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• Using Victron inverter and Sonoff devices for smart RV control
• Integrating MQTT data from Victron with Home Assistant
• Collecting electrical system data in InfluxDB for long-term analysis
• Gaining insights into battery health and solar panel performance
• Adding solar power to an RV system and its impact on energy production
• Graphing location vs. power intake for optimal charging
• Sharing electrical data with Battleborn battery manufacturers for real-world performance insights
• Automating breaker tripping prevention using Home Assistant and Victron systems
• Using MQTT protocol to collect and utilize Victron system data in Home Assistant
• Discussing the potential for a Victron integration within Home Assistant
• Exploring open-source software and APIs from Victron, including documentation and coding guides
• Setting up MQTT and connecting to a ColorGX device
• Recommending MQTT Explorer as a tool for monitoring MQTT messages in real-time
• Discussing the use of Homebrew (Brew) on an M1 Mac for installing various applications, including Chrome and VS Code
• Experiencing difficulties with internet connectivity while traveling and using Little Snitch to block unwanted network activity
• Comparing internet speeds between a cellular connection and cable internet in an RV
• Discussing challenges of living in an RV and the importance of efficient online tasks, such as updating Docker containers
• Announcing that MQTT Explorer is available on multiple platforms, including Linux, Mac, and Windows
• The untrippable breaker has been the most impactful daily improvement
• GPS dongle connected to Victron system for location tracking and geofencing
• Integration with Node.RED, Home Assistant, and NQTT broker for data collection and automation
• Discussion of Linode's cloud computing services and its benefits for self-hosting projects
• Plans to self-build a house or live on the 40 acres in Vermont purchased by Matt
• Purchased 40 acres of raw land in central Vermont with specific requirements for a rural location with fiber internet
• Building process has started, including installing a driveway and laying groundwork for the house site
• Prioritizing self-hosting and incorporating smart technology into the new home
• Current RV is being used as a test lab for various technologies that will be implemented in the new house
• Planning to build a separate standalone mechanical building for utilities, noise control, and server infrastructure
• Aiming for a completely net zero house with passive design and Living Building Challenge requirements
• Inverters and electric grid tie-off points for a large property
• Running fiber as a backbone between buildings to support high-speed internet and server needs
• Future-proofing infrastructure with fiber installation
• Self-hosting servers and media services, including Plex, on-premises and syncing with Starlink
• Managing redundant systems and ensuring reliability when traveling or leaving a site unattended
• Determining "good enough" levels of redundancy and component quality (e.g. dual power supplies, SSDs in RAID)
• Planning for remote server management and redundancy
• Reviewing current setup on an old super micro board with Java-based IPMI KVM
• Considering replacement options, including Raspberry Pi and ASRock boards
• Discussing the importance of reliability and having a plan B in case of system failure
• Exploring technologies such as Karp for redundancy and load balancing
• Availability of show notes at cloudguru.com
• Social media handles: Alex (Ironic Badger), Chris LES, Self Hosted Show
• Episode reference: episode #53 on selfhosted.show/slash 53
[0.00 --> 2.32] Well, I'm pretty excited because I get to geek out this week.
[2.46 --> 6.98] Matt from Adventurous Way, a YouTube channel that Alex and I watch, is joining us.
[7.14 --> 11.02] And Matt, you've got a ton of videos about RV travel, automation, self-hosting.
[11.16 --> 17.16] And just recently, you and the wife bought 40 acres of raw land in central Vermont
[17.16 --> 22.56] and are starting the long work of building a smart home from the ground up.
[22.64 --> 23.54] Matt, welcome to the show.
[23.94 --> 24.86] Thank you so much for having me.
[25.32 --> 26.12] Are you crazy?
[26.12 --> 30.94] I watch your videos and it looks like years of work ahead of you.
[31.96 --> 32.56] It really is.
[32.62 --> 35.70] Yeah, this is the start of a pretty long journey.
