• 7 were hits
• 2 were shits (the Yeti wasn’t a 2025 purchase, but I want everyone to know that it is shit)
• 2 were somewhere in between

1. Best Purchase of 2025: Elgato Wave XLR

When COVID made work from home normal, I setup my desk. And since then, I’ve used a Blue Yeti Mic in White, USB. I figured a USB mic would be good enough for work calls, streaming, Discord calls. Turns out, this, yet another Logitech product is absolutely utter shit. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to be so. For one, this garbage comes with a 15-year-old mini-USB. And the biggest issue with trash-mic was that it would require me to unplug and re-plug it every time I joined a call or started a stream. Every single time. The worst part is that this is somehow a known bug.

Each day I worked from home, having to unplug and replug this damn mic before every call to make sure it worked, got really tiring. The frustration got so bad that I decided I’m going to get rid of the junk and solve this once and for all — enter the Elgato Wave XLR.

This has been absolute user-experience delight. Setup once and forget, I have not had any connectivity or reliability issues with this mic.

Good:

• No more connectivity issues
• Plug and play, truly
• Sleek profile

Bad:

• Unintuitive Interface panel, I have no clue what some of the options on the Interface mean
• More wires and another controller on my desk

Links to Buy:

• Elgato Wave DX – Dynamic XLR Microphone
• Elgato XLR Cable
• Elgato Wave XLR Control Interface
• Blue Microphone Boom Arm

2. Worst Purchase of 2025: The Nanit Baby Monitoring Camera

My God, this product is shit. This product seems to have been vibecoded into existence. The marketing of the product vs the product are so misaligned that I am even ashamed to claim that I own this product. Picture this:

•  you have a tiny new fragile baby whose breathing needs to be monitored
•  you buy and setup a smart-camera that claims to monitor and alert you about breathing patterns
•  each time you need to turn on breathing monitoring, you have to manually turn it on — whoever made this design choice should be sent to product manager school
•  there is no, and I mean absolutely no, clarity on whether the app will alert if it is in the background and my phone is set to Sleep focus
•  there is a confusing app option to use less battery (for fucks sake, you should always use less battery)
•  you setup baby cry alerts
•  you are in the room when baby is crying
•  the app keeps spamming you with cry notifications because there’s no fucking snooze option for the notifications!

This whole system is built by people who probably were parents 5 years ago and wanted something like this. I want to throw this entire system in trash but I spent way too much on accessories and the whole system.

The Nanit system has 1 job. It will simply not make give you the confidence that it does it. I wake up every hour or so to check the baby myself. Writing this section has me unreasonably irate, that’s how bad this product is.

Good:

• Nothing.

Bad:

• Everything

Much better alternative: Aqara G3 Hub with this tripod stand.

3. Most Disruptive Purchase: The Unifi Stack

Middle of this year, amongst all the chaos in my life, my Amplifi Alien setup decided to die on me, leaving the household without Internet and an annoyed pregnant wife. This was my perfect opportunity to switch to the Unifi stack! Unfortunately, I learned a lot of expensive lessons along the way.

Read my detailed update on my transition to the Unifi WiFi stack.

4. Mac mini M4

As I started taking my vibecoder journey more seriously, I ended up getting the Mac mini since I needed Xcode to test my iPhone apps more thoroughly. Features such as push notifications cannot be tested without Xcode. I also wanted to get into making some apps for the Mac. The Mac mini has been an absolutely amazing plug-and-play device that has seamlessly blended into my work desk. The only change I had to make was swapping out my 2-HDMI switch for a 3-in-1-out switch.

I connect my Logitech 915 TKL and Razer Basilisk v3 Pro in Bluetooth mode when I am using the Mac mini. (I toggle to the proprietary Lightspeed and HyperSpeed technologies when I am using my main desktop.)

My HDMI switcher

Good:

• Very compact form factor
• Powerful
• Runs everything needed for Xcode and Apple App Development
• Nice addition to the existing Apple ecosystem

Bad:

• macOS

Link to Buy: Mac Mini M4 2024

5. Plugable USB-C Docking Station

Much like the death of my Amplifi Alien, my Mokin docking station died as well. This was a catastrophe for my desk and had to be addressed immediately. I needed something as quick as possible since my entire desk was unusable without my USB devices. I have 2 very specific requirements for my docking station which make the selection very tricky:

• At least 6 USB ports
• Has to be USB-C to allow my webcam to be used as a Windows Hello device

I ordered the Anker 14 ports docking station which was delayed in delivery. While waiting for its arrival, I found the perfect solution – the Plugable Docking station.

Good:

• Sleeker profile
• Cheaper than the Anker
• Exactly the configuration I needed (USB ports and USB-C connectivity)

Bad:

• No USB-C ports

Link to Buy: Plugable Docking Station

6. iPhone Air -> iPhone 17 Pro

I upgraded to the iPhone Air and then switched to the 17 Pro simply because it is more powerful, takes better pictures and feels better while holding.

iPhone Air Good:

• Slim

iPhone Air Bad:

• Uncomfortable to operate with one hand
• Bad camera

7. Oura Ring

I have the Apple Watch for health tracking and pretty ok with it. The health data has generally been useless to me. The watch is more quickly glancing through notifications. When AMEX Platinum announced the $200 credit for the Oura Ring, it coincided with my physician asking me to better track my sleep. Figured I’d get it. So far, the data has been useless:

• I know the nights my sleep has been bad, so telling me that is just annoying
• There are nights when I felt like I slept well but the ring says I didn’t, so that’s demoralizing
• There’s nothing really actionable it tells me
• The AI-powered food calories tracker is useful, but I never remember to take photos
• The Ring is uncomfortable, I spent a few days with their sizing kit and yet, the actual ring is tighter than the testers

I will keep the ring the subscription till AMEX is subsidizing it. But generally, meh.

