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Brother HL-L8360CDW Color Laser Printer Review

I finally had to retire my old black-and-white Lexmark laser printer. It served me well for more than a decade, but it started falling apart recently and spewing toner everywhere. After weighing my options, I picked up the Brother HL-8360CDW, a color laser printer that seemed to check all the boxes for my needs without going overboard. You can see it in action in this review video.

My daily printing habits are mostly black-and-white pages—quick reference docs for my Youtube videos, kids reports and other light printing tasks. I don’t print in color often, but when I do, it’s nice to have the option without dealing with the constant clogging issues of an inkjet. That’s been a persistent problem with the inkjet I have sitting nearby, which I use just a couple times a month. Every time I turn it on, it’s a battle with dried ink. A color laser printer like this one solves that for me—no fuss, no wasted ink, and it spins up reliably after sitting idle even for long periods of time.

I paid $449 for the printer over at B&H (affiliate link). The high-yield black toner cartridge costs about $87 and is rated for 4,500 pages. Color toner comes in a three-pack for around $229, yielding about 1,800 pages combined. These numbers are based on standard text coverage, and like any printer, more toner-heavy jobs will burn through supplies faster. Still, I appreciate that Brother offers both standard and high-yield options so I can tailor the setup to how I print.

Even though I don’t do much printing, I wanted something a little more capable than an entry level printer. This model includes a manual feeder that holds 50 pages and can handle envelopes or index cards. There’s a 250-sheet tray at the bottom, and you can expand the capacity with additional trays if needed. My wife prints a lot for PTO work, so having that flexibility helps.

Size-wise, it’s what you’d expect from a laser printer: 47.9 pounds, and bigger than an inkjet, but manageable with good built-in handles. The resolution is 2400 x 600, which boils down to very sharp, clear text and business graphics. It’s not a multifunction device—no scanning or faxing—just a straightforward printer.

Setup was simple. I connected it to Wi-Fi using the on-device display, and all of our devices—Windows PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, phones—found it without issue. There’s Ethernet and USB connectivity too. I didn’t have to register the printer with Brother or set up any kind of cloud account to get started. That was refreshing. It even came with a CD-ROM—an old-school touch that’s increasingly rare.

On a Mac, print settings are handled through AirPrint, so some options like quality settings aren’t directly adjustable. That said, it defaults to high quality anyway, so I haven’t noticed any degradation on the Mac vs. Windows.

Print speed is rated at 33 pages per minute for both black-and-white and color, not counting the time it takes to process the job. It wakes from sleep a bit slower than my old Lexmark, but once it starts, the output is quick. Double-sided printing works well, and while it makes the usual laser printer noises, it’s not overly loud.

Color output was fine after I adjusted the printer’s calibration through the onboard control panel. Out of the box, some alignment was off—especially with graphics layered over color blocks—but it only took a minute to run the calibration through the printer’s menu. Once aligned, text and business graphics looked clean, and photo quality was serviceable. Not inkjet quality, but good enough for newsletters and handouts.

All of our devices were able to print easily once the printer was on the network. iOS, Android, and Chromebook devices recognized it automatically. It’s also CUPS compatible for Linux users. And if needed, you can print directly from a USB stick—PDFs and image files—without even touching a computer.

You can manage the printer through a web interface by entering its IP address, but honestly, the on-device screen was easier to use.

So far, it’s doing exactly what I wanted: reliable black-and-white printing, occasional color jobs, and no headaches. If it lasts anywhere near as long as my last printer, I’ll consider it a win.

My YouTube Channel’s Comment Section is Infested By Bots!

Over the past few months, my YouTube channel has been dealing with a growing problem: comment section bots. Not the kind that make life easier—these are fake accounts flooding the comment sections with spam, scams, and shady crypto coins. If you’ve browsed my recent videos, you’ve probably seen them. It’s reached the point where I wanted to dig deeper and understand what exactly is going on and why these bots are putting in the effort. You can see more in my latest video.

There are two main types I’ve been seeing. First are the so-called “porn bots”—fake profiles usually fronted by attractive women leaving strangely flattering comments. These messages are almost always generic, excessively positive, and often include strings of emojis. The bots generally post within a few seconds of the video’s publication so they’re the first comments viewers see.

Out of curiosity (and with some caution), I decided to follow one of the porn bot accounts using a cloud-based virtual machine. Sure enough, it led me down a chain of sketchy YouTube profiles and eventually landed me on fake dating sites filled with adult content and phishing attempts. They asked for email addresses, personal info, and even Google account access. It became very clear very quickly that the goal is to harvest data and monetize the clicks.

The fact that these comments keep showing up tells me it must be working on some level. Even if a fraction of a percent of viewers engage, the scammers are probably making enough to justify the volume of effort. That’s the part that’s hard to ignore—how much of this content is flooding into YouTube, and how many people might be falling for it.

The second type I’m dealing with comes a day or two after a video gains traction: crypto scam floods. These are typically pump-and-dump schemes, trying to generate hype around worthless coins before the inevitable rug pull.

What makes the crypto spam more frustrating is that it often drowns out real engagement. Dozens of comments flood in all at once from different accounts, pushing legitimate conversation out of sight. And if I’m not home and only have access to my phone, deleting them is a slow, tedious process—three taps per comment. I just can’t keep up.

YouTube does offer some tools to help—keyword filters, blocked link settings, and a “strict” comment moderation option. I had mine set to the default moderation before, but switching to “strict” actually made a noticeable dent in the crypto spam. It didn’t do much for the porn bots, though. Their messaging is too unpredictable for regular expressions to catch, which is likely how YouTube’s moderation currently works.

Out of curiosity, I also tried an experiment: I gave four sample comments (including a known bot) to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok to see if AI could spot the fake. All three nailed it. They picked up on the generic language, unnatural emoji use, and odd usernames. It showed me that the tech exists to filter this stuff out—it’s just not practical for YouTube to run large language models against every single comment given the scale of commenting on the platform.

I’ll keep doing what I can—blocking links, filtering known keywords, and manually flagging and deleting spam when I catch it. If you see these bots in the comments, the best thing you can do is ignore them. Don’t reply, don’t engage, and definitely don’t click on the links. I’ll take care of the cleanup as soon as I’m able.

Until YouTube finds a scalable way to tackle this, the infestation isn’t going anywhere. But at least now we have a better understanding of what’s behind it—and why staying clear is your best option.

The BlueRetro Connects Modern Controllers to the Nintendo 64

I’ve been revisiting my old Nintendo lately, and this time I took a closer look at a small but powerful accessory that could be a game-changer for retro gaming enthusiasts: the BlueRetro Bluetooth controller adapter. Based on BlueRetro’s open source design, it allows nearly any modern bluetooth-based controller to work with the classic console. But it goes beyond just that basic function.

You can check it out in my latest video.

I’ve been using an Xbox controller with my BlueRetro, and everything mapped pretty well right out of the box. Analog stick movement feels accurate and responsive, and it’s a lot more comfortable than trying to wrangle an aging OEM controller back to life. For parents introducing their kids to the N64, this might also be a friendlier on-ramp.

One of the added benefits is its support for controller pack saves. My original controller pack is non-functional, but the BlueRetro replicates that feature internally. I tested it with Rampage World Tour and a few other games and was able to save and load my progress just fine. It’s not something that’s enabled by default, but once set up through the BlueRetro’s web-based control panel, it works well.

