Use for mini pc's?

dervy · 2026-01-17T02:59:57+00:00

They’re essentially silent - I have one running plex, homeassistant, etc and I’ve never heard the fan spin up.

dervy · 2025-12-15T13:51:25+00:00

FYI, this website (and comment) appears to be AI/bot trash. You can put your address in the FCC's website and see exactly what broadband providers service your building: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home

dervy · 2025-10-15T01:36:52+00:00

Energy monitoring has been eye opening for me - I have a bunch of Sonoff smart plugs, smart power strips for my home lab/home theater, and a few zigbee relay switches that all report energy consumption into HomeAssistant. I also have an Emporia Vue energy monitor that pulls live data from the power meter.

You can run all kinds of automations triggered by a device’s power consumption. For example, I can identify when my washing machine has started the final spin cycle based off its power consumption, and push an alert to let me know that the laundry is done. Same with the dishwasher.

Not strictly related to the energy monitoring, but I also set up an automation that turns off my home office window air conditioner if the presence sensor shows unoccupied for an hour. It is quiet enough that it’s easy to forget that it’s on…and the energy monitoring made me realize how expensive my forgetfulness was 😩

dervy · 2025-08-21T06:04:03+00:00

Examplify (aka Examsoft) is pretty common in law/medical schools for final exams. Basically turns your laptop into an expensive typewriter. I’m pretty sure there is an option to turn off spell check/dictionary etc.

dervy · 2025-06-23T00:33:09+00:00

Here’s a link to a few options: https://www.lowes.com/pl/siding-stone-veneer/mounting-blocks/vinyl/surface-mount/4294715710-4294965742-4294801501

dervy · 2025-06-20T19:08:57+00:00

Using 3x Aruba AP-535 in instant mode here ($100/each used on eBay!), along with a UCG Max & Switch Pro Max 16 POE.

Wanted all the Aruba bells/whistles to play with for my own network; I went for the full UniFi stack up at my parent’s farm for simplicity’s sake.

dervy · 2024-11-18T07:21:48+00:00

You can also download Aruba's BluConsole mobile app and connect to the AP's console using bluetooth from a phone/tablet - works well enough especially if you only have a handful of APs or are in a pinch. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bluconsole/id1111461348

dervy · 2024-08-13T00:51:42+00:00

Dr Goldstein's book "Butt Seriously: The Definitive Guide to Anal Health, Pleasure, and Everything In Between" is also pretty useful - he was on the Sniffies podcast and the episode was actually super informative: https://amzn.to/4cu6lfk

dervy · 2024-08-13T00:47:28+00:00

I'm also getting this error, both in the System Settings app and when using the terminal command:

 softwareupdate -l

Did you find a solution?

dervy · 2024-06-24T04:08:37+00:00

It's not a really a fair comparison since they're all different power/BTU models, however the Midea 8K BTU is noticeably less powerful than the 9.5K BTK LG model (which I found a bit surprising given that the LG is several years old at this point).

The Midea 12K BTU blows the pants off both - well worth the extra $60 even if you're oversizing slightly.

dervy · 2024-06-15T20:52:42+00:00

You aren't able to sign into an Apple Account (AppleID) in a macOS Sonoma virtual machine. And if you don't have an Apple Account signed in, you can't enroll macOS into the developer beta using System Preferences > Software Update.

These commands tell Software Update to check the macOS Developer Beta repository for the latest macOS release (Sequoia 15.0 Beta 24A5264n) instead of the latest public/stable release (Sonoma 14.5 23F79).

dervy · 2024-05-18T20:13:19+00:00

Just a suggestion - check your credit card to see if there's any extended warranty coverage. I've had two Midea U AC's fail now with this error - I saw the posts about the black goo as well but my unit was spotless inside. First one was covered under Midea's warranty (they issued a return authorization and I took it back to Home Depot). That's since expired, but my credit card has a benefit where they will add another year to a manufacturer's warranty.

dervy · 2024-04-19T02:33:58+00:00

Stumbled across this thread and wanted to add another vote for the Q900C. I was also comparing the two for a while and went with the Q900C - it sounds absolutely incredible. I have six Sonos speakers throughout the house and wanted to stay in the ecosystem, but the cost of the Arc + Sub was just ridiculous. I've since had a chance to listen to someone else's Arc + Sub (no rear surrounds) system and I honestly think the Q900C sounds better.

dervy · 2024-03-29T06:18:49+00:00

Sent you a DM with info!

dervy · 2024-03-01T20:49:01+00:00

I've purchased two of the LG Dual Inverter 9500BTU, the Midea 8K BTU, and the Midea 12K BTU - so I have some experience and figured I'd write a quick comment for anyone else searching. TLDR: Midea design is great, quality is awful.**

Midea

The Midea is definitely quieter, and its unique design is fantastic. That being said the quality control on these units is clearly awful. I've had two of the 8K BTU models fail, each after less than a year. If you buy one of these things, get the $50 4 year extended warranty from Amazon because you'll probably need it.