Good:

• Form factor
• App

Bad:

• Useless data

8. Ninja Glass Crispi Table-top Air Fryer

I love snacking. I am forced to be healthy in my snacking. I love the convenience of an Air Fryer, I hate the following about cheap air fryers:

• Look ugly
• Can’t see inside
• Bulky to handle
• Takes a lot of precious counter-top space
• Get messy and absolutely inconvenient to clean (yea, using liners is as inconvenient)
• Inconsistent heating

As we moved from fall into winter and our toddler grows, I wanted to add some convenience and fun in our lives. And Instagram’s perfect timing, they advertised the glass bowl counter-top sleek looking Air Fryer. I bought it instantly. And this has been a hit in our household. My wife has started using the air fryer, I have been making a lot more foods with it. Here’s why I love this:

• Looks sleek
• Can see inside
• The containers come with lids
• Dishwasher-safe bowls

Things we make regularly:

1. Costco Mozz sticks and fries topped with some garlic salt
2. Whole Foods Harissa Cheese Pockets
3. Trader Joe’s mini pizzas

Link to Buy: Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1

9. Space heater that doesn’t dry the room

The room for our kid was always a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house. The house heater had no problems, so we needed a space heater. unfortunately, the one I previously had seemed like a fire hazard and would make everything very dry. A friend recommended an oil-based space heater, which at first seemed like a bigger fire hazard, heat and oil…

Anyhow, since it was a recommendation and I’ve heard of this company, and it has pretty decent ratings on Amazon, I ordered it. It is fantastic.

Good:

• Does what it advertises
• Simple to use
• Cable hooks
• Wheels

Bad:

• Heavy

Link to Buy: De’Longhi Dragon Digital Oil Heater

10. Baby-bottle washer, sanitizer, and drier

For our second kid, I dreaded washing bottles. The whole process of hand washing each bottle and part, then sanitizing has to be one of the most boring and exhausting tasks of being a parent. Good thing I didn’t block all ads on my home network because how else would Instagram target my wife with the ad for one of the best parent-purchases in our house. The Momcozy Auto Bottle Washer is fantastic. I would recommend to any parent.

We load rinsed bottles, throw in a tablet, and in a few hours there are washed and sanitized ready-to-use bottles! I love it. Also, the design is very thoughtful with the extended pipe for water release.

Good:

• Easy setup
• Extended water-release pipe
• Washing and sanitizing in-one
• Respects the very precious counter-top space

Bad:

• Recommends proprietary tablets that are always sold out or delayed shipping
• Not enough space for nipples and lids

Link to Buy: Momcozy Baby Bottle Washer, Sterilizer & Dryer – All-in-One

The Final Rating

Manan’s 2025 Gadgets Scorecard

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy the Nanit camera?

Overwhelmingly, no. It’s shit. Get the Aqara G3 hub instead.

Is the Elgato Wave XLR worth it over a USB mic?

Yes. The Wave XLR eliminates the constant unplug/replug issues common with USB mics like the Blue Yeti. It provides reliable audio for streaming and calls without driver issues.

What’s the best USB mic alternative to Blue Yeti?

The Elgato Wave 3 (USB) or Wave XLR (if you want XLR flexibility). Both avoid the connectivity bugs that plague the Blue Yeti on Windows.

Is the Momcozy Bottle Washer worth it for parents?

Absolutely. It washes and sanitizes bottles automatically—just load, add a tablet, and wait. Saves hours of manual washing for new parents.

Why does the Blue Yeti require unplugging before every call?

It’s a known firmware/driver bug with the Blue Yeti’s mini-USB connection. The mic fails to initialize properly and requires a physical reconnect. Logitech hasn’t fixed this.

The post 2025 Gadget Purchases: Hits and Shits first appeared on Being Manan.

• I wanted to simply replace my Alien’s mesh with a Unifi mesh; this created several constraints:
  • Keep my Firewalla firewall in place as the entry to my network
  • Use the Unifi Controller installed on my TrueNAS Scale
  • I needed a cloud gateway that had WiFi (rackmount gateways were all out as options)
• I didn’t want to spend a lot
• Needed quick delivery
• Future-ready setup

After some quick searching, I ended up ordering:

1. Unifi Express 7
2. 2x U7 Lite APs

The overall transition from Amplifi Alien to the Unifi WiFi stack was supposed to be setup new devices -> awesome WiFi everywhere. Unfortunately, the experience wasn’t such. I learned a lot of expensive lessons along the way, the biggest on being:

Unifi is not a mesh network; it can be setup as one, it is not recommended to be.

The First Lesson: PoE

To set it up as a mesh, I needed a way to power the APs without Ethernet. The solution — I had to order 2x Unifi PoE adapters for each AP. Once connected, I thought this would let me start a future-ready WiFi 7 journey.

The Second Lesson: What are spatial antennas

Unfortunately, the performance was pretty bad, laptops and iPhones were hanging onto a weaker AP. Moving from one floor to another, the laptops would not roam to the closer AP. It turns out, I was about learn my second lesson, U7 Lites have 4 spatial streams — this was terrible for my mesh setup since the data spatial streams were being split with the needs of creating a mesh and the data itself. My solution:

• Buy the U7 Pro Max since it supports 8 spatial streams

I added it to my controller; I even wired it and was very proud of myself that I solved a problem by throwing more money at it.

The Third Lesson: The 6Ghz band chaos

Unfortunately, the problem of Instagram Reels “loading” on the iPhones was not solved (by the way, that’s a great test for real-world WiFi strength and network connectivity alerts). And here I learned my third lesson, U7 Lites don’t support the 6Ghz band. To make this future-proof network setup actually support the devices of the present, I did what any rational human being would do — add more expensive APs. During Unifi’s Christmas sale, I ordered:

• U7 Pro Wall
• U7 Pro

The 6Ghz band is supposed to be the awesome powerful game-changing future of wireless to make home WiFi super powerful — all horseshit by the way.

