LINUX Unplugged 637: Chris' Smart Home Disaster
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Oct 19, 2025 A tech mishap leads to a major smart home disaster just before a trip. Chris shares the chaos caused by failing Zigbee devices and a questionable firmware update. He delves into the tension of deleting a seemingly duplicate adapter, risking dozens of devices. The network eventually stabilizes, revealing a bigger issue with conflicting endpoints. Plans for hardware upgrades emerge, along with the shift from Zigbee to Z-Wave. The hosts wrap up with exciting gadget picks and the importance of backup solutions for seamless transitions.
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Massive Matrix Server Cleanup
- Wes repaired their Matrix server after massive cleanup and restored service after removing stale accounts.
- The recovery involved pruning billions of state rows and suspending many stale accounts.
Value Of Long-Term Sensor Data
- Long-term sensor data gives you predictive power over appliances and utilities.
- Chris uses fridge/freezer and power metrics to anticipate failures and budget replacements early.
The Hardware Trilemma
- Running many services on one host demands hardware that balances speed, low idle draw, and storage capacity.
- Chris is evaluating N100/N150 and small enterprise desktops to find that balance for his mobile home lab.