The adapter is powered by the console’s controller ports. You’ll need an additional BlueRetro for each controller port, and it’s worth noting that some older N64 power supplies may not handle four units at once. Many users report no issues but it’s something to keep in mind.

Bluetooth pairing is simple enough, and the adapter supports a wide range of controllers. I had no issues with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch Pro, and several from 8BitDo. Nintendo’s N64 controller for the Switch is also reported to work.

Most controller functions are mapped intelligently out of the box, but everything is reconfigurable through a web-based UI hosted at blueretro.io. To access it, you’ll need a Chromium-based browser like Chrome or Brave, and you might have to enable the Web Bluetooth API in browser settings. You can remap buttons, back up controller pack saves, and even set configurations on a per-game basis.

I also tested out some advanced functionality, like emulating a Rumble Pak and switching the device into mouse mode. That came in handy when I loaded up a Japanese-exclusive 64DD disc—Mario Artist Paint Studio—through my SummerCart. I paired the 8BitDo mouse I reviewed the other day with the BlueRetro and was able to draw using the original N64 hardware. That’s something I never thought I’d do on a U.S. console.

Overall, this little device along with my new SummerCart has breathed some new life into my Nintendo 64 setup. It’s not without quirks, especially in the configuration process, but once it’s up and running, it opens up a lot of options that weren’t previously available or affordable.

8bitdo Retro R8 Gaming Mouse Review

8bitdo is primarily known for their retro-styled game controllers, but this mouse is their latest foray into a broader ecosystem of PC peripherals, complimenting their mechanical keyboards.

At first glance, it doesn’t looks like a modern gaming mouse—especially with its NES-inspired design—but once I started using it, I found it had a bit more going on than the nostalgic look might suggest. You can see it in action in my latest review and pick one up on Amazon (compensated affiliate link).

The R8 mouse supports three different connectivity modes: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz via a USB dongle, and direct USB-C. Each of the two wireless methods has trade-offs in performance. Bluetooth is the most power-efficient but comes with a modest polling rate of 125Hz. The included 2.4GHz brings a polling rate of 4,000Hz, and plugging it in directly via USB delivers the maximum 8,000Hz rate. Battery life ranges accordingly—up to 100 hours on Bluetooth, and closer to 20–25 hours when polling at 4000hz on the 2.4ghz dongle.

The mouse uses the PAW3395 optical sensor, a popular choice for gaming mice, and features clicky, mechanical Kailh Sword GM X Micro Switches. The full face of each primary button is clickable, which makes for consistent actuation regardless of finger position. The ambidextrous design includes two round programmable side buttons on both flanks.

8BitDo also includes a compact charging dock, which doubles as a receiver station if you plug the dongle into it and connect the dock to your PC. The dock has a solid, weighted base with a rubberized bottom that keeps it from sliding around.

Customization is handled through 8BitDo’s Ultimate Software, which runs on both macOS and Windows but not Linux. It lets you reassign button functions, record macros, and set multiple profiles—useful for switching between games or work tasks. The software also controls DPI levels (with up to five settings), polling rate, scroll speed, and liftoff distance. The only small complaint I had was with the DPI indicator light on the mouse—it doesn’t stay on long enough to easily confirm your setting without cycling back through them.

When I first took it out of the box, the mouse felt lighter than I expected, almost too light at 77 grams. But after playing a few rounds of Quake II, I started to appreciate that lack of heft. The mouse glides easily, and the quick actuation of the buttons makes it well-suited to fast-paced gameplay. There’s no perceptible lag when wired in at the highest polling rate, and even at lower settings, it feels plenty responsive for most tasks.

All told, the R8 mouse ends up being a solid addition to 8BitDo’s growing lineup of retro-inspired, performance-minded gear. It’s priced competitively—depending on tariffs—and brings more features to the table than its minimalist look might suggest.

For a few dollars more they have an Xbox licensed version that offers transparent green casing and an Xbox style color theme. Oddly it doesn’t work with the Xbox console. It also pairs nicely with the company’s keyboards for those looking to keep their setup aesthetically consistent.

Disclosure: 8bitdo provided the mouse free of charge to the channel. No other compensation was received, nor did they review or approve this article or my video prior to uploading. All opinions are my own.

Sinclair Broadcasting Says ATSC 3.0 / NextGen TV DRM Concerns are “Astroturf”

I’ve been keeping a close eye on the ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV transition, and with the public comment period now closed, we’re into the reply phase. Many of you submitted comments sharing your experiences with DRM making it harder to watch local TV, and it was encouraging to see so many voices represented. Industry participation was a bit more muted—except for Sinclair Broadcasting. They were anything but quiet.

Sinclair, which owns numerous TV stations nationwide, filed a lengthy comment just before the deadline, and they went all in on DRM. While most other broadcasters and industry players sidestepped the issue, likely to keep the focus on finalizing the transition date, Sinclair declared in their filing that those of us concerned about DRM are manufacturing outrage. Specifically, they urged the FCC not to be “swayed by a paroxysm of astroturf concern generated by vloggers…hostile to the concept of intellectual property.”

I did into Sinclair’s filing and offer my comments on it in my latest ATSC 3 commentary video.

Sinclair also pinned the blame on TV and tuner manufacturers, claiming they created compliance problems. But if you look at the SiliconDust HDHomeRun, which remains the top-selling ATSC 3.0 tuner on Amazon (compensated affiliate link), that argument starts to fall apart. It’s fully certified, carries the NextGen TV logo, and paid to become an “adopter” of the A3SA DRM standard. Yet their product still can’t access encrypted broadcasts, likely because devices that act as gateways—letting viewers stream TV across multiple platforms—just aren’t what the industry wants in the DRM era.

Sinclair also argues that services like Netflix use DRM, so broadcasters should be able to as well. But Netflix supports multiple standards—PlayReady, Widevine, FairPlay—so it works on nearly any device. They’ve gone out of their way to make watching legally more convenient than pirating. In contrast, broadcasters have offered buggy, outdated Android boxes with questionable security and limited support. I’ve tested a few myself, like the Zinwell and GT Media boxes, and both shipped with Android TV builds that hadn’t received a security patch in four years.

Consumers have spoken with their wallets. The HDHomeRun ATSC 3 gateway tuner is the best selling ATSC 3 device on Amazon by a wide margin. The Zinwell tuner, which the industry seems to prefer, was once $99 and now costs $129. It barely moves off the shelves. There’s no mystery here—people want reliable, flexible options that respect how they’ve been watching TV for decades.

On the question of intellectual property, Sinclair’s record complicates their position. In one case, they were sued for taking a photographer’s images from Facebook and Instagram and using them for profit without permission. They tried to argue that the photographer shouldn’t have posted the photos if he didn’t want them reused—an argument a judge rejected. That’s a hard position to reconcile with a company now portraying itself as a defender of copyright.

There’s also precedent around fair use in the home. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of home recording in the 1984 Sony Betamax case, and the broadcast flag regulation was struck down in 2005 when the FCC overstepped its authority. Broadcasters are now leaning on the DMCA, which makes it illegal to bypass encryption, even for legal uses like time-shifting a recording. They’re hoping this legal path will succeed where the broadcast flag failed.

