Marcus Webb

Difference Between UPS and Surge Protector in a Portland Home Lab Power Guide

# Difference Between UPS and Surge Protector in a Portland Home Lab Power Guide *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer If you are running critical infrastructure like my four-node Proxmox cluster or a Synology NAS, the difference between a standard surge protector and an […]

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Aeotec Home Energy Meter Review — 6 Months in a Portland Proxmox Lab

# Aeotec Home Energy Meter Review — 6 Months in a Portland Proxmox Lab *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer The **Aeotec Home Energy Meter** is the only viable choice for users who refuse to pay $200+ per month for cloud telemetry or suffer

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Bedroom Blackout Shades with Schedules Review — 6 Months in a Portland Home Lab

# Bedroom Blackout Shades with Schedules Review — 6 Months in a Portland Home Lab *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer In my testing over the last half year inside this basement Proxmox cluster, I found that **bedroom blackout shades with schedules** generally struggle

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TP-Link AV2000 Powerline vs Netgear PLP2000: The Real Deal for Portland Home Labs

# TP-Link AV2000 Powerline vs Netgear PLP2000: The Real Deal for Portland Home Labs *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer After running simultaneous tests across my four-node Proxmox cluster in the basement of a typical 1920s craftsman here in Oregon, I found that **TP-Link

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Dark Room Home Theater with Perfect Blacks Review — 6 Months in a Portland OLED Lab

# Dark Room Home Theater with Perfect Blacks Review — 6 Months in a Portland OLED Lab *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer For the dark room home theater application where perfect blacks are non-negotiable, **dark room home theater with perfect blacks** wins because

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A Voice-Specific Alert Review for Smart Smoke and CO Detectors in a Portland Home Lab

# A Voice-Specific Alert Review for Smart Smoke and CO Detectors in a Portland Home Lab *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer The “voice alerts with specific room location” feature is generally handled by the **Google Nest Protect** or **First Alert Onelink Safe and

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Rachio 3e Smart Sprinkler Controller Review — Six Months in a Portland Home Lab

# Rachio 3e Smart Sprinkler Controller Review — Six Months in a Portland Home Lab *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer In my six months of daily use with the **Rachio 3e Smart Sprinkler**, I found it to be an excellent value for mid-sized

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Ratgdo Smart Garage Door Review — A Network Engineer’s Perspective from the Portland Basement

# Ratgdo Smart Garage Door Review — A Network Engineer’s Perspective from the Portland Basement *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer In my testing within the basement of our 1920s craftsman in Northeast Portland, the **Ratgdo Smart Garage Door** proved to be a pragmatic

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Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen Review — A Hybrid Hub Analysis from a Portland Home Lab

# Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen Review — A Hybrid Hub Analysis from a Portland Home Lab *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer The **Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen** is not primarily an automation controller but rather a hybrid device that functions as a

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PoE Switch for 8 or More Cameras Review — Testing in a Portland Home Lab

# PoE Switch for 8 or More Cameras Review — Testing in a Portland Home Lab *By Marcus Webb — 8 years enterprise network engineering, 6-year Portland home lab* ## The Short Answer For an eight-port setup with camera loads, the **Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Flex Mini** is my current pick after running it alongside a

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