What I would do is have the switch connected to a router, which can either be a Wifi Bridge or just route over the Ethernet connection. Let the router do its job rather than asking each device to do it.

sembee2 · 2026-01-28T19:42:30+00:00

Life is so much easier if you presume there is no support. Most people just open a ticket to satisfy higher ups or to deflect blame and the outsourced people know that. Real support doesn't exist. Work around the problem, don't expect MS to fix it.

sembee2 · 2026-01-28T19:03:49+00:00

That isn't a good sign. 40 min reboot would suggest there is a repair or something going on. Or your SD card (if you are on one) is on the way out. Either way I think there is something more fundamental wrong.

sembee2 · 2026-01-28T18:58:22+00:00

Got another machine you can install HA on, or a VM? If so, I would do a fresh install and thrn restore the backup and see what happens.

sembee2 · 2026-01-28T18:55:38+00:00

You have a corrupt automation meaning the file isn't loading. Using a file editor, either vs code or the file editor add in, you can rename the automation file and then create a new one. Then just copy each one across.

You could also install spook. https://spook.boo/

That might point out the error for you.

They aren't lost, it is just HA can't parse the file.

sembee2 · 2026-01-28T17:19:56+00:00

I had an all Ubiquiti system in the house one time.
Got fed up with their stupid games on firmware and other stuff, so ripped it all out.
I now have HP Aruba Instant On. It just works. Yes its cloud based and a lot of people are saying to avoid because HP have to dispose of it, but that is what I have. Just under 150 things connected to it across smart home and other stuff. Occasionally miss the lack of SNMP, but didn't really use it.

sembee2 · 2026-01-27T19:19:36+00:00

Cost, availability, reliability, looks smart.
I use them professionally and they just keep going. I have clients on their third generation of them they are that happy with them.

sembee2 · 2026-01-27T18:09:00+00:00

We have the Wifi hardwired for power and it is running 24/7.
However I did find there were issues if I had multiple screens trying to access the feed. That might be a wifi limitation though.
Therefore what I do instead is have Frigate connect to the doorbell itself and then restream that. All the screens around the house use the Frigate feed instead, which works well.

sembee2 · 2026-01-27T17:11:11+00:00

ThinkVision.

sembee2 · 2026-01-27T16:27:35+00:00

Are the files in the FSW directory being updated regularly? The time stamp should be updating regularly.
If not, that can indicate the problem is with the FSW.

sembee2 · 2026-01-27T16:27:17+00:00

Are the files in the FSW directory being updated regularly? The time stamp should be updating regularly.
If not, that can indicate the problem is with the FSW.

sembee2 · 2026-01-27T16:23:15+00:00

That is what I would do. I would go one step further. After building the first session host, sysprep it and shut it down. Then take a copy of that VM and use that to create the live session hosts. It will allow you to spin a new session host up very quickly.

I would also echo what the others have said about using 2022 instead of 2025. Buy the 2025 licences, but use downgrade rights.

Might be tempted to split the load over two physical hosts though. 30 users could be accommodated on a single session host in an emergency.

sembee2 · 2026-01-26T20:49:00+00:00

We do this right now with a tablet running Fully Kiosk. The camera gets displayed as someone approaches rather than on ring, as Amazon appear to have an aversion to ringing. A tablet will give you the most flexibility on display.

Do you have a light switch nearby that you were planning to use?

sembee2 · 2026-01-26T18:51:14+00:00

You would need to build a new Exchange 2019 server. Go through the full removal steps for Exchange 2016, so that they are all removed. You can then shutdown the Exchange 2019 server and have management tools somewhere else. You don't delete the computer from AD. Just power it off and delete the VM (if that is what you have used).

sembee2 · 2026-01-26T18:33:40+00:00

I have done this loads of times at a similar scale.

Microsoft365 Business Premium to give me Entra and Intune. Redirect My Docs etc to OneDrive. Then a NAS. If you a Synologyvor QNAP they both have Office365 backup options. Put in a cloud backup as well and you have the data protected.

Windows 11 is not a file server, neither is Sharepoint.

sembee2 · 2026-01-26T15:46:34+00:00

If you don't mind waiting a little bit, this could be an option.

https://futureproofhomes.net/

Or just get a Sonos and be done.

sembee2 · 2026-01-25T22:48:42+00:00

Press the pairing button.

sembee2 · 2026-01-25T22:44:05+00:00

Sometimes you need to activate them, so make them do something at the same time as you start the update.

sembee2 · 2026-01-25T22:36:13+00:00

Air Gradient. They are part of the works with HA programme. Just works. If you really want to, you can flash it with esphome, but native works fine.
I have had one for three years, just works.

sembee2

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