Sign in Subscribe

Tim Wilkes

Tim Wilkes is a UK-based Enterprise Architect with over 25 years of experience in electronics, Linux, Security, and Unix systems administration.

Zen and the art of IPv6

Running Zen Internet with a Cisco router? You get a native /64 IPv6 by default—but request a /48 for proper subnetting. Enable IPv6, add Google’s DNS, and configure DHCPv6 PD with ipv6 dhcp client pd ZEN-PD. Test with ipv6.google.com. Clean, native IPv6—no tunnels, no hacks.

Fallout Sign - With added Home Assistant.

I made a fallout sign on my 3d printer following a diy video, but changed the led strip and microcontroller to avoid soldering. Added bonuses: home assistant control and wifi!

🐦Home Assistant - It's for the birds! [Part 2]

Automate music for your feathered friends with this smart Home Assistant setup! Our BirdMusic automation plays soothing tunes at 9 AM and stops at 8:30 PM—but only when the birds are home and people aren’t. Learn how to set it up using Music Assistant and a simple YAML script.

🎵 How to Install Music Assistant for Home Assistant: Your Ultimate Guide

Bring multi-room audio to your smart home with Music Assistant for Home Assistant! This guide walks you through installing and configuring Music Assistant to stream music, manage sources like Spotify, and control playback across devices. Perfect for audiophiles and automation fans!

Home Assistant - It's for the birds! [Part 1]

If you are looking for a post that is bashing home assistant, you have probably come to the wrong place. Recently I was asked to look after a flock of birds. The only trouble here was that I was away for some of the time. This time I set up cameras to monitor the birds.

Car Automation using tasker

I upgraded from an old Audi A3 to a BMW 1-Series after a nightmare trip with two punctures. Lesson learned: check your spare tire regularly. I use Tasker, an Android-only app, to automate tasks like launching music and navigation apps when using Bluetooth.

Uptime Kuma and kestra - Fixing issues within minutes.

Integrating Uptime Kuma with Kestra via webhooks enables real-time issue detection and automated remediation. Uptime Kuma monitors services and triggers Kestra workflows to resolve incidents, reducing manual intervention, improving reliability, and ensuring faster, more efficient operations.

Automating Your Android phone with JoaoJoin and Tasker

Combine JoaoJoin with Tasker for seamless cross-device automation. Link your devices in Join, create Tasker profiles to trigger actions, and automate tasks like syncing notifications, sharing clipboards, or transferring files between devices.

Why NAT isn't a security boundary

Every now and then I see this question come up. Particularly when someone references the question in ISC2's CISSP exam. So why isn't NAT a security control? It can form a barrier, right? The answer is, it's not actually that simple. But first, some background.

Setting up AutoInput with Tasker

AutoInput is a Tasker plugin that lets you simulate touch gestures and interact with apps beyond Tasker's native capabilities. It’s ideal for automating actions in apps without built-in Tasker support, allowing you to simulate button presses, swipes, and navigate apps to complete complex tasks.