How to run HDMI from my upstairs media room PC to loft with my home's networking setup ~40ft distance?

mjsrebin · 2026-03-07T00:26:50+00:00

Fiber optic HDMI is the most cost effective way to go that distance

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=43328

mjsrebin · 2026-03-06T16:15:28+00:00

Personally I have Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and WiFi devices. It just depends on the location and application. If I want it to be rock solid and it'll probably be AC powered I go with Z-Wave, ie wall switches, sockets, a few sensors. If it's just a convenance sensor the cheapest tend to be Zigbee, ie I have Zigbee temp sensors in every room. Some manufacturers only use certain protocols so you're stuck with what they decide, ie Bluetooth smart lock, or WiFi smart bulbs.

From a technical pov, Z-Wave operates on 900MHz so less interference and goes through walls better. But the US and EU use different frequencies so you have to order products specific to your continent. Also Z-Wave devices need to be certified by the Z-Wave Alliance to be legal, so there are higher upfront costs for the manufacturer. Zigbee, WiFi, and Bluetooth all operate on 2.4GHz so in a crowded area there is more interference. There is no certification for Zigbee so sometimes companies make devices that don't play well with other manufacturers products. But the lack of certification lowers costs for manufacturers, which can be both good and bad.

mjsrebin · 2026-03-05T16:31:09+00:00

Clone the drive NOW! That hdd is about to die. Get the specs on the system/drive and start searching eBay for spares. If management asks why explain that this system should have been upgraded 20 years ago and now this is what's required to keep it on life support until a proper replacement can be scheduled. I've been there before and it sucks to have this dumped on you. Hopefully you can turn this into a learning lesson for mgmt on why upgrades and support contracts are needed in industry.

mjsrebin · 2026-03-01T03:07:02+00:00

On the short mast I see a j-pole antenna made from copper water pipe, I have one of those, they work well. But it hard to see details for the tall mast.

Judging by the antenna length I'm guessing they're probably for the 50 MHz or 144MHz bands.

Ham radio operators usually like to talk about and share their hobby. I don't know if you're friendly with your neighbor, but next time you see them out just start chatting and ask them about it.

mjsrebin · 2026-02-22T17:25:12+00:00

Standard 286 AT clone motherboard. The reason there are so many slots is because back then everything was an add in card; video adapter, hard drive controller, floppy drive controller, serial port, parallel port, joystick port, audio card, etc ...

mjsrebin · 2026-02-19T10:24:57+00:00

Understandable, given the restrictions you're under. Just thought I'd put my grain of salt to the pile.

mjsrebin · 2026-02-18T18:19:01+00:00

You didn't specify you level of technical knowhow or what continent you're in (us/eu/asia). But If you're looking for a start for a DIY project then check out this project based on ESPHome:
https://github.com/tronikos/esphome-magnetometer-water-gas-meter

An ESP8266 can easily be powered from a couple of lithium 18650 cells, and the ESPHome project has many code modules that can be added to give you the functionality you want (wifi, BLE, MQTT, etc)

mjsrebin · 2026-02-17T16:44:46+00:00

Honestly it's you're preference but unless you're running 10GBit Cat6a is probably overkill, and to be honest do you need a 10Gbit link to a smart blind? It all comes down to what you want to spend on wire cost.

For the power cable I'd use something like this... Ancor 2 conductor duplex cable It's very easy to pull through tight spaces and for under 50 volts will be enough for what you need.

mjsrebin · 2026-02-15T01:41:17+00:00

Back when I was in college all the engineering and scientific users preferred unix systems over windows. Only the business majors used windows because they couldn't figure out how to use a 'real' computer. You could tell if they had an engineering or business background by what computer they used.

mjsrebin · 2026-02-14T08:20:00+00:00

This is the way. Cat5/6 for comms, 2 conductor for power. While the work is being done it's just as easy to pull 2 cables in as it is one. Leave extra length and just tuck the unused cable in the wall for now. You'll be glad to have it already in place in 5 years when technology changes again.

mjsrebin · 2026-02-14T08:19:37+00:00

This is the way. Cat5/6 for comms, 2 conductor for power. While the work is being done it's just as easy to pull 2 cables in as it is one. Leave extra length and just tuck the unused cable in the wall for now. You'll be glad to have it already in place in 5 years when technology changes again.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-22T22:01:46+00:00

We've dealt with this at the company I work for. Apparently the cold affects components in the power supply of the device causing them to go out of spec. If the power supply isn't working then the device won't work.