The Fourth Lesson: The WiFi numbering mess

WiFi 6, WiFi 7, WiFi 6E — they all seem the same but are not the same.

• WiFi 6: Uses 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz
• WiFi 7: Makes better use of 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz, optionally uses 6Ghz for superfast awesome Internet
• WiFi 6E: Uses 6Ghz to make WiFi better but isn’t WiFi 7

The iPhones support both WiFi 7 and WiFi 6E (and there’s an SSID-specific toggle to turn WiFi 6E off). This matters because while iPhones supports WiFi 7 and the Unifi U7 series supports WiFi 7, that does not mean the 6Ghz channel will work like magic.

I turned off WiFi 6E on my and my wife’s iPhones, and that was the first breakthrough — the Instagram Reels test passed. Our Internet was smooth, Unifi console showed the beautiful WiFi 7 icon for the iPhones, I was in the future.

Now, while this solved it for our respective iPhones, I can’t tell every guest at my house to disable WiFi 6E or go around finding how to disable this in laptops and iPads. That’s just being a bad host and a terrible stain on my reputation as a tech-enthusiast. But I landed on some Root Cause — something to do with WiFi 6E.

Fifth Lesson: 6Ghz and walls

To further probe the issue, I kept tracking the iPhone signal strengths in the Unifi Console. I continued to see the iPhones still hanging on to the weaker AP despite me tweaking the radio transmitter power. And this is where I learned my fifth lesson:

• The 6Ghz band very weak, it does not penetrate through walls and relies of line-of-sight

At this point, I realized that no matter how many APs I get with 6 or 8 spatial streams, the 6Ghz issue with walls and Line of Sight limitations aren’t worth my money. I might as well turn off the 6Ghz band in Unifi.

The Sixth Lesson: Apple’s 6E implementation

Not satisfied, I wanted to explore what the Internet thought about iPhones WiFi 6E and the 6Ghz band. While this is all anecdotal and could be some confirmation bias on my part, the iOS WiFi 6E implementation is terrible.

iOS has a “sticky client” problem; it prioritizes 6Ghz over 5Ghz, even if 6Ghz is weaker.

In my case, even defining roaming thresholds in Unifi console for APs does not fix this in a way that iPhones seamlessly switch to a stronger AP. Maybe I could try tweaking it more, not worth it as of now.

Conclusion:

The problem isn’t the Unifi stack, it is the 6Ghz band and iPhones. Given all these lessons, I have for now disabled the 6Ghz band on my main SSID, and there are no interruptions. We now have smooth Instagram Reels scrolling and consumption.

My final Unifi WiFi stack is:

• Express 7 (wired)
• U7 Pro Wall (wired)
• U7 Pro Max (wireless meshed to U7 Pro Wall)
• U7 Lite (wireless meshed to U7 Pro Max)
• U7 Lite (wired)
• U7 Pro — not setup yet

This is in addition to the rest of the Unifi stack in my homelab:

• Switch Pro Max 24 PoE
• Power Distribution Pro
• Toolless Mini Rack (with the Ikea cutting board top)
• Accessories: Keystone panel, Etherlighting patch cable, keystone inserts, dust covers

Good:

• Reliable (and scalable) 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz wireless network
• Looks beautiful
• Great network insights and granular network control
• Future-ready for when I have my own place

Bad:

• Everything is expensive
• Unreliable mesh architecture
• Each AP should have its own coverage visualization without needing WiFiMan on an Android

tl;dr (Generated by Gemini based on analyzing the post):

• Unifi isn’t “Plug-and-Play” Mesh: Unlike Amplifi or Eero, Unifi is designed for wired backhaul. Using it as a wireless mesh requires a massive “overhead” in spatial streams that the entry-level gear (Lites) can’t handle.

• The 6GHz Tax: You can buy the most expensive WiFi 7 gear on the market, but it cannot beat physics. 6GHz is fast but fragile; if you don’t have a clear line of sight, it’s often worse than 5GHz.

• The “Sticky Client” Problem: Even with expensive APs, the end-user device (the iPhone) often makes the “dumb” decision to stay connected to a weak, high-speed band rather than a strong, lower-speed band.

• The Hidden Costs of Unifi: What started as a “budget” replacement for an Alien router turned into a full-blown setup with multiple $200+ APs.

The post Transitioning to Unifi for WiFi: The Expensive Lessons Learned first appeared on Being Manan.

My highest-value subscription: Tesla FSD

FSD has become an integral part of my life to the extent that operating without it feels like a significant downgrade. In terms of performance, it is excellent 95% of the time; the remaining 5%, it might kill you. While the experience fluctuates with software updates—I’m currently frustrated with v14.1.7—I still consider it one of my highest-value subscriptions. The reduction in driving fatigue and the boost to my mental health alone make it worth the price.

Rest of my subscriptions:

Streaming Services (mostly subsidized through credit cards perks):

1. Hulu (+ Disney): Heavy user
2. HBO: Moderate user
3. Apple TV+ (via T-Mobile): Moderate user
4. Apple Music: Very heavy user (EDIT: did not realize I could’ve gotten it offset via CSR, now I do courtesy @Synapse, one blog reader confirmed!)
5. Peacock+ (via AMEX Plat): Light user, I am going to switch to Peacock via Instacart+, and then use the AMEX Plat streaming credit for Hulu
6. Paramount+: Moderate user
7. Ad free Prime Video: Heavy user (paying the ad-free fee on top of what I pay for regular Prime)
8. Netflix (via T-Mobile): Moderate user

Back in 2017 I wrote about how cord cutting is a scam. And the list above proves it. Amazon Prime Video is the most Value for Money streaming service out there.