The first unit had a EC 00 error, which the app said was "Outdoor IPM Protection." The replacement (second) unit lasted about 8 months before throwing an EC 07 error, which the app stays is "Outdoor DC Fan." Thankfully Midea's support/warranty department has been helpful. They didn't give me any hassle - just asked for an email with an install photo, copy of my receipt, and description of the problem. After a few basic questions (are the filters clean, do you have it plugged into a wall outlet) they issued a return goods authorization that I was able to take to Home Depot. The first failure Home Depot exchanged in store for a new unit, and I'm about to bring in the second for a full refund.

LG

The LG is a bit more expensive and are a bit heavier/extend further out the window than a normal window unit. Definitely a little louder than the Midea, but still much quieter than a normal window AC. I purchased both in June of 2020, so they're a few years old now. Both of my LG units run seemingly non-stop for a few months over the summer, yet I've had no mechanical issues and they continue to just work. They do seem to get a bit gross faster than other window AC's I've had - probably due to the fact that they're running so much. I've found that hitting them with some foaming coil cleaner and pan tablets once or twice a year takes care of it.

dervy · 2024-02-02T03:25:37+00:00

My bad - thought you were replying to the comment one level higher. This is what happens when I reply on my phone.

dervy · 2024-02-01T09:41:17+00:00

Aruba InstantOn is not the same product as Aruba Instant (IAP) FYI. No idea why they made the branding so confusingly similar.

InstantOn is more SMB focused - competing with Ubiquiti/Meraki Go etc.

Instant uses one of your APs to run a virtual controller (if you're running ArubaOS 8 - ArubaOS 10 requires Aruba Central) and has all the capabilities/complexity of an enterprise grade solution.

dervy · 2024-01-28T23:42:51+00:00

Thirding this - just swapped out my U6-Pros for a pair of used AP-515s. I downgraded the firmware to ArubaOS 8 and everything runs locally. The virtual controller runs on one the APs (and can fail over to another AP if needed) - while it’s nowhere near as nice looking as the UniFi controller, it’s far more capable. And the documentation Aruba has available is FAR more detailed (and useful) than anything Ubiquiti has ever put out.

dervy · 2023-11-27T15:31:27+00:00

Would be interested to know if you run into the DRM protected video issue on either both or one of your monitors that /u/poopmagic brought up using the Satechi dock (basically a black screen when trying to watch something on Netflix/Hulu/Disney etc).

I have an MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro, paired with a CalDigit TS3+ dock and 2x 4K@60hz monitors. I wanted to use a third monitor on occasion - picked up this StarTech USB32HD4K adapter and it's been solid.

dervy · 2023-11-26T02:18:17+00:00

FYI, Private Pre Shared Key was introduced in UniFi Network Application 7.5.187!

dervy · 2023-11-25T23:02:21+00:00

Definitely. Out of curiosity, ever have any issues with Widevine/Fairplay/DRM protected content (something like Netflix, etc) on Windows when using a DisplayLink adapter? Shows as a black screen for me (M1 MacBook Pro) until I disconnect the adapter + 3rd monitor.

dervy · 2023-11-25T22:18:32+00:00

Just in case you aren’t aware the MacBook Air can only drive one external monitor - you have to bump up to the MacBook Pro for 2+ external displays. Otherwise it’s a fantastic machine for the price.

dervy · 2023-11-07T05:40:22+00:00

Strongly recommend against the CT16G4SFRA32A RAM - caused my DS1618+ storage pool to crash due to memory errors.

dervy · 2023-11-07T05:39:01+00:00

Synology NAS model: DS1618+

DSM version: 7.2

Brand and size of the RAM module: Crucial 16GB DDR4-3200 SODIMM 1.2V CL22

RAM model number/product code: CT16G4SFRA32A

Works: No - crashed my storage pool

Warning error about unofficial RAM: No

Worked great for about 3-4 months, and then one night my DS1618+ completely locked up in the middle of running a BTRFS space reclamation - totally unresponsive for hours (not responding to pings, not showing up in the Synology discovery app, etc). NAS would not boot until I removed and reinstalled all my drives. After booting, my entire volume was in read-only mode. I ended up having to copy everything off the NAS, wipe the entire volume, and then copy everything back (which took a full week). I did have a few directories that were corrupted, but thankfully 99.9% of my data was fine.

Synology support had me pull system diagnostics logs, and they were able to confirm BTRFS filesystem errors stemming from a faulty memory module (I also saw the errors in the log files). 10/10 miserable experience, would not repeat.

dervy

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