Cool tech and the meaning of life
November 26, 2022 • 👁️ Loading...
Random stuff that excited me this week
I've always been excited by ideas and technology. Especially tech that I can touch, build upon, and use in my daily life. This week has been a pretty good week in terms of getting new tech working and part of making my life easier and more interesting.
Starlink is great, except when it's not
We live in rural Puerto Rico, which is amazing. We're building an off the grid home and learning a ton about solar, rainwater collection, and crappy internet connectivity. When we first started building our house I convinced my neighbor to let me connect some cameras to her wifi. This worked well since she had an unlimited plan from AT&T and didn't mind me being on her wifi.
Initially, I set up IP cameras connected to Sensr.net (a cloud storage company I started in 2010). After tearing down the original house, I switched to Blink cameras, which run on batteries for months. My neighbor allowed me to place a Blink sync module in her place with power and internet.
Eventually, we got power on our property and used a T-Mobile hotspot. But I quickly blew through the bandwidth limit. T-Mobile wouldn't let me upgrade, even though I was willing to pay more.
I discovered the LTE 5G Hacks Facebook group, which led me to Firstnet, a network for first responders. Through a family connection, I obtained an unlimited Firstnet plan.
Here's what my Starlink connection looks like on a typical day:
The group also introduced me to OMR (Open MultipathTCP Router), an open-source project that bonds multiple internet connections. After two years of work, I've set up a Raspberry Pi 4 that combines Starlink and Firstnet connections, providing more reliable internet.
Contacts clutter in WhatsApp
I discovered a hack to send WhatsApp messages without saving contacts. For iOS, you can use a JavaScript snippet saved as a Safari shortcut. I've posted the code on GitHub.
What's next?
I'm exploring generative AI, augmented reality, and home automation. One cool product I'm using is the Remootio smart garage door opener that integrates with HomeKit and provides excellent control over gate access.
The intersection of practical technology and meaningful living continues to fascinate me. Building systems that work reliably in remote locations while maintaining connection to the digital world feels like the perfect balance of independence and connectivity.