Cloud Services (I’m pretty much locked into all these):

1. Google Workspaces (for personal and one for this domain): Heavy user of my personal Google account with Gemini and extra storage; I realize I’m paying for my domain workspace primarily just for email—so a good candidate to save that $10/mo.
2. iCloud+
3. Ring security
4. Namecheap, Cloudflare, and some GoDaddy for several domains; I will transition GoDaddy to Cloudflare as the remaining ones come up for renewal
5. WordPress Jetpack for FussyVegetarian.com
6. M365 Basic (for personal OneDrive)

Physical Services (this is purely all about convenience):

1. Uber Eats (via AMEX Plat): Heavy user
2. Dash Pass (via CSR): One-off use case
3. Instacart+ (via Marriott Chase): Very heavy use; through this exercise I realized I was missing out on my Instacart+ benefits from Chase. I was paying full price and not getting monthly credit. Ridiculous, Chase switched cards that offer this benefit, and I didn’t change the card on file
4. Walmart+ (via AMEX Plat): I have not used this ever
5. Amazon Prime: Very heavy user
6. One Medical: This has been a great addition to my life as a parent. Need pink eye drops? Just a call. Need nausea meds? Just a call. We made so many of those 2 AM calls when we were first-time parents!

Mobile Apps (the justification I give myself is productivity and utility):

1. Monarch app: Regular user
2. Max Rewards: Light user, I am gradually finding this more useful than Monarch, but I’m trying to get my wife to use Monarch too
3. Tessie for Tesla Home Assistant integration: Heavy user
4. 1Password: Very heavy user
5. Oura: New addition courtesy AMEX Plat discount, hoping to pay for the subscription using the AMEX Plat credit starting next year

Subscriptions I paid for in 2025, but have cancelled:

1. Cursor AI: Very heavy user, taking a break; here are all the apps I have created using Cursor
2. Copilot money: replaced it with Monarch
3. Sling: terrible video quality for Sony LIV channels
4. Cal AI: replaced with Oura
5. LinkedIn Premium: I don’t get why they don’t have a cheaper tier

Generally, reviewing my spend, I am landing on canceling my Chase Sapphire Card next year (Chase renewed it for another year at the same price). I will continue to keep the AMEX Plat since I use a lot of its benefits. One of the highest benefits of $300 hotel credits, I have not been using for the last few years. The other big category that I need to relook at is what I pay for the various insurance plans I have.

Subscriptions that I would pay for if it existed:

1. A $14.99 /yr PlayStation Plus subscription just for cloud backups of game saves
2. A $24.99 / yr LinkedIn Career subscription

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Instacart+ worth it in 2025?

Yes, especially if you have it free through Chase Marriott Bonvoy. Check your credit card benefits—many include Instacart+ for free with monthly credits.

What’s the best domain registrar in 2025?

Cloudflare Registrar offers at-cost domain pricing with no markup. Transfer domains from GoDaddy or Namecheap when they come up for renewal.

Is One Medical worth the membership fee?

For parents, yes. Same-day virtual appointments for common issues (pink eye, nausea meds) without waiting rooms. The 2 AM access alone is worth it.

What’s the best app for tracking credit card benefits?

Max Rewards automatically tracks and reminds you of unused perks. Useful for cards with rotating categories and hidden benefits like Instacart+.

The post 2025 Subscriptions Review first appeared on Being Manan.

My first published iOS application is now at over 3,000 downloads, combined, on Apple and Google’s App Stores. This app was published from my PC to the app store, without a Mac. Here’s how did it:

1. Cursor
2. Flutter
3. Github
4. CodeMagic
5. AppIcons.AI for AI generated app icons
6. App Launchpad or App Screens for app store screenshots (believe it or not, I struggled the most getting screenshots)

I didn’t know what a Flutter was until Jan of this year. This technology unlocked the possibility of me having an Android and iOS app at the same time. What was great was that Cursor and Sonnet understood how to make Flutter apps. Once the app was made and running on my Android emulator, my next big problem was to get an iOS version.

And that’s where @dtox came back with a brilliant recommendation of this little service called CodeMagic. It was clunky at first. Trying to understand how to setup an Apple Developer Account, navigating around App Store Connect’s certificates and accounts etc., absolutely infuriatingly terrible experience. The developer steps to get things figured out is ridiculous. Anyhow, once CodeMagic was connected with Apple’s App Store Connect, we were truly dealing with magic. Within a few tries, I had an iOS app ready for Test Flight without having a Mac, a macOS VM, Xcode. True magic.

CodeMagic has a generous free tier and connects with your Github account. My workflow is dead-simple:

Cursor writes the code -> publish to Github -> CodeMagic picks up the build -> creates an IPA -> sends it to App Store Connect

Once its there, then I’m simply accepting the encryption requirements, and a build is ready. Since this experiment, I have published 2 more apps, marking a total of 3 Flutter apps, all sent to the App Store via CodeMagic. They’ve since my first attempt definitely made improvements to the certificate stuff that connects the App Store account with CodeMagic, it’s really magic.

I used App Launchpad for Snack Spinner and Cyber Prism, Nginx Proxy Manager screenshots are from App Screens.

The post Publishing an app on the Apple App Store without a Mac first appeared on Being Manan.