Sinclair’s regulatory history doesn’t help their case. They paid a $48 million civil penalty—the largest in FCC history—for failing to disclose facts during a proposed merger and for allegedly negotiating retransmission deals in bad faith. They were also accused of running undisclosed sponsored content. Yet they argue that others are the problem and that fewer regulations should apply to them while they enjoy all the benefits of broadcast distribution.

Near the end of their filing, Sinclair suggested broadcasters should only be required to offer one free over-the-air signal and be allowed to charge for everything else. That’s the real heart of the DRM debate. It’s not just about encryption—it’s about carving out a new subscription business model using public spectrum.

In all of their cries for deregulation, the only regulation they suggest keeping in place is one that doesn’t apply to them but to TV manufacturers. They offered no objection to the NAB’s controversial request that all TV makers switch to installing more expensive ATSC 3 tuners now ahead of the transition deadline.

There’s more to come. Several consumer advocacy groups recently filed a joint response to the FCC, and I’ll be digging into that next. I’m also drafting my own reply to Sinclair’s comments, which I’ll be sharing soon. If you’re still interested in weighing in, the reply phase is open, and you can respond to any comments on the docket.

Review of the New Asus ZenMesh Wi-Fi 7 Mesh System

Wi-Fi 7 is starting to appear on more consumer devices, and ASUS now has several routers and mesh systems on the market that support the new standard. In my latest video, I tested a few of their offerings, including a high-end indoor model (BT10), a mid-range option (BT8), a low-end unit (BD5), and their BD5 outdoor access point that’s weatherproof.

These are all part of ASUS’s AiMesh / Zenwifi system, meaning they can work together in a mesh configuration to extend coverage throughout the home. You can find all of the devices I featured here on Amazon (compensated affiliate link).

Setting these up was pretty straightforward. I started with the BT10 as the primary router in the basement and connected the others around the house. For larger homes, ASUS recommends three access points. Smaller homes might get by with two, and you can mix and match models. Placement is important if you’re using wireless backhaul—each device needs to overlap with the next to maintain connectivity. For the best performance, though, wired backhaul is the way to go. If your home is already wired with Ethernet, that’s ideal. If not, MoCA adapters can use existing coaxial cable for a wired-like connection.

The difference in performance between the models is noticeable. The BT10 supports three bands (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz) and uses a 4×4 radio configuration. In my tests, wireless backhaul between two BT10 units positioned across the house (and a few floors up) from each other hit an average of 727 Mbps, peaking near 1 Gbps. Meanwhile, the lower-end BD5, which has just a dual-band 2×2 setup, only managed about 265 Mbps over the same wireless link.

For homes with fast internet connections—especially over 2.5 Gbps—the BT10 is a better fit, since it includes 10 Gb Ethernet ports. The BT8 and BD5 top out at 2.5 Gb. During testing, I was able to achieve full throughput on a 10 Gb connection using the BT10’s routing features, so it’s definitely capable of handling modern broadband speeds.

Wi-Fi 7 performance on client devices was also solid, though I was limited by the 2×2 radios in my iPhone 16 Pro Max and ASUS laptop. Even so, I saw speeds over 1.4 Gbps down and 1.6 Gbps up while in the same room as the access point, which is impressive for wireless. Performance does drop off the further you get away from the access point, however.

The outdoor unit shares specs with the BD5 but adds weatherproofing and Power over Ethernet (PoE) support, which simplifies installation. I powered it with a PoE injector and was able to cover my entire acre of backyard without any issues. Setup was quick using the ASUS app, which walked me through the entire process in about 20 minutes to start, and just a few minutes for adding additional mesh units.

The app also offers some useful features, like creating isolated networks for IoT devices and setting up child-safe profiles with content filters and bandwidth limits. There’s also a traditional web interface that’s familiar to anyone who’s used ASUS routers before, although it hasn’t changed much in over a decade.

Overall, the BT8 and BT10 models deliver strong performance, especially when hardwired. Even the low-end model performs well if you avoid relying solely on wireless mesh. The biggest drawback is the limited number of Ethernet ports on the base units, so a network switch may be necessary for wired backhaul setups. The outdoor unit is a nice addition, though I would have preferred a longer AC power cable in the box for those that don’t want to go with a PoE solution.

These ASUS mesh routers aren’t cheap, and pricing can fluctuate due to tariff issues—even on products made in Taiwan or Vietnam. Still, for those looking for high-end Wi-Fi 7 gear, they offer solid performance and flexibility.

Disclosure: Asus provided these units free of charge. No other compensation was received and they did not review or approve my video or this post before they were published. All opinions are my own.

Dissecting a Well Crafted Creator Scam Email

Creators need to stay constantly alert for channel-killing scams. Here’s a great example of why: I received a very well-crafted scam email from ‘Corsair’ last night. It used assets from Corsair’s actual domain and closely resembled the legitimate emails I’ve received from them in the past — both as a creator and a customer.

On the surface it looks very legit, in fact the “sender,” Darren Toy, does work for them in marketing. But let’s dig deeper..

The first warning sign was this:

The email wasn’t coming directly from Corsair but through “modernitgen dot com.” I loaded up a cloud VM and visited the website and found it to be a tech school located in India. The school likely has a compromised SMTP server that the scammers were able to exploit or somebody on the inside is in cahoots with them there.

You’ll also note in the first image that the reply-to doesn’t go to Darren Toy at an official Corsair corporate email address but rather some random Gmail that anyone could put together.

This is just another warning for creators to scrutinize every single request like this. Gmail passed this email straight through because the sending mail server, while likely compromised, was nonetheless trusted at some point.

What would have happened next? Most likely “Darren” would have sent over some malware disguised as a contract that would attempt to steal my login cookies and do to me what happened to Linus Tech Tips back in 2023.

If you’ve ever received a poorly crafted scam email you are likely on a list that scammers use and pass around. The smarter ones put together much more believable versions like what I received here.

I heavily scrutinize every email like this that comes through, going so far as selecting Gmail’s “show original” option to dig through the email headers to make sure it is a legitimate communication. 9 times out of 10 it’s not.

Unfortunately mobile email apps lack some of what we need to scrutinize these emails. My suggestion is to never reply from your phone no matter how juicy the offer is. Get back to your desk and do your due diligence before communicating with a scammer.

The Ugoos AM6b+ TV Streaming Box Could be a Shield Alternative?

As someone who relies on the Nvidia Shield for my home theater setup, I’ve been looking for an alternative that can handle my full-quality 4K Blu-ray MKVs, including Dolby Vision Profile 7 and lossless audio formats. The Shield has been my go-to because of its ability to pass through everything just the way I want it, but it’s a ten-year-old device and starting to feel like it may not be long for this world.

So I’ve been searching for something that could step in if the Shield ever disappears—and I may have found one called the Ugoos AM6b Plus – if you’re willing to put in some work. In my latest video, we take a look at this device and how to set it up. After watching you might decide just to pick up a Shield TV instead (compensated affiliate link).

You can currently find it on Amazon (affiliate link), along with other ecommerce sites like Aliexpress. Just be careful as it’s currently subject to a 145% tariff if imported directly from China.

Out of the box, the Ugoos runs Android, but that experience isn’t great. What makes it interesting is its flexibility. You can boot a different operating system off a USB drive. In this case, I used CoreELEC, a bootable version of Kodi, which turns the device into a straightforward media player—no Android apps, just raw playback.

Once set up, it played everything I threw at it: 4K MKVs with Dolby Vision (Profiles 5 and 7), HDR10, and all the major lossless audio formats like DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD, and Atmos. The catch is that getting to that point takes a lot of work. It’s far from plug-and-play.

