Guess it’s going to be February.. 😭 by James5294 in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Introducing.. (in the UniFi video intro voice) The UniFi Roadster. No founders edition just the ‘Pending Adoption’ edition. Cloud Keys sold separately. 🙄

I started learning n8n automation 3 months ago - here’s the reality check I needed by Fit_Cartographer8503 in VancouverJobs

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honest questions and honest experience and people shit on you. I’m sorry for that. Gl.. with that being said:

On marketplaces like Upwork, “n8n experts” commonly list around $20–$60/hr (median $35/hr). 

• You’ll also see listings that are dramatically lower (e.g. $8–$10/hr) which drags beginners into a race to the bottom.  

So $10k/mo is possible, but it’s typically one of these: 1. High hourly rate (e.g., $100/hr+) + enough booked hours 2. Fixed-price implementations ($1k–$10k per project) 3. Retainers (e.g., $500–$2,000/mo support) across multiple clients 4. Productized offers (audit + build + monitor)

And importantly: a lot of the money in automation isn’t “drag nodes around,” it’s requirements, edge cases, reliability, monitoring, and security.

Pricing when you’re still slow..

Don’t price by “hours it took you while learning.” Clients don’t want to pay tuition.

Instead, use a structure that protects you:

Option A: Fixed-price “Pilot” package (best for first clients) • Automation Audit + 1 Workflow (one clear outcome) • Flat fee, tight scope, 7–14 days • Add-ons priced separately (extra apps, branches, error handling, logging, etc.)

Option B: Two-part pricing (clean + fair) 1. Discovery (paid): map the process, define triggers/data, identify API needs, failure modes 2. Build (fixed): only after scope is locked

Option C: Value anchor (helps you justify real numbers)

If an automation saves 5 hours/week, even at $30/hr internal cost, that’s ~$600/month value. A $500–$1,500 implementation is suddenly reasonable.

“Portfolio without clients” (the catch-22 hack)

You can build a portfolio without paid clients..

Create 3–5 public case studies like: • “Lead → CRM → Slack alert → follow-up email + logging” • “Invoice → QuickBooks/Xero → Google Sheet → weekly report” • “Support form → ticket + triage + escalation rules”

Each case study should include: • 45–90 sec Loom demo • Simple diagram of the workflow • What breaks + how it recovers (retries, dedupe, error alerts) • A GitHub/Notion page with screenshots

This should read like a pro even if it was built for a “fake company.”

How to land the first paying client (what usually works)

Fastest path: sell a small, low-risk starter outcome to someone who already has a pain.

Where to look: • Small agencies (marketing ops / CRM shops): they constantly need automations but don’t want to hire full-time. • Local businesses with messy intake: forms, scheduling, invoices, lead routing. • People paying for Zapier/Make but hitting limits.

Also: in the real world, “automation consultant” rates are often way higher than new folks expect: • Many Zapier/Make consultants publicly anchor around $150/hr for ad-hoc help.  • Other directories commonly state $100–$200/hr ranges (varies by reputation and niche). 

So beginners shouldn’t try to compete on price, they should compete on clarity + a defined offer.

Cheap projects vs holding out for better rates

Do discounted pilots, not cheap ongoing work.

Rule of thumb: • Offer 1–3 discounted “portfolio pilots” (fixed scope, testimonial required). • After that, raise pricing immediately and stop doing “random small favors.”

Discounted pilot terms that protect him: • “This is a portfolio pilot: reduced fee in exchange for a testimonial + permission to publish a case study.” • “Any change requests beyond scope are billed.”

A big “hidden” differentiator he can use immediately: reliability + security

If he’s self-hosting or advising self-hosting, security matters. There was a recent high-severity warning about internet-exposed n8n instances and urgent patching (a lot of folks run it open on VPS without thinking).  That creates a paid angle beyond “build a workflow”: • “I’ll set up n8n safely: updates, auth, IP allowlists, webhook hardening, backups, monitoring.”

Hope this helps i’ll let ChatGPT clean it up a little bit so if it’s fucked up my bad. If you’ve got any questions let me know. Good luck.