Homelab Server 01: Beelink Mini PC for Home Assistant

Specs:

• 12th Gen Intel AIder Lake-N N100 Processor
• 16 GB RAM
• 500 GB SSD
• Zooz 700 Series Z-Wave Plus
• Home Assistant Skyconnect

Homelab Server 02: Old HP Gaming PC

Specs:

• AMD Ryzen 5 3500 6-Core Processor
• 32 GB RAM
• Nvidia 1650S
• 256 GB boot SSD
• 1 TB SSD Samsung SSD 870 EVO – this was primarily for apps, now I have no idea what it is being used for (I don’t understand how TrueNAS Scale works)
• 1 x 8 TB data drive (this is for data that I need to move between systems)
• 2 x 20 TB data drives in RAID1
• TrueNAS Scale

Apps Running:

• ddns-updater – required for updating all the web URLs and IPs
• drawio
• flame
• Frigate – object detection by Frigate was truly the desire that made me go down the homelab path (including Home Assistant)
• Glances – one of the coolest pieces of software to get the coolest homelab dashboards
• Metube – love this to download YouTube videos
• Nextcloud – this has been a nightmare to keep running
• Nginx Proxy Manager – this is critical for my setup, and my first mobile app
• Open WebUI – frontend for my Ollama server (I run Ollama on my desktop powered by a 4090)
• Plex
• Syncthing (heart of my backup strategy)
• Unifi Controller
• Vault Warden (OSS Bitwarden server)

VM:

• Windows 10 for Scrypted

Homelab Server 03: E-waste’d Cisco C240 M4

Specs:

• Intel Xeon E5-2640 v3 @ 2.60GHz
• 64 GB RAM
• 250 GB boot SSD
• 4 x 300 GB SFF HDDs (see, I didn’t know when I selected this server that it didn’t take regular-sized HDDs)
• Proxmox

VM #1 on Proxmox – Ubuntu Homeserver Apps:

• Portainer
  • Code-snippets
  • Enclosed
  • ESPHome
  • Heimdall
  • Homebridge
  • Homepage
  • Linkwarden
  • llmcord
  • plex-stats
  • Speedtest Tracker
  • Uptime Kuma
  • Watchtower

VM #2 on Proxmox – Ubuntu Webserver:

• This runs Cyber Prism App

Other things in my homelab:

• WD EX2 Ultra NAS 2 x 20 TB in RAID1 (This product sucks, wish I could go back in time and not buy this, buy a Synology NAS.)
• Firewalla Purple
• Ubiquiti network stack:
  • Switch Pro Max 24 PoE
  • Rack Mount OCD Panel
  • Toolless Mini Rack
  • Power Distribution Pro
  • 24-Port Blank Keystone Patch
• Amplifi Alien
• CyberPower OR500LCDRM1U UPS
• CyberPower CPS1215RM Basic PDU
• 2U Server Cabinet Case 19 Inch Rack Mount Lockable Drawer
• 12U Rack

The post Walkthrough of my Homelab first appeared on Being Manan.

Read about my HomeKit Home here.

My Smart Baby Changing Station

Powered by: Home Assistant

Baby Feed Announcement

Powered by: Home Assistant based on last feed time

Automated Teams Camera Lighting

Powered by: Home Assistant, Elgato and Stream Deck

Rabbit Sighting Announcement

Powered by: Home Assistant and Frigate

Data Backup Strategy

Powered by: Syncthing

The post Smart Home Projects Showcase first appeared on Being Manan.

iOS Home App – Great!

HomeKit — Mediocre.

Siri — Absolutely garbage!

Video overview:

Photos:

My HomeKit Home setup is a combination of the following products:

1. Home hubs / Media and Entertainment:
   • 3x Apple TVs (disabled as HomeKit hubs)
   • 5x HomePod Minis (act as HomeKit hubs)
2. Lighting:
   • Philips Hue hub with 17 Hue lights
   • Lutron hub with 4 Lutron switches
   • 5x Nanoleaf
3. Security:
   • 3x Aqara cameras
   • Level Lock (detailed review)
4. Sensors and Buttons:
   • Multiple Aqara buttons and door sensors (I have an entire ecosystem of Aqara sensors connected via Home Assistant that’s separate to some of the Aqara devices directly paired with HomeKit)
5. Temperature:
   • 2x Ecobee thermostats (previous generation)
6. Power Plug
   • WeMo HomeKit switch
7. Blinds
   • Ryse HomeKit Blinds / covers

Home Hubs / Media and Entertainment:

One huge problem with HomeKit is Apple’s core architecture for it. It’s one of those sounds like a great idea but absolutely rubbish in reality. The basic premise that Apple’s HomeKit original architects thought of was, in true Apple ways, HomeKit will pick whichever device it thinks to be the hub; users cannot pick which device is. I have 5 HomePod Minis and 3 Apple TVs, so at any given time, Apple randomly changes the main hub. There’s absolutely no logical reason to have this changed but some Apple engineers made this ridiculous decision, and some have been deciding to double down on this (end this rubbish, please).

The initial understanding was that the device with best Internet connectivity will be the hub. Now, people’s home setup does not change much. You put your router, HomePods and your Apple TVs, and these don’t move physically. So, there’s no reason for the primary hub to keep changing. People have Apple TVs wired but it still won’t remain the hub. These engineers have an architectural design where a device with the latest firmware will be the hub and HomePods have a newer version from Apple than Apple TVs, so HomePods have to be the hub.

This is a stupid architecture. And the people who continue to support this architecture should be moved to the desktop iTunes team.

Summary:

• HomePod Minis: Love the hardware, hate Siri
• Apple TV 4K and older generations: Good hardware, reliable, love the integration of apps, and the ability to watch all my HomeKit cameras

Lighting: Philips Hue

The most reliable devices in my smart home have been Philips Hue. These things have their own hub, use a proprietary ZigBee channel, and always work. No matter which platform I use, these things are the first to show and always just work. Also, quite expensive. Over the past 7 years, I’ve acquired the following through Black Friday deals and other random sales:

1. 14 bulbs
   1. Filament bulbs (for mood lighting)
   2. Some full colored and some white ambiance ones
2. 1 outdoor strip
3. 1 pair of Hue Play as reading lights within a bed’s headrest

Siri and iOS Home app have issues because these 2 techs are terrible, but Philips Hue — always reliable, never fails. I know pretty much any and every company that does smart home products has bulbs, if you are looking to get bulbs, DO NOT get anything other Philips Hue. They just work, always.