The hardware itself is solid. It has a metal case, Wi-Fi 6, gigabit Ethernet, multiple USB ports, and analog audio jacks. Internally it runs on an AMLogic S922XJ processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage. But you’ll want to boot CoreELEC from a USB stick, which keeps the internal storage intact and allows dual-booting back to Android if needed.

The setup process starts by flashing CoreELEC onto a USB, then manually copying and renaming device-specific files. All of this is detailed in my video and through this helpful guide. Once booted into CoreELEC, I installed the Plex Kodi Connect plugin to integrate with my Plex server.

After all that, the result was accessing my Plex media inside of CoreELEC Kodi. It synced with my server, retained watch progress, supported subtitles, and passed through audio properly over HDMI. The experience isn’t as slick as the native Plex app on the Shield, and services like Netflix are a no-go due to DRM limitations, but for local media playback, it works.

I still recommend grabbing an Nvidia Shield if you don’t have one. It’s simpler and more polished. But if that option goes away, the Ugoos AM6B Plus with CoreELEC is a capable, if labor-intensive, alternative.

New Roku Streaming Stick Review

Roku recently released a couple of new streaming sticks, and I picked up the entry-level HD version to see how it stacks up. There’s also a “Stick Plus” that supports 4k displays. In my latest Roku review, we take a look at what the new sticks are all about.

The HD model comes in at $29 and only supports 1080p. For those who want 4K, the Stick Plus is $10 more, and if you want Dolby Vision support, the Streaming Stick 4K—which they released a couple of years ago—is still the one to go with (all links are compensated affiliate links). The Streaming Stick 4k also integrates the Wi-Fi antenna into the power cord, which helps in areas with weak wireless signals.

The entry level Stream Stick I reviewed only supports B/G/N Wi-Fi, which isn’t the fastest, but for 1080p streaming it’s good enough. Setup is simple, and like other Roku products, it’s really locked down in terms of what you can install—just streaming apps and not much else. If you’re expecting app stores full of games or utilities, this isn’t the device for that.

One thing that caught me off guard was what’s missing from the box. There’s no power adapter—just the stick, the remote, and a USB-A to USB-C power cable. Most TVs can power the device through a USB port, but if not, you’ll need your own wall charger. It also doesn’t come with an HDMI extender, which might be a problem if your TV is mounted close to the wall. Roku will send you one for free if you request it, but you’ll have to wait for it to arrive.

The remote is solid and responsive, and it supports volume and power controls through HDMI CEC. There’s no IR blaster, so you won’t be using it as a universal remote, but it does support voice search. I tested it with a show on Netflix, and it launched the app and played the video quickly.

The Roku interface is still simple and snappy, though ads are creeping in more and more. Lately, I’ve noticed banner ads that animate as you navigate, and there’s talk of even more intrusive formats like video ads on pause screens. Still, it’s less cluttered than Android TV or Fire TV, at least for now.

Roku in recent years has focused on advertising supported content, so you’ll find plenty of free content offerings throughout the Roku interface. Their free Roku Channel includes a live TV grid with ad-supported channels, similar to Pluto TV. There’s also a featured free section for on-demand content. Their search works well too—look up a show, and it’ll show you where to stream or buy it across different services.

Casting from a mobile device works just like it does with Chromecast. I tested this by casting a YouTube video from my phone, and the Roku even downloaded the app automatically since it wasn’t already installed. Apple AirPlay and Miracast are also supported for screen mirroring, and I was able to show videos and photos from my iPhone without much hassle.

The Roku mobile app is still useful, though ads have started appearing there too. The private listening feature stands out—you can route audio from what is playing on the television through your phone and use headphones without disturbing others. The app also gives you quicker access to apps, a touchpad-style remote, and a keyboard for easier typing.

Overall, there’s not much new here—but that’s kind of the point. Roku keeps things consistent, and this stick delivers what you’d expect: simple, reliable streaming in a small package. It’s great for travel or a spare room, especially if you’re using an older HD TV. Just don’t expect advanced features like VPN support or ethernet connectivity. For more demanding needs, something like a Fire TV Stick or an Android box might be a better fit. But for straightforward, no-fuss streaming, this little stick still gets the job done.

An Update on my New Unraid Home Media Server!

I’ve been running my new home media server setup for about two months now, and it’s been surprisingly stable. I give you a quick update in my latest video.

The core of the setup is a GMKTec G9 NVMe NAS, along with a Wavlink USB drive enclosure that connects four SATA drives through a single USB cable. After shooting the initial video, I moved it off my desk and into a closet where it’s been running nonstop—with no reboots until yesterday morning, when I updated it to Unraid 7.1 (compensated affiliate link).

The new Unraid update addressed a key issue I’d been dealing with: Plex hardware transcoding wasn’t functional due to the kernel in the prior version not supporting Intel N150 quicksync hardware video transcoding. I can confirm with 7.1 installed, hardware video transcoding is now working.

I thought it might be plug-and-play with Plex, but it required a small tweak. Inside the Docker settings for the Plex container, I added a new device pointing to /dev/dri to enable GPU support. Once that was in place, the container rebooted, and everything was good to go.

To verify it, I played a 4K Blu-ray rip of Back to the Future on my phone. Plex was compressing it down to 1080p at 8Mbps, and both decoding and encoding were showing as hardware-accelerated. The N150 handled tone mapping and HEVC encoding without much CPU load—only around 8% usage. The result was a smooth playback experience and a crispy clear image on the phone.

This update gave me enough confidence to finally retire my old WD My Cloud PR2100, which had been serving media for nearly a decade but couldn’t handle newer 4K HEVC files.

Unraid has been a great choice for this kind of DIY setup. I like that I can move the drives and configuration to new hardware without much rework. The rig itself isn’t particularly pretty—certainly not a polished all-in-one unit like a Synology—but if you’re okay managing things yourself, the flexibility is hard to beat. I’ve got another NAS box coming in from Beelink soon and may try migrating the setup over just to see how that goes.

I’m always interested to hear how others are building and running their Unraid boxes—sometimes the best ideas come from seeing what other people are doing with their setups. Drop a comment on the video and let me know! Check out my other videos in this series to see more.

Disclosure: The GMKTec NAS came in free of charge from the manufacturer, and the drive enclosure came in free of charge from the Amazon Vine program. No other compensation was received and nobody review or approved my video or this post before publication.

Sandisk Extreme Pro with USB4 Review

I’ve been testing out SanDisk’s new Extreme Pro USB 4 SSD, one of the first drives from a major brand to support the 40 gigabit-per-second USB 4 standard. It’s backward compatible with older USB ports, but if you have a machine with USB 4 or Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5, you’ll see some great sequential read and write performance.

See it in action in my latest review.

You can find the drives on Amazon to get the current pricing (compensated affiliate link). Sandisk sent me the 2TB version and there’s a four-terabyte option as well. At the time I recorded the video, I didn’t see a one-terabyte model unfortunately.

The casing is solid metal with a rubber coating, similar to past models, but this new version is significantly larger. That’s likely due to it housing a full-size NVMe SSD along with a heat sink and other protective components. It’s IP65 rated, so it’s dustproof and splashproof. It’ll survive a short drop in water, but isn’t meant to be submerged, especially while powered on.