[35.84 --> 38.62] I think we are just at the very beginning of it.
[38.86 --> 42.12] And yeah, I think we are probably a little bit crazy.
[42.96 --> 46.10] I'm sure you've noticed, Chris, that I've managed to coerce another Brit onto the shows.
[46.22 --> 50.20] I wanted to bring the average, you know, raise the standard a bit.
[50.54 --> 51.56] Yeah, it wasn't lost on me.
[51.68 --> 53.28] It wasn't lost on me at all.
[53.28 --> 57.06] But, you know, Alex, there's like a ton of stuff we could talk to Matt about.
[57.18 --> 59.76] But I thought maybe we'd start with what he and I have in common.
[60.18 --> 65.14] When I first started watching your channel, you were doing a smart RV system similar to mine.
[65.26 --> 67.60] Home Assistant, Victron, the whole work.
[67.74 --> 69.94] So can you walk us through a little bit of what you built?
[70.46 --> 74.54] Yeah, so we've been living full time in our RV now for about three years.
[74.54 --> 83.58] We moved out of a perfectly good four bedroom home in the Bay Area, California, and into a 180 square foot box on wheels.
[84.36 --> 89.30] So imagine about half the size of the average like master bedroom in the US.
[89.56 --> 92.10] And that's been our entire home for the last three years.
[92.10 --> 96.28] And so pretty quickly, we realized that we're both technologists.
[96.48 --> 100.98] My partner and I are both former software engineers and tech people.
[101.58 --> 107.20] We kind of realized there's an opportunity here to use technology to make ourselves more comfortable.
[107.66 --> 110.52] And that was really where this whole journey began.
[110.52 --> 117.32] And so what started off as just like a hobby, it's pretty hard to have hobbies when you live in such a small space.
[117.32 --> 121.30] If they're physical, we obviously don't have a backyard to go and do gardening.
[121.30 --> 123.50] And I've given up my woodworking shop and things.
[123.72 --> 126.64] So we really focused on digital hobbies.
[127.24 --> 133.18] And so although I've been into some elements of self-hosting and tech for many, many years,
[133.84 --> 139.06] this for me really was an opportunity to go deep into tech.
[139.06 --> 141.82] And the home automation side of things.
[142.46 --> 148.58] So starting almost three years ago, I had a Raspberry Pi and I loaded Home Assistant onto it.
[148.80 --> 150.40] And that was kind of where I started.
[151.20 --> 157.46] And within a matter of weeks, I was already overwhelming the Raspberry Pi.
[157.76 --> 160.18] It must have been a Model 3, I guess, back then.
[161.34 --> 163.44] Completely overwhelming what it was able to do.
[164.20 --> 167.60] And I was like, I think it's time for an upgrade.
[167.60 --> 172.04] Again, space, big concern for us here, as you know, living in an RV.
[172.68 --> 173.96] And power draw as well, right?
[174.02 --> 175.08] And that's the nice thing about the Pi.
[175.48 --> 175.84] Yeah.
[175.98 --> 179.14] And so the Pi was great because it could run off the DC voltage.
[179.42 --> 181.90] And that was something that I wanted to stick with.
[182.16 --> 185.92] So we upgraded to an 8th gen Intel NUC.
[185.92 --> 188.12] It runs an i3 processor.
[189.02 --> 201.40] And because it runs, I think it's like 19 volts that it actually runs on, I was able to avoid using the normal AC power brick and instead run it straight off DC using a DC boost converter.
[201.40 --> 206.50] That has been running flawlessly now for almost three years, 24-7.
[206.88 --> 207.50] Ah, nice.
[208.24 --> 209.96] It's interesting you say that, Matt.
[210.12 --> 217.02] I think a few years ago, maybe five plus, Plex was the gateway drug for a lot of people that got them into self-hosting.
[217.54 --> 219.10] I know you're a proponent of that as well.