scalaris373

I use Zimbra. I've been running it as a selfhosted service for 8 years now. It does need quite a powerful server (it's written in Java, so it needs lots of RAM), but it works wonderfully, and their web interface is just great!

Maintenance is quite simple, just install updated versions when they come out, I haven't had any problems with it.

Regarding mobile integration, I use Android. Any IMAP client will sync mail correctly, Zcal and Zcard for synchronizing calendar and contacts.

That's a very interesting point, I built my own system, but I don't trust my own handiwork enough, so I went the middle route: I got a Siemens RDF302 thermostat (which is a dumb thermostat with a Modbus RTU interface for remote control) and then I use a raspberry pi to change the setpoint temperature according to a remote signal or schedule. The actual decision to turn on/off the boiler however, is still left to a "real" thermostat made by a professional company, and a malfunction of the automated system is likely to result in a failure to change the setpoint, not in infinite heating.

That depends on the kind of heating you have on the house. Air vent heating takes 10 minutes. Radiators take some 40 minutes. Underfloor heating takes about 90 minutes.

Remote control does make sense for some, not all cases.

Hi,

I've been using a 3 Km wireless link as my only connection to the outside world (through my parents's house) for a couple of years, with great results.

We use a couple of Ubiquiti Nanobeam M5 (though you might want to look at the newer Nanobeam AC now). I'm very impressed with the quality, performance and reliability of such cheap hardware.

You DO need Line of Sight, though.

https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/nanobeamm/

Hi,

I've had good results with simple plastic cases, as long as a few rules are followed:

- The case must have a gasket on its cover

- Any openings must be on the bottom of the case (including antennae!)

- Cable glands or waterproof connectors must be used on all openings

- All cables must have a little slack, so they hang below the case and come straight up

- Put a couple of dissecant bags inside the box

I've been using this for various DIY outdoor projects for years, like putting mikrotik routerboards, raspberry pis, arduinos, etc. outdoors.

Water will accumulate in all openings not on the bottom of the case, and air pressure changes will cause the box to "suck" this water in, no matter how tightly sealed that cable gland is. That's why the openings should all be at the bottom.

Just my 2 cents.

+1 for PC Engines. Their products are a bit expensive for the hobbyist, and generally use very outdated technology, but they are as reliable as they come. I've been using an Alix 6f2 with a Mini-PciE 3g modem on a remote location with years of uptime and no problems. Same can't be said of many newer, fancier boards!

I have been self-hosting my email for a few years now. (I use Zimbra BTW) Whenever the server goes down for whatever reason, the sending SMTP will retry. Each server has their own configuration, and can be changed by the adminsitrator, but it's usually a few days. As an example, on their default configurations, Exim will retry every 24h, and give up after a week. IIS will retry every 2 hours and give up after 2 days.

I tried a very similar setup using a beaglebone black a couple of years ago. It never quite worked, and it's since sitting in the "pending projects" drawer. After looking at this, I'll definetly try again using your methods.

Using the projector lens in reverse is a great idea, and doing multiple exposures and combining them is just genious, I never would have come up with this, great job!

So, vehicles can be sabotaged by plugging physical devices into them.. So what?

Once you have physical access to the internals of a vehicle, there's a myriad of ways to cause havoc, and this has been the case since ever.

"attackers will find vulnerabilities offering over-the-Internet access to vehicles’ vulnerable digital innards". I have yet to see a viable attack which seriously compromises a commercial vehicle's safety without the attacker needing physical access first.

In the Jeep case, the researchers simply reprogrammed the onboard electronics to connect to their server and not the official one, as well as to send commands it was never intended to send (like turn-of-the-brakes and so), but unless this can be done remotely, it's just another case of sabotaging a car by getting under the hood, which again is nothing new.

In my opinion, I see lots of journalists calling for histeria, and little real reasons to worry about this.