You only get a USB-C cable in the box, so if you need to plug it into a USB-A port, you’ll have to pick up a USB-C to USB-A cable or adapter separately. I tested it on a 5Gbps USB-A port and it worked fine—just not at its full potential speed.

Plugging it into my MacBook Air’s Thunderbolt port, I got over 2 gigabytes per seconds in writes and just over 3 gigabytes per second in reads with the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. I didn’t notice any thermal throttling during sustained writes. When I switched to a Windows PC with the CrystalDiskMark, sequential write speeds hit 3.2 GB/s.

Random read and write speeds were lower than some competitors, especially in the single-threaded write test, which was one of the lowest I’ve seen in a while. For tasks involving lots of small, random data access—like running an OS—you might see better performance from other drives. Samsung’s Thunderbolt-based X5, for instance, did better in that department.

But for my use—moving large video files and backing up footage—it’s excellent. Transfers are fast and consistent, and that’s really what I need when I’m out in the field or editing on the go.

It’s compatible with game consoles, but not ideal for newer titles on the Xbox Series X/S or PlayStation 5. That’s because the game consoles have USB 3.2 ports that can’t hit the full speeds this drive can achieve. The Xbox requires propietary storage modules that connect to the system bus while the Playstation 5 uses internal NVME drives to reach adequate speeds. That said, older titles will play fine off the Sandisk drive.

I also tested it with my iPhone 16 Pro. It took a second for the phone to recognize it, but once it did file transfers were quick and easy.

For mobile and general USB storage use, it behaves like other SSDs I’ve tested. It’s not the smallest drive around, but the five-year warranty and high-speed performance for supported devices make it worth a look.

Disclosure: Sandisk sent me this drive free of charge, however no other compensation was received and they did not review or approve this before it was uploaded.

Interview: The Impacts of Tariffs on the Retro Gaming Industry

In a followup to my video last week in regards to tariffs hitting US customers of Temu and Aliexpress, we now turn to industry impacts. One micro-industry I cover frequently here on the channel, retro gaming, is getting hit particularly hard now that their costs are going up 145%. Many of these makers rely on overseas manufacturing—primarily in China—because domestic production either isn’t possible or would make the product unaffordable.

In my latest video we talk to Nick Mueller from HDRetrovision, a maker of high-end AV cables for original game consoles.

Watch the interview here.

Nick begins by telling me they had a new shipment of cables ready to go when the new tariffs were announced, and they had to ask the factory to hold the order indefinitely. They simply couldn’t afford to absorb the 145% increase in the cost of their inventory nor pass it along to customers.

Their cables come over by ocean freight in small pallet shipments, and every batch takes about four to five months from order placement to warehouse arrival. That long lead time means there’s no way to “rush in” inventory before a tariff takes effect.

HDRetrovision’s cables aren’t just wires in a jacket. Many include internal electronics, like potentiometers for brightness adjustment and precision audio circuitry. The factory they work with primarily produces medical-grade devices, and their QA process is intense. They even built custom mechanical test rigs that clamp down on the cables and run automated checks through FPGA microcontrollers to ensure voltage levels and signals are within spec—before and after the final cable assembly. If a tiny component is misaligned, the entire cable is scrapped.

Nick told me that when they started the company—initially through a Kickstarter campaign—they seriously explored U.S. manufacturing. What they found was that domestic options couldn’t meet their quality standards, and costs would have been two to three times higher. And that was before tariffs. Despite the push for reshoring, there’s no infrastructure here for low-volume, high-complexity consumer electronics manufacturing at this scale.

Now, with tariffs in place, they’re pausing all new imports and considering warehousing future inventory in Canada to avoid the immediate impact. They’ve even toyed with the idea of moving production to a different country, but that comes with a yearlong lead time to find, vet, and test a new factory—and no guarantee that country won’t end up subject to tariffs too.

Unlike big players like Microsoft, which recently raised the price of their Xbox Series S by around 26% (presumably absorbing some of the tariff cost), small companies don’t have the luxury of scale. And while the tariff structure exempts products like smartphones and computers from the steepest rates, niche items like HDRetrovision’s cables aren’t spared. There’s no lobbyist knocking on the White House door on behalf of retro gaming hardware. As Nick put it, “This isn’t capitalism. It’s crony capitalism.”

The irony here is that these are American-designed products. They were conceived, prototyped, and engineered here—but there’s no viable way to manufacture them domestically at competitive cost or quality. And now, as Nick bluntly put it, “It’s basically a non-starter for us to even exist under these tariff conditions.”

They expect to have inventory into the fall, possibly up until Black Friday. After that, if nothing changes, shelves could go empty. Even if a trade deal is struck tomorrow, it’ll take months for his supply chain to spool back up. And with every company in the same position, there’s no guarantee that their factory—shared with clients producing medical devices—will prioritize video game cables when production resumes.

It’s a sobering reminder that policies aimed at global strategy often have very local consequences. If you’re someone who values quality and preservation in retro gaming, HD Retrovision’s situation is worth paying attention to. Their cables are still in stock—for now (compensated affiliate link).

Plex Subtitles .. Again: Auto-Sync, Manual Sync and Make Your Own with On-Device AI!

This month’s sponsored Plex video is all about subtitles—again. In prior videos, I’ve covered how to automatically download them through a Plex Pass feature and also how to manage subtitle files manually. But even with the right files in place, sometimes they just sync up properly with the video. This time, I took a look at three different ways to fix subtitle syncing issues.

First, there’s a simple manual offset option. If your subtitles are off by a few seconds, you can go into the playback settings on your Plex client and shift them forward or backward in 50 millisecond increments. It’s available on most platforms. Once there, you can fine-tune the delay until things match up—or hit reset if you went too far and start over.

The second method is a newer feature for Plex Pass users: automatic subtitle sync. This one’s more sophisticated, designed to handle issues like subtitle drift, where the timing gradually goes out of sync due to differences in video encoding (like 24p vs. 60p). It works by generating a voice print from the movie’s audio and trying to match it to the subtitle file. The server needs to be running version 1.41.0 or higher, on a 64-bit platform. It doesn’t work on some server versions, including the Nvidia Shield Plex Server (although the Shield client will work) and FreeBSD, but most modern 64-bit Windows or Linux setups are fine.

Setting it up requires enabling a few options. In the server settings under “Settings > Library,” you’ll need to turn on “Generate voice activity data.” Then, within each library (under “Manage Library > Edit > Advanced”), you enable voice activity detection individually. Once that’s done, Plex will start analyzing your media files and generating those voice prints. You can manually trigger this analysis per file, and it happens fairly quickly.

When everything’s in place, a new option to autosync subtitles appears in the playback settings. If the subtitle file’s timing is off in a consistent way, this feature can bring it back in line with the spoken audio. It doesn’t work for every situation, but when it does, it’s a nice hands-off solution.

Finally, if nothing else works, there’s always the DIY route. I used an open-source tool called Vibe to generate subtitles from scratch using the Whisper speech-to-text engine. It’s a local app, so everything runs on your computer without uploading anything to the cloud. You just drop in your media file, select SRT format, and it builds a transcript that you can tweak and then import into Plex. Because it’s based on the actual audio in your file, the results tend to line up much better than trying to force in a third-party SRT from somewhere else.

Between these three approaches—manual offsets, auto-sync, and Vibe—you should have a solid foundation for dealing with subtitle syncing issues in Plex. If you’ve got ideas for future Plex topics, I’d love to hear them.

