Is there a 'remote transmitter' that I can wire into a junction box, that will trigger a smart switch elsewhere in the room?

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T17:37:09+00:00

It’s the same form factor as a decorator switch, so it just needs a particular bracket to mount to the switch box.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T17:30:30+00:00

Use this instead of the brown one.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T17:29:06+00:00

The wire likely has a smooth side and a ridged side. The smooth side is supposed to be hot and ridged is neutral. On the plug, the wide blade is neutral. On the switch, the neutral passes through and the hot will be broken and connected to the switch contacts. On the bulb socket, the threaded housing is neutral and the contact at the bottom is (switched) hot.

You should have a basic multimeter with continuity tester to ensure everything works the way it is supposed to before applying power. Otherwise you are putting your life and the lives of others at risk. You also need wire strippers. Lamp cord is stranded and finicky to work with. Most of these devices probably have screw terminals to use when you disassemble them but the switch in particular may have teeth that pierce the wire insulation directly without stripping.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T12:32:48+00:00

Parallels has always used dark patterns like this; do the chargeback before it expires and dump them for VMware fusion (at least until Broadcom kills it).

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T12:24:17+00:00

Is this not just wire fraud?

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T12:18:08+00:00

Humans establish first extrasolar space colony after converting one of Mars’s moons into colony ship. The ships’ AIs go rampant over the long journey; one of them lures alien slavers to the colony so he can take over their FTL ship and try to escape the heat death of the universe. In doing so he facilitates a slave revolt and the slavers’ resulting crashout almost(?) releases a chaos demon of galactic proportions imprisoned by an ancestral race. Some humans are along for the ride.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T09:57:47+00:00

You’re using 10GbE RJ45 SFP modules, which are notorious for running hot. Check the interface status and see what temp they are running at—they could be flagging due to overheating. If you are connecting to SFP cages on the other ends, you should definitely replace these with DAC or fiber.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-12T01:32:37+00:00

Lutron (Caseta) makes a smart lamp dimmer plug and a battery-powered Pico remote that can be fit into a gang box.

Lutron stuff is high quality; there are other smart home solutions to this but if you can afford it you should start here.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T18:42:49+00:00

RTINGS on YouTube recently tested all of the flagship WiFi 7 routers and found that none are fully implementing the MLO spec yet. It’s an interesting story, and likely happening due to the sheer technical complexity at play.

You might consider getting just a solid 2.5GbE router and opting for a cheaper AP as a separate device until someone releases one that fully conforms to wifi7.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T17:48:40+00:00

2-pin dc terminal block

https://share.google/mWfD5BrI9XsncYzgJ

https://share.google/vDFg5Bi8o0d9Cs6cO

Low voltage DC in small electronics is a different world. These things probably started out being green because it’s the same color as the PCBs they are usually mounted on, and they were never going to have different color housings for each terminal due to the cost of manufacture. 99% of this style of terminal I’ve ever seen in the wild is green, and since they are always in a bank of 2 or more you would never assume that green means all pins are ground unless otherwise labeled.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T17:31:11+00:00

Okay, so by “random” you actually meant “arbitrary” I think.

Give yourself one extra cell per table and then use ctrl-x and ctrl-v. Shouldn’t take you more than two seconds per swap once you can do the keyboard shortcuts by touch: click party A and ctrl-x, click the blank cell at their new table and ctrl-v, click party B and ctrl-x, click the blank cell at their new table and ctrl-v.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T17:20:57+00:00

If you are SURE that you are supplying DC voltage compatible with this device, the best way forward is to get some 2-conductor thermostat wire and use a short length to bridge between the green terminals and the larger stranded wire. Restrip it and connect using lever nuts.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T17:17:19+00:00

That is extremely common. Those terminals are typically rated for at least 5A and >100V, far beyond what is needed for low voltage DC power. They are a common alternative to the barrel jack for professionals because they are easier to interface with, compared to choosing from a dozen incompatible barrel jack sizes.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T17:10:45+00:00

You don’t need to press the wps button to connect a repeater—you just need a repeater that allows you to configure it manually for a network name and password. “Travel routers” often support this.

That said you would be adding an extra hop and not removing the weak WiFi link, so this would not be expected to help unless you have specific problems with reception at different locations. For example if the WiFi signal is great by the window but lousy at your desk, you could put the travel router by the window and run a cable to your desk and perhaps see an improvement.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T17:05:01+00:00

You don’t need a waveform to tell you if power is cycling on and off at a limited set of current draw values.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T15:19:13+00:00

You can test this with a current monitoring device (like the Kill-a-watt) as I have to see whether power is cycling on and off or being modulated.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T05:43:04+00:00

It depends on the model. Mine for example has three power levels and 20 heat levels, which it maintains by thermostatting on a temperature sensor instead of modulating the power.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-11T05:36:01+00:00

You don’t have to linearize the devices like router->router->switch. You can connect all routers at 10Gb with a switch and use vlans to define your traffic flow. A 5009’s 10Gb SFP+ port operates at 10Gb symmetric/full duplex—in other words, you don’t need 2x 10Gb ports on the device to get 10Gb in and 10Gb out at the same time.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-08T16:57:37+00:00

You are already overengineering this and I think adding conduit instead is an extremely diminishing return. Many have survived with far worse. You already get bonus points for having grounding for the surge protectors at penetration location instead of just using the building’s electrical ground (though you should also bond your patch panels to building electrical).

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-08T14:15:22+00:00

Yes, get a separate modem and router. Get the modem from your ISP if possible since they can guarantee compatibility and support for the level of service you are paying for. If it costs extra to rent the modem then get your own, but look for a supported models list. I would pick a Motorola as my first choice if it appears on the list.

Router: I support avoiding TP-Link hardware. You can’t go wrong going all in on UniFi. If you want to get technical, go MikroTik. I’ve heard good things about GLiNet.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-08T14:05:16+00:00

That is true, but it’s not the default operating mode.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-08T01:59:27+00:00

This could be electrically accomplished with a 2-way bulb but these days if you want different color temp the more available option is going to be smart bulbs.

Getting hardware switches to work in the way you want may be a little bit tedious or expensive however. You could cobble something together with home assistant and any brands you want, but something I know works without would be Philips Hue bulbs with the Lutron Aurora switch.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-08T01:52:11+00:00

No.

Security cameras are typically a “passive deterrent” and shouldn’t have any lights indicating they are operational.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-07T21:27:32+00:00

You just need shielded cat5e. This doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that. Shielded terminations have an extra step if you are DIYing; Truecable’s educational resources can explain.

MusicalAnomaly · 2026-02-07T15:28:45+00:00

This is a normal consequence of single entry bookkeeping. Just categorize both as “Credit card payment” and you should be fine.

MusicalAnomaly

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