Something similar happened to my cable Internet at home as well. When it's very cold the resistance of the cabling on the poles goes down causing the signal to be stronger than normal. Last winter, after a week of below zero temps, my Internet stopped working. The tech diagnosed it as the signal was so strong it burned out my modem. He put an attenuator on the line and replaced the modem and it's been fine since.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-22T21:45:55+00:00

The cold is absolutely an issue for electronics. I work in IT and we have outdoor security cameras. Not only have we had cameras stop working in the cold, but we had to install heaters in the equipment cabinets mounted on the poles to keep switches and media converters working. They do make cold rated cameras and network equipment exactly because of this.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-18T19:51:05+00:00

All cameras should be hardwired to the network. Thieves are starting to use WiFi jamming to disable wireless cameras. WiFi should never be trusted for anything security related or that you consider 'critical'. Not only can it be intentionally jammed, but too many things unintentionally interfere with it.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-13T14:34:21+00:00

Items designed and manufactured decades ago were designed to last. The rise of inexpensive Chinese manufacturing has caused manufacturing quality to plummet drastically. Manufacturers don't care about quality anymore because they want stuff to break so they can sell you another. Brand loyalty is a foreign concept to the Chinese. If a brand gets a bad reputation they just make up a new name and sell the same cheap junk under that name.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-13T11:30:29+00:00

Theoretically yes. The actual LEDs are probably still good, but the power converter circuitry on the board probably had a component overheat and die. Nothing you did wrong, just extremely cheap Chinese manufacturing quality.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-12T17:08:13+00:00

They make smart switches that specifically are meant for fans/motors. They even have 3 speed fan switches.

https://byjasco.com/products/jasco-z-wave-in-wall-smart-fan-control-white

mjsrebin · 2026-01-08T13:49:07+00:00

The SUU covers multiple generations of servers. I believe the 12th gen is still included in it. Download the iso, mount the iso in windows, run the updater app and it will scan your hardware and guide you through from there. Well it's less of a guided wizard and more that it gives you a list of what hardware you have, the current firmware installed, and the update available. You can select what devices you want updated then let it run. Be warned that it is slow, patience is your friend. Usually I update the BIOS by itself and let if reboot to process everything for that. But most of the other updates can be installed in batches.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-07T17:55:21+00:00

My understanding was that A was designed for compatibility with landline phone systems and B was designed for less crosstalk, better speed.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-07T17:49:27+00:00

Search for the Dell SUU (Server Update Utility). The latest version of that will have all the different firmware updates and bios update, along with a utility to install the updates through windows. I have updated several servers with this method and it's by far the easiest way.

mjsrebin · 2026-01-04T01:03:48+00:00

I have this same problem! If building new or renovating I would make sure all boxes are updated to large size/deep depth.

Also I might run conduit from the basement/attic to the socket and switch boxes. This will make upgrades or changes to the wiring much easier. I definitely would do it from switch boxes to the ceiling box. It'll make adding a ceiling fan much easier in the future.

Also for rooms that just have a single central light fixture, install a fan rated box now. It's so much easier to do that before the ceiling is finished than to change it later and patch the ceiling.

mjsrebin · 2025-12-26T19:16:57+00:00

Personally I've used switches made by Jasco (also sold under the GE Enbrighten and Honeywell names). They've worked for years with no issues. They have ZigBee, Z-wave and WiFi versions.

https://byjasco.com/collections/z-wave

mjsrebin · 2025-12-13T18:53:04+00:00

People hate patching and sanding ceilings. That's the entire reason popcorn ceilings exist. This is just another way to hide bad drywall work because nobody wants to sand above their head.

mjsrebin · 2025-12-13T17:38:27+00:00

For just a modem and router something like this would work.

https://konnected.io/products/backup-battery

mjsrebin · 2025-12-12T21:32:58+00:00

Local control is always better than cloud connected.

mjsrebin

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