PC Tech Thread

Zen do Fritz branded repeaters you can buy/rent if that makes your decision easier (or harder).

https://www.zen.co.uk/broadband/everyroom/

What would be the main advantages (apart from storage capacity/expansion) of running a NAS rather than just storing everything on a 2TB mini PC?

Space, reliability, set and forget, built in cloud backup options. I will grant you that a Mini PC is small, but SSDs are not viable long term storage solutions except in the most specific cases. I've got an old NAS sitting in my cupboard doing sweet FA if you'd like to try it?

Thanks, I saw those but something about adding 9 quid a month per repeater didn't sit right. Would prefer to just buy two or three outright I think - was looking at the 1200 ax but can't find any with UK plugs - wonder if they're diy replaceable rather than bulking out the size of an otherwise neat package.

Manual looks like the power socket is welded in which is a shame, but you could definitely rewire a two-prong extension to a British plug at the other end and use something like this?

https://www.printables.com/model/786402-avm-fritzrepeater-1200-ax-stand

Thanks for sharing these -have just searched a bit (for once) and found this person took his apart: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6554999

Tempted.

Oh god. Am I about to buy a 3d printer?

I guess I'm wondering if getting Frtiz repeaters is the best thing given the 7530 ax that zen send for free. Presuming they're very compatible in terms of setting up some kind of mesh thing (with wired backhaul) and it's just a case of pushing a couple of buttons or something? The alternative is to get third party repeaters but then how easily do those play with the 7530 ax?

There's a laptop recycling charity at Infosec Europe and they're doing HDD destruction so I thought I'd offer up some sacrifices...

https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/en-gb/exhibitor-directory/exhibitor-details.every%20child%20online.org-70620448-a25a-4549-9557-66109f7ddc0f.html#/

Why visit our stand
We will be offering a data destruction service at the show. Bring along your unwanted phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops to our stand (A174) to help us close the digital divide.

Description
Our charity helps disadvantaged children and young people gain access to essential educational, vocational, and recreational IT resources. Working closely with a network of partnering schools, charities, and social services departments around the UK, we help to relieve those suffering from digital exclusion, particularly in deprived areas. Our IT Asset Disposal team specialises in refurbishing surplus PC desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones that are generously donated to us by businesses and individuals. Devices that are deemed unrecoverable are recycled to protect the planet.

1 Attachment

There's a chap on the forum that can do one-offs for you if you don't want to drop the money on a printer 😂

On the flip side, I'm sure that a standard TPLink/Netgear mesh system would work just as well. Take advantage of a good returns policy and try it out maybe?

I've got an old NAS sitting in my cupboard doing sweet FA if you'd like to try it?

Ah, that would be cool. Will PM.

.

Bye bye

1 Attachment

I used to do this at a similar charity. With a great big crusher, a bit like a press drill but with a spear on the end. It was great but then corporate donors wanted ISO certified data destruction :-(

Patch panels.

I want to send 4 x cables out of a router (fritz 7530 ax) into some sort of local panel that sits in the same cupboard as the router adjacent to the ONT. Then I'd like to send those 4 x cables around the house to plug into mesh repeaters. I want the cupboard to be relatively tidy so am anticipating making some kind of housing for it - probably wood. I guess I could buy one but will probably end up making one. Am thinking rackmount with 2 units.

I've seen this which looks great: https://racknex.com/fritzbox-7530-rackmount-kit-19-inch/ but don't really want to spend 175 euros (after configuring it to include extra bita) plus shipping for something that feels pretty simple.

1. Any rackmounted patch panel brands that are forum approved?
   
2. I'm using this cable: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oren-Ethernet-Cable-CAT6-50m/dp/B08RY64L21/ Am I right in thinking if it's unshielded I don't need to connect any ground wire (that comes with a lot of the patch panels I'm seeing) to anything?
   

Tbh, for the convenience I'm pretty tempted with that racknex thing, but equally I feel I could probably get penn elcom to do something similar and laser etch a novelty fixeh on it or something for a lot less.

Also, while I'm in there - is there anything else I might want to leave space for in the rack case I build? Switch? Storage? What do people put there?

Kind of want a pull out tray with a keyboard, monitor and one of these: https://www.eastwoodsoundandvision.com/blackmagic-design-cloud-store-max-48tb but prob inappropriate for a living room.

Four 4 cables I wouldn't bother with a patch panel. A double gang socket box and four modular jacks is neat and cheap for small.

Yep, this is what I did for similar. Received wisdom from here was that it was better (and easier) to terminate in a socket and patch from there, in mine and @CYOA case that's directly from the socket to the router.

Received wisdom from here was that it was better (and easier) to terminate in a socket and patch from there

Agreed. When I typed jacks I was thinking jack socket in my head. Something like https://www.screwfix.com/p/contactum-media-modular-cat-6-rj45-ethernet-socket-white/351rp

That's right I crimped a cable. Who wants to touch me.

Spent the better part of this evening attempting to try out the process ahead of getting it all installed this weekend (Klein pass thru connectors). Could NOT get the wires through it. Must have gone through about 50cm of cable. Eventually I tried a different connector from the same packet and it just slid straight in. Compared the two and the first connector was sealed shut. Good quality control from them...

1 Attachment

And thanks both - no great rush - can be laid loose for now so will have a proper think about how best to tidy it. I may want to add a switch at some stage for more cables hence rack but will think and see what's what.

Top tip with the pass-through RJ45 ends: buy a pair of electrician’s scissors and before crimping use them to trim the conductors once passed through, then pull the cable back a millimetre so the conductor tips sit inside the connector.

This will prevent the crimping tool blade from mashing the conductor ends into each other, causing them to short.

You’re massively over thinking this for a tiny domestic install.

If you want it to look neat, just get a cheap modular patch panel chassis, a single 8-port keystone cassette for it (with appropriately rated keystone modules), some double-sided self adhesive Velcro and cable ties for the Fritzl.

You’re massively over thinking this

You must be new here.

I'm not really loving 4k on a 32" screen, mostly because legacy apps don't like scaling above 150% and that's verging on me having to put on my readers. I'm thinking about an Iiyama G-MASTER G4380UHSU. Pros on my desk:

1. Onboard USB hub
   
2. Fills the space between my speakers
   
3. No power brick
   
   

Cons?

Have you got a photo of what it the display looks like please?

I've been toying with the idea of a 28 inch 4k monitor, but won't if it's going to end up being tiny and hard to read