Links to the products:

• Philips Hue Hub + Bulbs
• Philips Hue Color Bulbs
• Philips Hue Filament Bulb
• Philips Hue Play Light Bar
• Philips Hue Outdoor Strip
• Philips Hue Dimmer Control

Lighting: Lutron Caseta Switches

These are to switches what Philips Hue is to bulbs — reliable and always work. In my apartment, there are some ceiling mounted lights with a 3 to 4 bulbs powered by 1 switch. Instead of replacing each of these bulbs with Hue, I added Lutron to the mix. Currently, I have 4 Lutron Casetta switches to power ceiling lights in the office, kitchen, and the dining room. These integrate flawlessly with HomeKit and just like Philips Hue, vanish into the background with near-instant response time to automations. (Voice commands with Siri are hit or miss so when you get it right, Lutrons and Hues work instantly.)

The only issue with Lutrons are:

• They are unreasonably expensive and sales are limited to “starter packs” and rarely on individual switches
• I also got an electrician to install these so there was an additional cost because of that

Links to the products:

• Lutron Caseta switches with hub
• Lutron Caseta switch

Lighting: Nanoleafs

My brother gifted me my first set of Nanoleaf Canvas and I eventually bought a small expansion pack. Since then, I came across some Best Buy sales for the Nanoleaf Shapes (triangles) and deals on Nanoleaf strips so added these to my office. These are all HomeKit compatible without a hub (unlike Hue and Lutron). All Nanoleafs are confined to my office for a some RGB fun. Here’s what I currently have:

1. Nanoleaf Canvas (10 tiles)
2. Nanoleaf Shapes (15 triangles) — the controllers for these are very finnicky and have crapped on me thrice so far
3. 3 Nanoleaf strips around my desk

A quick review of Nanoleaf:

1. The setup is very easy, as easy as HomeKit advertises its setup process to be
2. The Nanoleaf app isn’t the great
3. Expensive
4. The pre-configured scenes are fun (my favorite is Northern Lights)
5. Nanoleaf keeps cluttering the iOS Home app with its scenes after each update, despite you deleting all the scenes that you don’t want (it’s just absolutely terribly annoying)

Links to the products:

• Nanoleaf Canvas
• Nanoleaf Shapes
• Nanoleaf Strips

Security: Aqara Cameras

Anyone invested in HomeKit should also invest in Aqara. This brand has been fantastic for HomeKit enthusiasts. Currently, I have 3 Aqara cameras:

1. G2H connected to an Aqara door sensor on the main entrance
2. G3 as a baby monitor
3. G3 for coverage around some parts of the apartment

I had a few instances where I had technicians or deliveries come at a time when I wasn’t home, so I decided to try out the Aqara G2H camera for my door. The setup was super easy, and I connected it to an Aqara door sensor. The automation is very simple, and it works without fail.

When the door is opened, it captures a short video, without fail.  I added an SD card to the camera as well, so I didn’t run out of storage. So far, I haven’t received any notification that that is happening. I really wanted to connect the camera to my TrueNAS or WD NAS for offsite storage of clips — that wouldn’t work since the camera only supports the deprecated and unsecure SMB1. (I haven’t revisited this to see if Aqara updated anything here.)

A quick review of Aqara cameras:

1. Affordable
2. Work in Aqara app and iOS Home app simultaneously
3. Most of the fun features are limited to the Aqara app (detections for abnormal sound, motion etc.)
4. Often lose connectivity within iOS Home app but work reliably within the Aqara app

Links to the products:

• Aqara 2K Indoor Camera
• Aqara 1080p Indoor Camera

Temperature: Ecobee Thermostats

When I moved into an apartment with HVAC heating and cooling, I was very excited. It wasn’t because of the centralized temperature control; it was because I could now hook the HVAC into HomeKit. Pretty much every review I read said Ecobee was the best HomeKit thermostat so, come Black Friday, I got myself a pair of these. Setting these up was a nightmare. 3 different electricians couldn’t figure it out. Eventually it was my brother and me tinkering, and a lot of Reddit threads helped us get this working.

My experience with Ecobee has been very underwhelming. The built-in schedules (automations) of Home, Away and Sleep are very annoying to setup and control. These also get expensive with the HVAC running all day. The HomeKit integration was smooth but again, Siri and temperature control automations were more miss than hit. My wife hates it too. Any time we need to increase / decrease the temperature, we either do it manually on the device’s screen or use the scroller in iOS Home. I have also disabled Siri on this because it would always trigger at the wrong time and compete with a HomePod Mini close to the Ecobee.

Here are some tweets that captured my Ecobee experiences as I set these up:

if Ecobee is the best of the smart home devices then I can’t even imagine how bad the others in the market because ecobee is a dumb device, it doesn’t have a smart wire in its casing (like bone in body but you know, wire in casing…)

— Manan ????? (@manan) June 27, 2022

My Smart Home is Stupid – HVAC Update https://t.co/jvnuTL042M lol! Watching @LinusTech going through so much frustration with Ecobee, HomeKit & Home Assistant gives me solace that I’m not alone & an idiot.

— Manan ????? (@manan) February 15, 2023

Just connected O/B but tried without it as well. Having it connected/not didn’t make any difference pic.twitter.com/1yP10dJJ8f

— Manan ????? (@manan) October 17, 2021

Links to the products:

• Ecobee Smart with Siri + Sensor
• Ecobee Lite

Switches: WeMo HomeKit Switch

I wanted to get at least 1 HomeKit switch for my balcony to control a light strip. I went with WeMo since that’s what started my smart home journey over 10 years ago. The HomeKit switch is simple and works. I do often have issues because the balcony loses Internet connection if the doors and windows are closed. But that happens sporadically and not often enough for me to do something about it.