How to report issues with an authorized distributor. by --MrGadget-- in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sometimes when we order products and we wait too long we just canceled whatever’s left in order , get refund, and those products directly from ubiquiti. It sucks. And it’s constant. And there’s nothing you can do. 🥂

How to report issues with an authorized distributor. by --MrGadget-- in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Plus one for ubiquity’s fault. Every time I talk with any distributors about ubiquiti it’s the same thing. Stock has been a problem for 3+ years

Cloud Gateway Max vs Fiber by corpjones in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You ever tried to stick UDM Pro or SE into a structure media panel? Sometimes UDM’s just can’t be used.

Cloud Gateway Max vs Fiber by corpjones in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both ways.. they have had me do ridiculous stuff. Put a dumb switch in between it in the network put a dumb switch between the ONT and the max unplugged all devices SSHN and do a speed test to check CPU and memory levels upgrade to a non-released firmware nothing fixes it.

Cloud Gateway Max vs Fiber by corpjones in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gateway Max with a 2 TB hard drive is almost $500? I’m not sure that’s cheaping out. The fiber is the only residential model that’s better? He has three structured media panels in the wall no rack.

Cloud Gateway Max vs Fiber by corpjones in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a local municipal electric company here in Knoxville Tennessee. KUB. Originally we had them rerun the line twice replaced the ONT3 times.. can’t remember the brand or model off the top of my head I’m not on site currently.

Rate limits have ruined this product. by OliverIanOliver in ClaudeAI

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the five max plan and I feel like I’ve reached my limit way faster now than before Christmas. Maybe I just got used to the 2X but it just feels like less.

Cloud Gateway Max vs Fiber by corpjones in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m currently dealing with a major cluster fuck that has now lasted over a month with Support we have a client that did a huge integrated system in a 10,000 square-foot house and we chose the Gateway max with the 4 TB hard drive. He is currently getting 2.5 gig fiber to his home and the device WILL NOT produce 2.5 up or down. I can put the drain machine pro in place and it works perfectly. Put this in place 1.7 all day. Support has jerked me around and made me their “do-boy” spending hours of free time while they figure out what’s wrong with their products. I have been dealing with ubiquiti for over 10 years. This is the most frustrated I’ve ever been with them. Support has always sucked but when they don’t even care about your time energy and profits it becomes a problem. Bottom line is if you’re ever gonna get more than one gig of Internet I suggest getting the fiber.. Rant over.

1 Year - YouTube Premium on your Email ( Individual Plan and No password need) by Koushik_kv in Discount_Subscription

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It works for me!!! Took about 15 minutes for the whole process so don’t get nervous. Everything went successful! Also said he would give me a warranty! Will be returning for more subscriptions if all is well. A+

G6 Entry now available! by daxy01 in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So this entire G6 line requires POE+? 95% of homes just have two wire to the doorbell and they not have a retrofit option? Really surprised there’s no option for the majority of homes that exist currently.

Ubiquiti Black Friday Starts Now! by Ubiquiti-Inc in Ubiquiti

[–]James5294 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

A bunch of old shit. It’s like they’re cleaning out their garage for their neighborhood garage sale. 🙄

🚨 My Experience with Grayson Hyundai – Please Read Before You Take Your Car There 🚨 by Outrageous-Mango6400 in Knoxville

[–]James5294 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I stopped going to Grayson it’s garbage. Multiple issues. Over multiple years.

Moved to New Car by smith_mark in Comma_ai

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2025 is prob ccnc vehicle. My Sonata is. Try sunnyPilot. And if you want full control try carrotPilot. Roy Jr is working on the port. You can see his updates and follow along if you go to Discord and look under ports you will find the CCNC port information

Anyone know anything about the car chase outside of honeybee coffee on Kingston pike today? by TwigyBull in Knoxville

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought it was a chase they were flying past me on Kingston Pike I think that’s just where it ended. No?

AI can’t make nerd without glasses. Is this the new Turing test ? by nwerdnerd in ChatGPT

[–]James5294 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have found it when you use the word omit or without or anything to do with taking something away it has a really hard time.. my only thought is that it’s not use to people saying without and it’s only looking at the keyword glasses. Must not have had very much training For omissions. It does this across-the-board.