How to setup a homekit temperature automation
If, like me, you have some temperature sensors, Philips Hue Motion sensors in my case (they include LUX and temperature), around the house, and you want to automate tasks, you’ve probably noticed that you cannot do this in the iOS Home app. I have no idea why Apple don’t allow it, but don’t worry, as
Flashforce Creator Pro 2 – First print with wood PLA filament
So I’ve had the Flashforge Creator Pro 2 for a couple months now, and I’m still enjoying it. I’ve not really done much practical with it yet, but I’m still having fun with my prints. Plus, it’s a hobby, not a profession 🙂 Anyway, I wanted to take it to the next level and try
OctoPrint – Flashforge Creator Pro 2
Before we start, it’s important for you to note that this isn’t a supported setup for the Flashforge Creator Pro 2 to work with OctoPrint, it’s more of a work around. So it’s completely at your own risk. I’m presuming you already have OctoPrint setup, if not, take a look at the be below article:
Flashforce Creator Pro 2 – First TPU Print
After printing a ton of stuff in PLA, I thought I’d try printing with a different material in my new Flashforge Creator Pro 2. I thought about ABS, but after doing some research online, temperature appeared to be a big concern, and there are some air gaps in the case Creator Pro 2, specifically the
Flashforge Creator Pro 2 IDEX – after two weeks use
I’m fairly new to the world of 3D printing, but wanted to get into it as a hobby, but also because I need plenty of brackets for the smart tech installed around my home. After months of watching endless videos and reading reviews, I finally decided to buy the Flashforge Creator Pro 2. Mind you,
How to setup OctoPrint / OctoPi to work on wi-fi
Out of the box, OctoPrint / OctoPi works with ethernet, but to run it over wi-fi, you need to make a few simple changes. So let’s get started: Step 1 Connect your OctoPi Micro SD card to your computer. Step 2 Find the octopi-wpa-supplicant.txt file, and open it in Notepad++. DO NOT OPEN THIS IN
How to install OctoPrint / OctoPi on a Raspberry Pi
If you have a 3D printer without an IP connectivity (e.g. ethernet / wi-fi), but you’d like to gain some remote control and monitoring, then OctoPrint will help you. Essentially, you connect a Raspberry Pi to your 3D printer via a USB cable, and then that enables you to control your printer via a web
How to configure Pi-hole
If you’ve just installed Pi-hole, this article will help you with changing some of the default settings and improving what gets blocked. It’s important that you do not change the DNS settings on your DHCP server / router straight away, and test with just one device first. Logging into Pi-hole To login to Pi-hole, you
How to install Pi-hole in a Docker container on a Raspberry Pi
If you’re reading this article, I’m presuming that you know what Pi-hole is, and have a Raspberry Pi setup with Docker installed. Pi-hole features and benefits I think the main reasons most people will install Pi-hole is to block ads, increase privacy, and for added security, but here’s a list of features an benefits, if
How to configure Homebridge
If you’ve just installed Homebridge, this article will help you with changing some of the default elements, before you start adding plugins. Logging into Homebridge To login to Homebridge, you need to visit the below URL, but make sure you replace ‘servername’ with the name or IP of the server running Homebridge. If you changed
Installing Homebridge in a Docker container on a Raspberry Pi
This process should be pretty similar, regardless of the device, so long as you have Docker installed, but this image is specifically designed for the Raspberry Pi. Prerequisites You will need Docker installed on your Raspberry Pi. Review the homebridge containter image information, make sure you have a compatable Raspberry Pi, and familiarise yourself with
How to install Docker on a Raspberry Pi
Running software in a container, instead of directly on a computer/server has many benefits, as you likely know, since you’re reading this. But for me, one of the key things is the separation. I like to keep my systems issolated, to avoid issues which might ordinarily result in a full system re-install. Of course, there
Create a SQL Server index without locking the table
If you have a large table of data in a SQL server database, and you want to add a new index, but can’t afford to lock the table, then this article will help you. However, please note: This does does actually lock the table still, but only briefly. This will not work with SQL Server
How to disable basic authentication and enable modern authentication on Office 365
Unfortunately we live in an era when cyber crime is on the rise, and more and more people are having their security breeched. So it’s important to do what you can to prevent this these breaches. Two of the simpliest things you can do with your Office 365 environment, are to enable multi-factor authentication, and
How to clear the browser cache on an iPhone or iPad
If you need to clear the cache on your iPhone or iPad, you have two options: Clear the cache for a single site Clear the cache for all sites How to clear the cache for a single site on your iPhone or iPad Use this option if you just want to remove the browser cache