Disclosure: This was a sponsored post from Plex, however they did not review or approve this content or my video before it was uploaded.

Tariff Shock Hits AliExpress and Temu Customers This Week

A number of viewers were surprised by the steep import fees on the flash cartridge I reviewed last week for the old Nintendo 64—especially when ordering from sites like AliExpress or Temu. That’s because a major change is now underway with how tariffs are applied to small international packages, and many may be hit with taxes that amount to 145% of the item’s value.

I take a look at this in my latest video.

In the case of that flash cartridge for the Nintendo 64, while the product itself cost $40.84, the final charge ballooned to over $80 once tariffs and taxes were factored in. The bulk of that—more than $38—was tariff-related. This is due to the expiration of the so-called de minimis exemption, which used to shield low-value imports from duty charges.

The de minimis rule allowed shipments under $800 to bypass tariffs, even if the items were normally subject to import duties. It applied to direct-to-consumer shipments from overseas platforms like AliExpress, Temu, and Amazon’s new import-focused app called “Haul.” That exemption has now been eliminated for goods coming from China and Hong Kong.

To illustrate how dramatic this shift is, I recently ordered a Ugoos AM6B Plus TV box from AliExpress. I paid around $158 for it, but under the postal import rules, I would be hit with either a $100 flat fee or 120% of the product’s value whichever the postal service chooses. That flat fee increases to $200 after June 1st.

If the same item is shipped through a private courier like FedEx or DHL, the charges can be even worse. There’s a baseline 20% emergency tariff and an additional 125% reciprocal tariff on certain goods, totaling 145%, resulting in a total tariff of $229.10! Some items like computers and smartphones have been exempted from the reciprocal portion, thanks to lobbying by major tech companies.

Take for instance a mini PC with an Intel N100 chip selling for $139. If it comes via postal mail, the tariff would be around $167 or the $100 flat fee. Through FedEx or DHL, the duty is more fragmented—roughly $38 in this case—but still significant. And this exemption only applies if the item is considered a “computer” under customs definitions. A game console or a TV box would not, even if they have the same components.

It’s also worth noting that origin matters. Goods from countries like Vietnam are still eligible for the $800 de minimis threshold and may not be subject to tariffs based on how trade negotitions are going. But customs can scrutinize these claims, especially if the manufacturing process wasn’t substantial enough to qualify.

Both the Trump and Biden administrations have taken interest in closing this de minimis loophole. While Biden’s team signaled support for reviewing it, the Trump administration acted quickly to close it, citing concerns over rising direct-to-consumer imports circumventing tariffs and import controls.

Right now, some platforms like Temu are starting to collect import duties upfront. AliExpress, on the other hand, may notify you of the obligation but leave collection to the post office or your shipping carrier. If duties go unpaid, the packages are considered abandoned and can be destroyed or auctioned off.

Temu does import in bulk and ships products from U.S. warehouses. In that case you won’t see a separate import charge at checkout in those cases, but the tariffs will make their way into the price of the item. Large imports are not exempt from the 145% tax and we’re starting to see companies raise their prices in response.

ASUS, for example, has announced 7% to 9% price hikes on some laptops. Anker is also reportedly raising prices by 18% or more on some items. Framework, which makes modular laptops, is also raising prices. Their situation is complicated since they sell all of their laptops’ individual components as separate products, some of which are subject to duties while others are not. That kind of business model becomes harder to manage under this kind of tariff regime, especially without the lobbying power their larger competitors enjoy.

Soon I’ll be speaking with Nick Mueller from HDRetrovision, a small business that makes high-quality cables for classic game consoles. They’ve carved out a niche in the retro gaming community, but these tariff changes could seriously impact their ability to serve U.S. customers if the costs become too high.

We’re at the start of what looks like a big shift. Prices are already moving up and will likely climb further as current inventories run out and new shipments arrive under the updated rules.

If you’re a regular buyer from international marketplaces, be very careful when shopping to ensure that you won’t get bit with enormous tariff charges when the package arrives in the USA. If the retailer doesn’t collect those fees from you at the time of purchase, you will need to pay them directly to the carrier. If you don’t, you’ll be out the item and the purchase price.

Dust of Your Nintendo 64! The Summercart 64 Review

The other day, a friend of mine mentioned that her son had dug out her old Nintendo 64 and was having a great time playing retro games. She got a real kick out of it, since that was her childhood console. I suggested she look into getting a flash cartridge to expand their game library, and one affordable option I came across is the SummerCart 64. It’s priced around $40, at least for now, before new tariffs kick in.

You can check it out in my latest retro review.

Setting it up was straightforward. I put some games on a SD card along with a menu file (instructions are on the project’s homepage), inserted the cartridge and booted up a game on the original N64 hardware with a couple of button presses.

The cartridge makes it very easy to breathe new life into the old hardware. One particularly exciting feature is its ability to emulate the 64DD disk system, a Japan-only add-on for the Nintendo 64. It opens up access to a handful of rare games and offers a glimpse at what might have been had the add-on been more successful outside of Japan.

I picked mine up from AliExpress for $40.84, but it’s important to note that this is an open-source hardware project. There’s no official manufacturer, and quality can vary between units. It’s a buyer-beware situation. Additionally, with tariffs set to kick in starting May 2025, anyone ordering from China might have to pay more than item’s value in new import taxes.

Those who want to build their own can find schematics and parts lists on the SummerCart 64 website. It’s worth considering a donation to the developers if you find value in the project, since they don’t receive royalties from commercial sales.

The cartridge I received came fully assembled with a pre-installed CR2032 battery, which maintains the real-time clock and backs up save data. Games are stored on an SD card that plugs into the side of the cart, and ROMs that work in emulators are compatible here too. Save games will backup to the SD card automatically. There’s also a USB-C port, mainly used for firmware updates, though my unit arrived with the latest firmware already installed.

Loading a game involves two button presses, and there’s a useful display showing compatibility notes, such as whether a game requires the N64’s expansion pack or a controller memory pack. It’s worth mentioning that save states and GameShark cheat codes aren’t supported. If those features are important, an emulator might be a better fit.

What really piqued my interest was the support for the 64DD system. Even without the original hardware, the SummerCart allowed me to boot up Japan-only releases like “Japan Pro Golf Tour 64” and explore community translated titles like the F-Zero X Expansion Kit. The F-Zero expansion added track and vehicle editors along with new race cups that were previously locked away behind rare and expensive hardware. There’s a great community keeping the DD system alive over at 64dd.org.

Firmware updates for the SummerCart are handled through a simple command-line tool called SC64Deployer, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Updating the firmware was quick, and the real-time clock could be synced to my computer’s clock with that tool as well. The Deployer app also enables a number of developer functions that allow for bug testing on the original N64 hardware.

Over the past few days, I’ve had a lot of fun exploring games and expansion content I never had access to when the Nintendo 64 was new. Between homebrew games, 64DD titles, and the ability to easily back up save files, this little cartridge breathes a surprising amount of new life into aging hardware for a very affordable price (tariffs notwithstanding).

Part of my excitement also stems from having Analog’s upcoming FPGA-based Nintendo 64 console on order. I’m looking forward to seeing how the SummerCart performs on that system when it arrives.

Disclosure: I paid for the cartridge with my own funds.

