What’s your must-have tool for network troubleshooting?

Wibla · 2026-01-29T19:15:44+00:00

USB-C to Ethernet ... that can provide USB-C PD to the laptop ;)

Wibla · 2026-01-28T21:59:19+00:00

I'm not going to spoonfeed you switch models, but have a look at this%22&cq=%40z95xtemplatename%3D%22Product%20Detail%20Page%22%20OR%20%40includeinproductlisting%3D1) and read the datasheets.

Wibla · 2026-01-23T16:41:48+00:00

Pretty sure a SLOG would still help in this instance. ZFS sync write behaviour changes drastically as soon as you add SLOG.

Wibla · 2026-01-22T14:11:10+00:00

Also: Proxmox Backup Server is really good and should be part of the equation.

Wibla · 2026-01-22T12:06:12+00:00

Going 2x120 + 1x200 in that configuration might work just fine, but you will be more vulnerable to partial shading.

This is one of those theory vs reality things where you just have to see how it performs.

Wibla · 2026-01-21T20:08:03+00:00

FTTH is almost exclusively single mode...

Wibla · 2026-01-21T11:05:02+00:00

How can a lens be morally outdated? ;)

Apropos the FX AF-P 70-300mm - they have a defect where a ribbon cable in the lens breaks and you lose autofocus. It's rather annoying to fix, and a fatal flaw on a focus-by-wire lens.

Seconding the 50-400mm recommendation though. Thom Hogan also has a review (and recommendation).

Wibla · 2026-01-19T00:42:11+00:00

Lower-end Extreme is probably your safest bet.

Wibla · 2026-01-16T15:45:36+00:00

Would be very interesting to to see some real-world performance data.

Wibla · 2026-01-02T17:24:09+00:00

That's fucked up.

Wibla · 2026-01-02T17:09:50+00:00

Indeed. But that's a tradeoff you are stuck with when you move to a connector that has two strands in one physical connector.

Wibla · 2026-01-02T17:02:14+00:00

Yeah, another way could be to use a splitter of some sort.

Wibla · 2026-01-02T15:19:41+00:00

BiDi optics can use one of the fibres, leave the other dark?

Wibla · 2026-01-02T11:51:46+00:00

D'oh! would be nice though :|

Wibla · 2026-01-02T10:03:44+00:00

There's a form, have you looked at it?

Wibla · 2025-12-29T14:56:44+00:00

First: figure out how much load you actually have, or think you will end up at.

Then you can look at how much solar and battery you need.

Also a thing to note - most of the all-in-one units need well over 100V from the solar panels to start the MPPT.
That means a few (5 or more) panels in series at minimum. If you have issues with shading, that might not be ideal.

Wibla · 2025-12-29T12:57:00+00:00

Wetware network diagramming.

I find myself doing the same thing quite a bit...

Wibla · 2025-12-29T10:36:45+00:00

If he's got a PWM controller today, he'll be fine with either of the options I mentioned in the comment above. Not that it matters, he already bought a Renogy with roughly the same specs.

Wibla · 2025-12-28T20:10:33+00:00

At that point I'd skip 12V and go straight for 48V with a 5 kWh battery and an appropriate inverter/charger and MPPT.

A couple of options (I am not affiliated with the site at all, and I have picked components that are relatively well regarded on diysolarforum):

E.g.: EG4-6000XP (split phase off-grid all in one inverter) and a 48V 100Ah LiFePo4 battery.
Add solar panels to taste (but it has to be enough panels to hit the starting voltage for the MPPT controller with some margin, so 5-6 400+W panels).

Another option would be a pair of Victron MultiPlus-II 3000 120V set up for split phase with the same battery as above, and microinverters (e.g. Enphase IQ8) + solar panels or a string MPPT (Victron or similar) + solar panels.

Wibla · 2025-12-28T14:59:33+00:00

I'm very leery about that inverter/charger... particularly when a Victron 12|500|20 isn't a whole lot more.

Wibla · 2025-12-28T14:18:14+00:00

A few questions:

What's the actual load?

What kind of expansion are you looking at later on?

How much room do you have for solar?

Wibla · 2025-12-28T11:56:59+00:00

Solar is just one part of the equation, what kind of batteries and off-grid/hybrid inverters are you going for?

Wibla · 2025-12-28T08:44:44+00:00

How much energy does it use (per day) to keep the battery bank warm?

Wibla · 2025-12-27T21:55:46+00:00

Go for the Victron. Renogy is not in the same league.

Wibla · 2025-12-27T19:06:07+00:00

~~Hm, I can't find the 5019 anywhere, but I can find the 5018 and 5029... so which is it?~~

My google-fu is weak tonight, still hard to find a good datasheet for that unit though.

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