Amcrest IP8M-T2669EW-AI Review

I received my IP8M-T2669EW-AI camera on 11/3/2021 and unboxed it. I checked what else was in the box, and it was the usual screws, cover for the ethernet cable connection, and documentation. I removed the camera and looked it over. I liked the metal turret that surrounds the round camera module, and it felt very …

Amcrest IP2M-863EW-AI – Incredible Zoom!

Notice: Because of the zoom capabilities and my desire for privacy, I blurred or cropped images. I had been wanting a camera like this, so I finally purchased it. The camera was delivered on 8/12/2021 and I thought there must be multiple items in the Amazon box because it was much bigger and heavier than …

Cannot Access Synology NAS Shares Over VPN

I helped a friend fix OpenVPN on his Synology NAS at his office. Because I did not want to drive forty+ miles to his office, I used Google Remote Desktop on one of his office computers to access the NAS. Once I got OpenVPN working, I attempted to view the NAS shares from my computer …

Online Privacy Tips

These are basic tips for the average person to increase their level of online privacy. There are more in-depth ways to "go dark" on the internet that will not be posted here. I don't want to train people on how to be a better criminal and that level of security would require a more advanced …

Use Sub Streams with Blue Iris v5

Please note that this post applies to Blue Iris version 5 and I do not know if it will work with version 4. I have a computer dedicated to running just Blue Iris and Plex Media Server. I use this computer for nothing else and it has a decent GPU (Quadro P2000) since both of …

Pixel 4a 5G vs OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition

I purchased the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition when it was released because I wanted 5G on T-Mobile. This $900 phone has some impressive specifications, such as 256GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, an incredible 6.67” 90Hz display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, and more. However, there were a few things that have really bothered me …

Record Streaming TV

Let's say you still buy a lot of Blu-ray discs because you don't trust buying streaming video on Amazon or Google because you don't really own it. If you were not aware of this, you are now! You do not own videos you buy from a streaming provider and they could disappear because of a …

unRAID to Replace Xpenology (For Me)

I have a lot of hard drives and I'm always buying more. I have three 8-bay Synology NAS and I always seem to want more free space. Since Synology allows mixing drive capacities, I have been continually buying higher capacity hard drives and replacing smaller capacity drives. I was boxing up the phased out drives …

Frontier FiOS Internet Speed Problems? Check Your Router…

I've had FiOS internet since 2006 when it was owned by Verizon and it was later purchased by Frontier. Until just the last few months it had been rock solid with few outages and speeds were always as advertised. I used a Verizon router many years ago, but I have used aftermarket routers since. I …

Router Recommendation

I was just asked about a WiFi issue, which made me realize I get decent amount of WiFi and router questions. I will now be able to point to this post! If you are having WiFi issues or slow internet speeds there are a few tests you can do even if you are not a …