GMKTec K11 Mini PC Review – Decent Price and Performance

The Mini PCs keep coming! This time I take a look at the GMKTec K11, which offers a solid mix of price and performance. You can watch my video review here.

It’s running a Ryzen 8945HS processor with eight cores and sixteen threads, with performance not far off from some of the pricier Ryzen AI models. You can find it here at Amazon (compensated affiliate link).

Before we dive too much further, another option to consider if you want to save a little more is the GMKTec K8 Plus (compensated affiliate link), which I looked at recently. It has similar performance, the same case, and sometimes comes in cheaper. Either way, this mid-range category is delivering a lot right now.

The specs include 32GB of DDR5 RAM running at 5600 MHz and a 1TB NVMe SSD. Inside, there’s room to expand: you can go up to 96GB of RAM and add a second NVMe SSD, making it possible to dual boot Linux and Windows or just have some extra storage.

The K11 is equipped with an Oculink port, which allows direct bus connections to external desktop GPUs and other PCIe cards. I’ve covered that in other videos. GMKTec also sells a hardcover book-sized eGPU that connects through Oculink you can see my review of that product here.

Alongside that port is a USB 4 connection rated at 40 Gbps and compatible with Thunderbolt, which means you could hook up multiple GPUs if you really wanted to. It also includes two USB-A ports at 10 Gbps, a headphone/mic jack, and on the back, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, plus another USB 4 port. You can drive up to four displays making use of the two display outputs and the USB 4 ports. Networking is solid too, with dual 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports that performed well on both upstream and downstream in my testing.

Wi-Fi performance is a bit better than some of the other mini PCs I’ve tested, but not perfect. The downstream was a little lower than expected but upstream was close to what I should get off of my Wifi 6 access point. Still, it outperformed some previous models from GMK Tech.

There’s also a colorful RGB-lit fan on top, which you can disable in the BIOS if that’s not your thing.

Windows 11 Pro comes pre-installed and activated. Browsing performance is fast and responsive, as expected. I tested YouTube at 4K 60fps and only saw a few dropped frames—nothing disruptive. The Speedometer browser benchmark gave it a score of 29.4, putting it in line with similar systems, including newer Ryzen AI chips.

In DaVinci Resolve, simple 4K 60fps video edits with basic transitions played back in real time using the integrated GPU. More advanced effects required waiting, though, and that’s where something like an external GPU becomes important. For simple video projects like I do on the channel, this should be more than sufficient. It would also likely hold up well for livestreaming, especially with the high-speed I/O ports.

For gaming I tested Cyberpunk 2077. At 1080p and low settings, frame rates hovered above 45 fps and held steady. It’s not meant to be a high-end gaming rig, but it gets by. For retro emulation, it’s more than capable. On the 3DMark TimeSpy benchmark test, it scored 3,349, which puts it close to the more expensive Evo X1 running an AI 9 chip.

Its thermal performance is also decent, with a passing grade of a 97.2% on the 3DMark stress test. Fan noise is there under significant load, but it’s not a terribly loud or distracting fan. Under most day-to-day use cases the fan is practically silent. Power consumption sits around 13.5 watts at idle and peaks around 96 watts under full load.

With 32GB of RAM and plenty of expansion room, I also tested some local AI models. I ran the Gemma 3 12B model locally, and despite the fact that Ollama isn’t currently using the GPU for processing on these Mini PCs (even with the Ryzen AI chips), performance on the CPU was about the same as what I’ve seen on more expensive mini PCs.

I finished up by booting into Ubuntu. Everything was detected properly—Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio, and video all worked at 4K 60 without a hitch. It’s a smooth Linux experience and could even serve as a compact server or DIY NAS core with the right configuration.

Disclosure: GMKTec provided the Mini PC free of charge for this review. No other compensation was received and they did not review or approve this post or my video before it was uploaded.

Synology Says No Third Party Drives in Future Plus Series NAS Devices

For nearly a decade, Synology NAS devices have been central to my home data infrastructure, offering more than basic file storage. Their intuitive, web-based interface and built-in cloud service alternatives like the Synology Office suite, alongside capabilities such as Docker container hosting, have made these devices incredibly useful for self-hosted applications.

However, Synology recently announced a significant change: future Plus-series NAS devices will mandate the use of Synology-branded drives. Users will no longer have the freedom to choose their preferred storage hardware, creating potential complications for those looking to migrate from older devices.

I take a look at this shift and why Synology might be doing this in my latest video.

Synology confirmed that the upcoming Plus series would initially require their branded drives, citing system stability as the reason. They did leave the door open for future compatibility with third-party drives following rigorous testing, but the company has made no commitment on that.

Examining market pricing reveals that Synology-branded drives are effectively rebranded Seagate IronWolf or Toshiba NAS drives, differentiated mainly by custom firmware and a slightly higher price point. For instance, an 8TB Synology drive costs roughly $34 more than its equivalent Seagate counterpart. Other drive capacities tend to have about a $30-$40 price premium between the Synology branded drive and one made by Seagate or Toshiba.

Beyond drive compatibility, Synology has made other strategic decisions that hint at a shift away from the consumer enthusiast market. Recent NAS models featuring AMD Ryzen processors lack hardware video transcoding capabilities, impacting home media users significantly. Moreover, Synology discontinued support for certain popular video codecs like HEVC and H.264 in their DSM OS. They also discontinued the Video Station app, although third-party solutions such as Plex and Jellyfin remain viable on Intel-based units.

My take is that Synology wishes to focus on the small and mid-size enterprise market, which offers higher profit margins and fewer competitors. At the same time, consumer and enthusiast sectors are becoming increasingly competitive, with newer entrants like Ugreen, MinisForum, Beelink, and GMKTec offering affordable alternatives. Additionally, free open-source software solutions and low cost solutions like Unraid now rival Synology’s proprietary offerings, further squeezing their enthusiast market share.

Synology’s decision aims to narrow their consumer base to users seeking turnkey solutions, accepting proprietary hardware requirements in exchange for convenience, reliability and comprehensive support. Conversely, enthusiasts looking for customization and flexibility are likely to explore alternative DIY setups, a sector rapidly expanding due to accessible hardware and robust open-source software.

Personally, despite these changes, I’ll maintain a Synology device for mission-critical data due to its reliable backup and support features. However, for many other tasks, my home lab go-to is my hacked together Unraid setup using a GMKTec NAS. See more about that here.

Off Grid Meshtastic Messaging is Now Easy & Cheap: A Ham Radio Alternative?

A couple of months ago, I did a video exploring off-grid communication tools—things you can rely on when the power goes out and cellular networks fail. In that piece, I touched on amateur radio, Starlink, and even the emergency satellite messaging features found on some smartphones. But the comments section lit up with one recurring question: what about Meshtastic?

At the time, I hadn’t tried Meshtastic, but I’ve since jumped in and found that it’s surprisingly affordable and simple to get started. I demonstrate what I’ve learned so far in my latest video.

Two folks deserve some credit for nudging me into this project: Josh from Ham Radio Crash Course, whose video walkthroughs make setup very approachable, and my friend Steve (KM9G) from the Temporary Offline Ham Radio YouTube channel. Their guidance helped streamline the experience.

I started with a three-pack of cheap Heltec V3 boards on Amazon (compensated affiliate link). These little devices let you send text messages across a mesh network without needing a license or any centralized infrastructure. They operate on license-free spectrum here in the U.S., which lowers the barrier to entry quite a bit.

