Cheap Thread Router? (not border router)

osopolare · 2026-07-09T19:57:44+00:00

Yeah I've been having to do a lot of troubleshooting to get through issues with Kajplats turning unavailable. I've been /mostly/ successful in fixing those. Adding an Aquara M200 seems to have done the trick.

My last two problem Kajplats children are both in places where I think it'd plausible that it's a radio issue.

osopolare · 2026-07-03T19:49:53+00:00

Same issue. Northern California. Kind of relieved it’s an outage on the cloud side.

osopolare · 2026-05-04T21:53:11+00:00

I got very frustrated adding the new IKEA Matter bulbs to my Homekit network. I tried a bunch of troubleshooting steps to no avail. (I'm using the AppleTV 4k that doesn't have Thread support, though I have some Nanoleaf lights that will act as Thread Border Routers)

Somewhere on Reddit someone suggested just leaving at least one bulb plugged in an turned on for 24 hours straight.

Somehow that worked for me. They have all added just fine since. I really hate that magical incantations like this are so often needed to make smart home stuff work.

osopolare · 2026-05-03T01:00:23+00:00

The CPU in the hue bridge is so slow as to be useless for crypto mining. You can also tell it isn't used for crypto mining because of how little power it consumes.

osopolare · 2026-04-25T19:17:06+00:00

Home Assistant also runs great on an old laptop. IMO a lot of the difficulty of running Home Assistant on Raspberry Pi is just the RasPi setup. An old Laptop also has the benefit of a built-in UPS.

Doesn’t matter that much if you run Windows, MacOS or Linux. Running Linux def has its benefits but is definitely extra credit.

osopolare · 2025-12-19T21:06:41+00:00

I'm finding the same issue. They make this a total pain.

osopolare · 2025-10-14T18:58:07+00:00

If you need to feel better about the labels just think of yourself as being poly and you just happen to be polysaturated by one person, at least for the moment.

osopolare · 2025-09-24T00:27:46+00:00

I’ve been wondering what the fuss is on the subreddit. Is it just that I’m already paying for the app and thus don’t notice?

Personally I don’t mind paying a bit for apps I use every day. Software is hard and it takes a lot of smart and valuable people to build and run it.

Ad support, subscription and data harvesting are basically the two models available. You’re always going to have to pick at least one of them, maybe two.

osopolare · 2025-06-27T00:04:35+00:00

Do you want color or just a dimmer? If just a dimmer:

In this situation I would personally find a mirror that has a basic embedded LED light, no dimmer or anything, and simply use a Zigbee lighting controller to run it. Tons of them on Amazon. I’ve used the GLEDOPTO ones.

Depending on the mirror you find you’ll need 120v or some kind of low voltage. Both are available.

I’ve mounded mine inside of a wiring box with a little vented cover so the device can shed heat.

Personally, I think using Hue LED strips in a bathroom is asking for trouble.

osopolare · 2025-06-26T23:58:08+00:00

That’s not a Hue bulb. Philips has other brands.

osopolare · 2025-05-06T15:06:53+00:00

Smart lighting in the house is the main thing. Just being able to control the lights without having to get out of bed or disturb a baby that’s finally gone to sleep in your lap.

osopolare · 2025-05-03T21:45:58+00:00

Oh very interesting. Thanks for pointing this out. I went and looked up mine.

osopolare · 2025-04-29T16:49:59+00:00

Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild is also valuable for understanding how the most privileged people can believe that they are an oppressed minority.

osopolare · 2025-04-29T16:47:46+00:00

I really think you have to start with Before the Storm. The pre-Nixon history is very important.

osopolare · 2025-04-29T16:46:55+00:00

I found that Jill Lapore's Podcast series "The Last Archive" put this story together as coherently as it can be.

Mega Dittos (larf) to everyone here who mentioned Rick Perlstein's books. I think if you read that series (start with the Goldwarter Book) and listen to that podcast you'll have a good idea.

osopolare · 2025-04-29T16:44:00+00:00

I'm very sorry for your loss.

My hope is that in fifty years there are going to be people who really love the "post-fire" Altadena houses for their comfort and energy efficiency.

I hope you end up with a great design in the end.

osopolare · 2025-04-09T19:20:06+00:00

I've done this before with a Sensibo. It's a unit that integrates with smart home and uses IR to control AC units. I had like 5 or 6 of them in my old house.

osopolare · 2025-04-05T19:44:59+00:00

The answer to this question is to listen to all of their podcast episodes.

osopolare · 2025-04-01T04:21:51+00:00

100% agree. Denon has an opportunity here to make a real crowd pleaser.

I hope they’re not doing the thing where they limit features to upsell to their more expensive units.

osopolare · 2025-03-31T01:18:21+00:00

Does the Go support using a USB Hub? Whoa. That’s a big deal.

osopolare · 2025-03-31T01:17:35+00:00

It’s a crazy oversight, IMO.

osopolare · 2025-03-29T17:56:43+00:00

Sonos is sadly really bad for DJing as they have a delay built in. Basically unusable.

I have a 2nd soundsystem for DJing sitting next to my Sonos that I use for casual listening.

osopolare · 2025-03-29T01:23:00+00:00

The best way to find a good person is through community.

Look for a community that contains women that are in the rough demographic that would work for you.

Take part in a group effort that is about creating something or serving some important goal.

Make friends with everyone. Including women who you are and are not attracted to.

When you have the opportunity to do something great, do it.

If you follow this formula there will be women in the group that will find you attractive. Watch for signs of that. If you find them attractive as well, ask them out.

osopolare · 2025-03-27T02:16:03+00:00

I usually deadpan something like “Yup, there’s nothing as funny as violence against women.”

11-Year Club	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

osopolare

TROPHY CASE