Sky Q Voice Commands
If you’re here, you know you can use your Sky Q remote control with your voice, as well as the buttons. Of course, this only works with the remote controls with the microphone buttons (either on the right-hand side, or the front, near the record button). Here are some Sky Q voice commands to get
Sky Q, using voice commands to run apps
If you’re a Sky Q user, you’re probably already aware that you can use the voice commands with one of the two remote controls that came with your box. But, did you know that you can open apps with your voice? It may sound lazy, but in this day and age, with voice assistance such
How to setup a iOS home automation task using an NFC tag and the iOS shortcuts app
If you have an iOS 13, or later, device with an NFC reader, you can use it to automated tasks around your home. Why, you might ask. Well it won’t be for everyone, but for others it can help automate tasks. Example uses are? Set your lights for the night.Could be useful if you have
How to set the PowerShell Window Title
When running multiple scripts, either at the same time, or sequentially, it’s nice to know which script is running. An easy way to do this, it to set the title of the PowerShell window, when the script is running. To do this, simply ad the below code to the top of your PowerShell script: Now
Enable or disable hibernate in Windows 10
If, like me, you want to set your computer to hibenate, instead of sleep, you’re probably annoyed that this option is not on by default. Sleep has it’s place, but it still uses power. Thankfully though, it can easily be enabled, by following the below steps: These steps have been created on a Windows 10
Diagnose SQL server by viewing running and queued queries
If you run a busy SQL server an experience performance issues, there are several things you can do to diagnose issues. I’ll ignore the obvious ones for now (ensuring your queries are streamlined and using the SQL Profiler) and will provide you with an additional script to run which will give you a view of
C# Detect HTTPS in a load balanced environment
Detecting HTTPS in your asp.net c# web app is fairly straight forward in a normal environment with a single server solution, as you can see from the below example: if (HttpContext.Current.Request.IsSecureConnection) { Response.Write("Using HTTPS"); } else { Response.Write("Using HTTP"); } The problem comes when your web application is on multiple servers and behind a load
Change your Sky Q AirPlay / Bluetooth name
If you have multiple Sky Q boxes, say a Sky Q Silver and two or three Sky Q Mini boxes, the similar airplay/bluetooth names can be confusing. The good news is, that you can change this, but only partly. The exception to this is if you pair a device via the Sky Q box, that
No mouse cursor in VMware vSphere 6.5 console
Have you noticed that you don’t have a mouse cursor and cannot operate your VM’s via the console in VMWare vSphere 6.5? It’s likely as simple as the VMWare tools, but to enable this to happen you may have to change a few settings. Particularly if like me, you migrated from ESXi 5 to 6.5
Enable use of # and % characters in OneDrive Business
If you’re seeing errors syncing files and/or folders containing special characters such as a # and %, then it’s likely because you haven’t allowed syncing of these. For some reason Microsoft disable this as standard, so you manually have to enable it. Here’s what this issue looks like: OneDrive ‘The name or type isn’t allowed’
Amazon Echo Review
Like many of you, I’d always wanted to try the Amazon Echo, but I wasn’t going to shell out £149 for one. However, on Amazon Prime Day, I bagged one for £79. My intention being to sell it if I thought it was rubbish. Not to spoil the outcome of this review, but I still
How to see what channel your wireless networks is using PowerShell or Command Prompt
If you want to see what channel your wireless network, or the neighbouring networks, then you can run the below script in either PowerShell or the Command Prompt. netsh wlan show networks bssid Why look at the channels that the wireless networks are using? The main reason to look at the wireless channel on your
Delegate permissions to another user in Exchange 2010
If you have a need allow a user to access the mailbox of another user, please first notify the users beforehand or ensure that you have the necessary policies in place to cover you. How to give users access to another users mailbox This guide is focuses around Exchange 2010 (I know, just helping a
Manage DHCP Filters via PowerShell Script
If you operate a list of allowed mac addresses on your DHCP server to prevent unauthorised users/devices from obtaining an IP address, it can be a pain to have to constantly open the DHCP console and disable/enable the list and/or add a new device to the list. To make this easier, you can setup a
Firefox sync not working
If you’ve installed Firefox, logged into your account and the sync isn’t working. There appears to be a bug that stops this from working, but luckily there is any easy fix, just follow the below: Fix Firefox sync issue Open ‘Firefox’. Open the menu by pressing the 3-bar menu. Select privacy from the left menu.