Link to the product:

• WeMo HomeKit Switch

Buttons: Aqara HomeKit Buttons

I am using a few Aqara buttons directly connected to HomeKit and am using a mix of Z-Wave and ZigBee buttons via Home Assistant. The Aqara buttons are neat. They look sleek and are simple to interact with. Offering 4 modes through 1 button:

1. Single press
2. Single press + hold
3. Double press
4. Triple press

My current configuration for my buttons are:

1. Dining room button:
   • Single press: turn on Dining Room (chandelier, Hue strip) and Balcony lights (Hue outdoor lights and standard Christmas lights connected via WeMo HomeKit switch)
   • Press and hold: turn these lights off
2. Office button:
   • Single press: turn on all Nanoleafs and set these to Northern Lights scene, set the Lutron Caseta lights to 20% (and some devices exposed to HomeKit via Home Assistant)
   • Press and hold: turn these off

Links to the products:

• Aqara HomeKit Buttons

Covers / Blinds: Ryse HomeKit

I have some floor to ceiling and large blinds that I wanted to automate. The only option that could achieve this was Ryse / AXIS Gear. I have had a mixed bag of issues with the HomeKit version of Ryse. I have a hub and 2 blinds connected to HomeKit via the hub and the reactions of these blinds has been very inconsistent. I have to tell Siri the same thing several times to get what I really wanted from the blinds. One of my blinds installations has been an absolute disaster. The initial install destroyed my pillar and once I actually got it working, the Ryse motor was snapped my cord. The first time it was user error and the second time, I don’t know. I had it working for 2 months and then one fine morning, the cord just snapped when I started the controller. I don’t recommend this product.

A quick review of the Ryse blinds controller:

1. Physical installation is a nightmare since these devices don’t come with wall anchors and have tiny screws that don’t sit well in a drywall without an anchor
2. No anchor installation will destroy your wall and damage your device, this happens because of the micro-movements of the motor if your blinds are heavy
3. If you get it to work, they really work well
4. I’ve had more reliable operations with the old-gen ZigBee blinds than the fully HomeKit integrated new-gen

Links to the products:

• RYSE HomeKit Smart Shades Hub
• RYSE HomeKit Smart Shade

The post My HomeKit Home first appeared on Being Manan.

Affordable, feature-rich, plug-n-play, powerful iOS app

Firewalla Purple is hands-down one of the best tech products I currently have in my stack. The problem statements I was looking to address with a home firewall were:

1. Stop traffic to / from certain countries (I am using Xiaomi’s app for my Roborock due to Home Assistant, and I have Aqara’s HomeKit cameras)
2. Put a firewall with some preconfigured / basic protections in front of my home server (TrueNAS Scale running on my HP PC and Home Assistant on RPi)
3. Have my own VPN server
4. Get some interesting statistics about my Internet traffic

The Firewalla Purple as my home firewall allows me to do all these with quick toggles in the app and makes the user experience very intuitive. The best part, it is a very tiny form factor; no bigger than an RPi in a case. Here’s a photo of the firewall in my wire box and a comparison with an RPi 4 in a case:

Firewalla Purple next to an RPi4 in a case

My video walkthrough of the Firewalla Purple home firewall:

The setup was a breeze, the Firewalla has 2 modes that can be setup (app screenshots below):

1. In front of your router with the router in bridge mode
2. As a tap connected to your router monitoring your traffic

My home network runs on the Amplifi Alien and I was able to easily switch it to Birdge mode. This meant I didn’t have to change anything in my network. The ISP cable went into 1 RJ45 and the other went into my router. A couple of minutes later while the devices booted back up, and we were in action. It took me a couple of tweaks to understand the basic configuration settings like WAN, LAN and some port settings for Home Assistant. Once I figured that out, I was right into the settings I really wanted — the geo-blocks. Here’s how I’ve setup the firewall:

• Geo-blocks for the entire network:

  • No traffic from China, Russia, and a few other countries that are notorious for nefarious activities
  • Blocked uploads from my Aqara smart cameras to non-US countries

• Firewalla Blocklists

  • Enabled a few blocklists that block specific type of traffic

• DNS over HTTPS for my iPhone

  • This was an absolute delight as a feature to know that it exists. The implementation often breaks because of iOS’s “feature” of MAC randomization.

• Completely open traffic for Apple TVs and wife’s iPhone

  • I consume a lot of TV and Paramount+ is a service that has some TV shows I watch. Unfortunately, Paramount+ devs have spent all their skills, time and energies on making sure that the app does not work if anyad blocks are implemented. (The app is actually garbage for UX but extremely effective at not working if it detects any network blocks on ads.) Firewalla’s Blacklists often are dynamic and block ad networks that render Paramount+ incapable. The only solution I could think of for a seamless TV experience was to put all my Apple TVs in a group in Firewalla and open all the traffic.
  • Separately, my wife’s Internet experience requires the promoted ads from Google to always work. Again, the only solution was to put her iPhone in the same group as the Apple TVs and all traffic is open on her device

• WireGuard VPN for my devices

  • This has been super clutch for me. I have been able to bypass hotel WiFi to play Playstation Remote Play on my laptop. Very easy to setup as well.
  • Here’s a video of me bypassing hotel WiFi limitations using Wireguard VPN that comes with the firewall:

• Ad Block Enabled on the network

  • I was using PiHole but it was becoming very difficult to configure specific devices to be open (use case above). So I disabled PiHole and switched to the Ad Block included in Firewalla. It’s a simple toggle ON/OFF and then I enabled device-specific rules for #3

• Forwarded ports to allow TrueNAS Home Server and Home Assistant remote access

  • Took me a few tries to get this working

I’ve been using the Firewalla Purple for a few months now, and I’m really impressed with it. It’s a great all-in-one security solution for your home network, and it’s easy to use. One of the things I love most about the Firewalla Purple is that it’s so comprehensive. It includes a firewall, intrusion detection and prevention system (IPS), web filtering, and ad blocking. It also has a built-in VPN, so you can safely browse the web even when you’re on public Wi-Fi. The Firewalla Purple is also very easy to use. The web interface is well-designed and easy to navigate. You can create custom rules to control how traffic flows on your network, and you can also block specific websites or categories of websites.

