Robware Software by Rob

Welcome

Hello, I'm Rob. I'm a senior software engineer at On The Beach. Professionally my focus has been in backend development primarily using C#. In my spare time I spend my time riding bikes or making stuff, typically involving an Arduino.

This website is primarily an outlet for me to write about things which have been technically challenging, either in a professional or personal capacity, though not limited to that.

If you wish to get in contact, then get in touch via my LinkedIn profile.

Latest code commit

RepositoryHomeAssistantConfig
Branchmaster
SHAe14c4876ace23f310e23d137959a3c496422b1c4
MessageZigbee2MQTT backup
Timestamp10:30:35 on Sunday the 6th of October 2024

Latest Blog Post

Van Conversion: Part 12 - Internet and bling

In order to accommodate working from the van better, I decided to install a 4G antenna and WiFi router. The idea is that, while a phone does work very well, a dedicated antenna outside the Faraday cage that is a van would improve the chances of actually getting a signal vs a phone.

The antenna is a Poynting MIMO-3-12, which is a 2x2 MIMO 2G/3G/4G/LTE/5G antenna. The router is a Huawei B535. There is a small irony in that the router has a 4x4 antenna, which is faster than 2x2, but it isn't quite as strong.

Installing this did require another hole in the roof...

Installation

Area prepped
Area prepped

Fresh hole
Fresh hole

Antenna placed
Antenna placed

Antenna cable dropped in and route in insulation cut
Antenna cable dropped in and route in insulation cut

Antenna cable routed to over-cab shelf
Antenna cable routed to over-cab shelf

Router installed
Router installed

Working
Working

Would recommend a USB-C monitor, btw. The cheap ones don't have great colour, but they get the job done.

Bling

I also invested in some van bling. The old wheels were very tatty and I decided something a bit nicer was in order.

Old wheels
Old wheels

New wheels
New wheels

Posted on Monday the 4th of March 2024

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