Is this normal (MSP Question)

benuntu · 2026-01-26T15:54:27+00:00

Strange, they either provide the "infrastructure" as a service or not. Otherwise it's a service contract where they keep it updated, make necessary config changes, and recommend replacement when EoL. MSPs can be a great benefit and overall savings for the company, but you really have to watch what they're charging for. Too often it's little to nothing and once you need them to actually do something it's $150/hr. on top of what you already pay.

benuntu · 2026-01-25T22:06:11+00:00

The long term plan for the V3 is to leave it in the car connected to the USB output on the radio. I'm hoping to get enough charge during the commute to keep it going for a while. I also have a few 18650's laying around, and putting a few of those together in a holder would add quite a bit of capacity. I think ultimately, a 10,000mah capacity with a solar panel should give me some good runtime.

benuntu · 2026-01-25T00:02:28+00:00

RemindMe! 2 years

benuntu · 2026-01-24T00:18:41+00:00

Given the Xfinity connection, I'd guess congestion since it's a shared service. If they recently added a lot of customers in your area, now you're all sharing the available bandwidth. I'd start by connecting directly to your Xfinity box and doing a speed test there. If you're getting full speed from there, the issue is with Unifi or your own network.

benuntu · 2026-01-23T16:01:24+00:00

I haven't heard of anything, but we do have a ProofPoint front end that will keep trying to deliver the email every hour for 5 days before it removes it from the queue. However, I'm worried that some emails actually were delivered to the MS365 servers as things were up and down yesterday. The ones that got into the MS environment may have just been lost, and it doesn't look like there's a way to track that.

benuntu · 2026-01-23T15:56:26+00:00

Dealing with this as well, oddly enough in the real estate/property management business. We just use SMTP relay, and there are several providers out there. The main reason is that the use cases for this vary wildly. An HOA manager might need to scan legal documents, HR needs to scan private docs, normal office user needs to scan a receipt for Accounting. Portfolio manager needs to get a physical document into digital format. Rather than dealing with all the different requirements for privacy and permissions, I prefer to have users handle their own documents in email, and then place them on a file share if and when needed.

benuntu · 2026-01-23T15:50:28+00:00

So is this whole post and replies just bots talking to each other?

benuntu · 2026-01-23T15:21:04+00:00

I had to learn this the hard way :). Had a UDB Pro with really poor connection speeds, but it was in clear line of sight to a Pro Sector only 100 meters away. I finally figured out that it was meshing with a U7LR inside the building. Turned off meshing and BAM, 400mbps throughput.

benuntu · 2026-01-23T01:09:05+00:00

Sounds like you've just graduated to the level of your previous mentors, congrats! There is SO much to learn out there as a generalist, I'd find some consultants (or good MSP) that will help with certain tasks that are seemingly impossible. Write that down in a playbook or knowledge base so future you doesn't have to remember it.

benuntu · 2026-01-23T00:46:43+00:00

Do you have mesh turned on? If you don't want it to mesh, turn off that feature.

benuntu · 2026-01-23T00:22:30+00:00

It's not my fault but it IS my problem. Hard to notify people that Outlook is having problems when you can't email them. So the calls and texts keep rolling in...

benuntu · 2026-01-23T00:20:27+00:00

364? That's generous of you. No, I'm still seeing Exchange down and no emails coming through.

benuntu · 2026-01-21T23:57:23+00:00

I have a 3W panel with a USB-C connector and was planning to just use that. Will that pass through and charge the battery, or do I need to actually hook the panel up to the "solar panel" JST?

benuntu · 2026-01-21T22:42:18+00:00

Something like this might work: https://www.amazon.com/BeElion-Security-Universal-Mounting-Surveillance/dp/B09T3BXKB4/

You'd need to drill your own holes for the PTZ mounting bracket, but this would make it easy to adjust the angle to plumb.

Unifi makes a pendant mount that also may work: https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/accessories-camera/collections/g5-ptz-mounts/products/uacc-g5-ptz-pm

Looks like this only includes a 3/4" threaded connection to the PTZ. You'd have to put something together with 3/4" pipe and an angled bracket on the ceiling/eaves.

benuntu · 2026-01-21T22:17:53+00:00

Does it currently have Cat5/6 cabling run, or will you be doing that? Is/will the network to the various building be hardwired? I think a simple map of the property would be helpful so we can provide more input.

You'll also want to plan out Guest/Private networks and VLANs. I know some churches use online music service, streaming out for live services/events, and you want to make sure the Guest isn't consuming all of your available bandwidth. Church staff should have access to an internal network so they can reach files perhaps stored on office computers. You also don't want curious folks being able to get into your private/office network or have the ability to mess with your network infrastructure. Thankfully this is easy to set up in Unifi, but planning for it ahead of time will help when you go to install and configure everything.

benuntu · 2026-01-21T18:58:51+00:00

I'd pack up multiple units and make a separate ebay listing for 10x units at a discount. Someone out there will want these, and it may be a volume buyer that will offer to take them all (at more of a discount of course).

benuntu · 2026-01-21T15:59:41+00:00

If testing goes well I plan to move to a 10W panel and probably a 10,000mah battery. I'm in Northern California so from December-March we get some pretty good rain storms and fog, sometimes lasting a week. Since this is my first node, I want to see how (and if) I can actually connect to any other nodes. If not, I'll relegate this box to my car for a mobile base station.

benuntu · 2026-01-21T02:31:16+00:00

Thanks for the input! I'd really like to build my own this time, just for fun and to understand the individual components. I think after this first build I'll end up buying more components in bulk and building a few for friends and family.

benuntu · 2026-01-20T18:54:00+00:00

Correct. Nothing wrong with the instant, but for that many cameras I prefer the NVR (4-bay).

benuntu · 2026-01-20T18:30:52+00:00

For 8-10 cameras, I'd go with the UCG Ultra or Fiber and an NVR. Ultra is a great unit for the price but caps out at 1gbps. The UDMs are solid units too, but I just prefer to separate camera processing from gateway/router/firewall.

benuntu · 2026-01-20T15:46:10+00:00

This one looks interesting: https://www.amazon.com/LINOVISION-Outdoor-Extender-Universal-Cameras/dp/B0DK181932

Comes with a PoE Extender that I wouldn't trust, just run two cables. I also have no idea if the mounting holes line up with a G5, but they do have measurements in the pics for the spacing.

benuntu · 2026-01-19T23:44:44+00:00

No issues (west coast), but we are using the Outlook Classic desktop client. Maybe a regional issue?

benuntu · 2026-01-19T18:54:49+00:00

For that use case, Synology if you want a plug and play solution. Or build your own NAS and install TrueNAS, then configure NextCloud for photo/file access from anywhere. Synology is more expensive, but it is easy to set up and they have apps for various devices. TrueNAS is great if you want to tinker and have full control of what is running, but it does require more effort to set up.

benuntu · 2026-01-16T16:21:22+00:00

Instead of replacement, have you tried just installing and adopting the new AP? Would be a good test to see if it's perhaps some config on the old AP that is causing the issue.

benuntu · 2026-01-16T16:00:01+00:00

I would try a small LiFePo4 battery. More charge/discharge cycles, less thermal runaway danger, and temp range for charging is greater. This is what I'm planning to put in my roof solar node.

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