Screenshots of the iOS app and the web UI:

A feature I am not currently using is Network Segmentation. The reasons:

• I have not figured out how is it actually useful than me grouping my devices and applying specific policies
• Also, my WiFi network is on my Alien router and I have a separate 2.4GHz network for smart home devices–it hasn’t made anything easier or harder

*Here are some specific things I like about it as a home firewall:

• It’s very comprehensive. It includes all of the features you need to protect your home network, including a firewall, IPS, web filtering, ad blocking, and a VPN.
• It’s easy to use. The web interface is well-designed and easy to navigate. You can create custom rules to control how traffic flows on your network, and you can also block specific websites or categories of websites.
• It’s affordable. It’s a one-time purchase, and there are no monthly fees.

*This was written by Google Bard.

Overall, the Firewalla Purple is a great all-in-one security solution for your home network. It’s comprehensive, easy to use, and affordable. If you’re looking for a way to protect your home network, I highly recommend it.

Link to buy

The post Firewalla: A home firewall that everyone can use first appeared on Being Manan.

I love the PlayStation Portal:

1. It’s light
2. The screen is great
3. The device is intuitive
4. I can stream and play

Sure, there are things that Sony can improve on, such as:

1. Open the Bluetooth protocol for earphones (my current plan is to use my Bose QC20 wired noise cancelling headphones)
2. Sony should add the ability to play any PlayStation Cloud game

got the @PlayStation Portal and love it!
– easy setup
– love the screen
– light to hold
– smooth gameplay at least on home WiFi
– can watch Netflix if you enable HDCP on the PS5

Posting unboxing and setup video soon pic.twitter.com/brjJDTuvuZ

— Manan ????? (@manan) November 15, 2023

Here’s my unboxing, initial setup walkthrough and my thoughts. Bonus content includes Horizon Zero Dawn playthrough:

The post Unboxing, Walkthrough and Initial Thoughts on the PlayStation Portal first appeared on Being Manan.

I never leave the house without these 2 gadgets:

1. AirPods Pro – can’t step out without these; I use a leather AirPods Pro keychain holder, so I am never without my AirPods
2. My iPhone – currently sporting the Product Red iPhone 14

Laptop charging when on the road:

My work laptop is a Surface Pro 7 which can be charged using the USB-C port. I don’t carry a Surface Pro charger with me and always use the USB-C charger; one less charger to deal with.

1. Microsoft Modern Mobile Mouse
2. RAVPower flat 45W charger USB-C charger
3. 10ft USB-C cable with 90 deg connector
4. Travel power strip – super helpful in conference rooms and hotel rooms with poorly placed power plugs
5. HP travel dock – this has been awesome to connect the work laptop to project (HDMI and VGA – yes, I’ve had to do that often)

iPhone and Apple Watch charging in the hotel:

1. Anker flat 30W Lightning Charger – this is what I connect the MagSafe Duo charger to
2. MagSafe Duo Charger – it’s not the ideal 3-in-1 charger but does the job
3. Apple USB-C to lightning 2m cable – when the plug point is very far from the center of the hotel bed

When I am on the plane itself:

I don’t use my AirPods Pros while I am on a flight because I need these fully charged after the flight. When sitting in one place, the wired QC20 are good enough.

1. Bose QuietComfort 20 – these made my coast-to-coast flight so much more tolerable
2. Anker Powerline 3-in-1 cable – this 1 wire is my Swiss-army knife
3. Anker MagSafe Charger – battery pack for the road with USB-C wired charging option
4. Basic Kindle – because I also want to feel sophisticated and educated (the Anker Powerline charges it when I decide to read on my Kindle in-between boring movies and inability to sleep)
5. Foldable and small USB charger – to charge the iPhone using the seat power outlet using the Anker Powerline (similar product to the one I have: Anker 12W Wall charger)
6. Lightning audio jack – if I want to listen to songs on the iPhone using the QC20

Miscellaneous gadgets that are in my bag all the time:

1. MagSafe iPhone kickstand
2. iPhone laptop mount-clip
3. Car USB charger – just in case
4. Anker USB Card reader – when I am traveling with the Insta360 One X2 or the Mavic Mini drone
5. Micro-SD cards – see #5
6. My gaming laptop ASUS G14 and its monstrosity of a charger – mostly with me on my personal trips

The cable organizer bag to hold most of these wires:

I needed something very slim so that my laptop bag does not bloat. I really like the Bagsmart cable organizer I got from Amazon.

Spare cables in the bag:

When traveling with my wife, I have learned that having a few extra cables isn’t a bad idea:

1. Apple USB-C to lightning 1m cable
2. Small micro-USB cable (specifically to charge the Bose QC when the Anker Powerline 3-in-1 is charging the iPhone)
3. Standard Apple Watch charger
4. Standard Apple USB – lightning charger

PS: I will do a follow-up post on what are the bare-minimum gadgets I got my wife for her work from the road life. It is a subset of this list.

The post Travel Gadgets I Carry on the Road first appeared on Being Manan.