Setting up the firmware turned out to be a point-and-click affair thanks to the official Meshtastic flasher tool. I plugged the board into my Mac, selected the firmware, and let the browser based app do its thing. From there, I paired it with an Android phone over Bluetooth, configured the region and radio settings, and I was off and running. Messaging between phones through the radios was straightforward, and the system supports both public and private chats. If two radios are out of range, an intermediary node can relay the message—this is the mesh part of Meshtastic.

Right now, I don’t have any users nearby, so like many YouTubers covering this topic I’ve mostly been talking to myself between radios. But there’s a site called meshmap.net where you can see active nodes in your area, and some locations have thriving communities with overlapping coverage. The key to Meshtastic working well is density—more nodes in more places make for a more robust network.

As I played around with this, it got me thinking about the amateur radio world again. APRS, for example, works in a similar way to Meshtastic but operates on licensed spectrum with greater power and reach. APRS is also far more active than Meshtastic currently is. I receive dozens of APRS messages an hour from my home in Connecticut. Using my amateur radio gear, I was able to send and receive packets over a 30-mile range using about 50 watts of power. I even picked up signals from as far as Long Island via APRS, and on the HF bands my messages reached parts of Georgia and the Canary Islands through apps like VARAC. Sometimes they go even further.

Getting started in amateur radio is a lot less intimidating than it might seem. The technician license is the entry point, and if you’re capable of flashing a Meshtastic node, you’re probably capable of passing that exam. There is no longer a morse code requirement. Sites like hamstudy.org make it easy to prep and even test remotely via Zoom. I currently have a General license which gets me access to more HF bands for long distance data communications.

For now, I’ll keep experimenting with both Meshtastic and amateur radio. There’s something really compelling about these alternative communication methods, especially as open-source communities continue to expand what’s possible. Maybe one day I’ll find somebody to chat with on it!

Geekom Mini IT 13S Mini PC Review

My latest mini PC review is of the Geekom Mini IT13S, a compact computer powered by Intel’s i9-13900HK mobile processor. This chip isn’t something we usually see in a device this small, and it offers 10 cores and 16 threads—enough horsepower for media serving or other compute-heavy applications. While this machine isn’t the most powerful mini PC available at around its price point, I was curious to see how it holds up in real-world testing. Check it out in my latest review.

You can find the current price over at Amazon (compensated affiliate link), at the time of recording this video it was a little more than the lower end devices I typically look at, and a little less vs. some of the Ryzen AI PCs we’ve reviewed recently.

The PC is powered by that i9 processor, and includes 32GB of DDR4 RAM along with a 1TB NVMe SSD. The NVME SSD can be swapped out and you also have the option to add two additional drives: there’s a 2.5″ SATA slot along with 2242 M.2 SATA slot on the main board. I would’ve preferred seeing a second NVMe slot instead. RAM can be upgraded to a maximum of 64GB.

Build quality is solid thanks to the metal case and frame. The system stays cool under load, and I was pleased with the overall thermal performance. I also liked the inclusion of an SD card slot, along with plenty of connectivity on the front and rear panels. That includes two USB-A 10Gbps ports in front and a headphone jack on the front, and on the back two 40 gigabit USB 4 ports (Thunderbolt compatible), dual HDMI outputs, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, an additional USB-A 10Gbps port, and one USB-A 2.0 port. The USB 4 ports performed well in my testing, supporting both fast data transfers and video output.

Wired networking worked well, with speeds up to 2.3Gbps on my multi-gigabit internet connection. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, wasn’t as strong. Despite having Wi-Fi 6E support, it struggled to hit expected speeds—likely due to internal antenna placement. I measured only around 250Mbps downstream where 700Mbps would be typical.

In day-to-day use, the system handled basic tasks easily. Web browsing and office work were quick and responsive, even on a 4K 60Hz display. Playback of 4K video worked smoothly as well, with only a few dropped frames at the beginning. On the browserbench.org Speedometer test, the IT 13S scored 24.3, which is expected for this generation of Intel chips, but there are newer processors starting to edge past that mark.

For light video editing, the system performed well in DaVinci Resolve when applying basic effects to 4K60 footage. More demanding tasks like color grading or advanced effects began to push its limits, and that’s where the lack of a discrete GPU becomes noticeable. The USB 4 ports can support an external GPU if needed. I’m fond of the GMKTec eGPU I reviewed a few weeks ago.

Gaming isn’t a strong suit for this system. I tested Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p on the lowest settings and averaged under 30 frames per second. Other newer mini PCs using Ryzen AI chips or Intel’s latest integrated graphics tend to perform better in this area. The 3DMark Time Spy score came in at 1,882, and that lines up with what I’d expect from this generation of Intel mobile graphics.

The good news is that thermal performance was consistent. The fan stayed quiet during idle and light tasks, and the 3DMark stress test score of 98.9% suggests minimal throttling. Under load the fan is audible but not distracting. Power consumption was also low—about 10 watts at idle and a maximum of 57 watts under load.

It ships with Windows 11 Professional but supports Linux as well. I tested the latest Ubuntu release and everything worked out of the box, including audio, video, networking, and Bluetooth. If you’re planning to dual boot or run this as a Linux-based server, it’s a viable option.

Ultimately, this is a well-built mini PC with decent performance for general productivity and media use. I think a small price reduction would help it compete more effectively, especially given the rising number of mini PCs offering stronger graphical performance in the same range.

Disclosure: Geekom provided the PC to the channel free of charge. However no additional compensation was received and they did not review or approve my content prior to uploading and publication. All opinions are my own.

Big ATSC 3 / NextGenTV Update: FCC Opens Public Comment Period, Acknowledges Thousands of Anti-DRM Complaints

Over the past two years, I’ve been closely following developments around the transition to the new ATSC 3.0 television standard—particularly the implications of broadcasters encrypting over-the-air signals with digital rights management (DRM). In my area, I’ve already lost access to a couple of local networks via my HDHomeRun. That experience isn’t unique, and now the FCC is asking for public comment about how this transition should proceed.

I cover what they’re looking for and show how you can respond in my latest video. Instructions are also below.

This is the most direct invitation yet to share feedback on some key questions before any decisions are finalized. Notably, question eight on their list acknowledges thousands of consumer objections to DRM on ATSC 3.0 broadcasts—comments that many of you submitted over the last couple of years from our collective effort:

Even though the question seems to accept the idea that broadcasters may need to protect their content, there’s still room to advocate for alternatives. If you believe gateways could strike a balance between access and protection, you can say that. Personally, I don’t believe DRM is necessary at all, but the FCC appears to be open to constructive, well-supported suggestions. The key is offering real-world experiences and ideas, not just opinions.

We may still end up losing this fight, but I think it’s important that this question made it into the public notice. They did listen to us and they are interested in this topic enough to include it in the public notice. So now we have a chance to provide further clarity. So you can take the cynical route and do nothing, or spend a few minutes to share your thoughts with a commission that is at least interested in hearing from you on this topic.

Another point they’re seeking input on involves some of the mandates broadcasters are proposing as part of the transition—things like requiring all new TVs to include ATSC 3.0 tuners, putting broadcast TV front and center in menu interfaces, or even adding a dedicated broadcast button to remote controls.

What’s different this time is that the current FCC is moving faster than its predecessor. That means deadlines are tight. The main comment period ends May 7, 2025, with replies to comments due by June 6. If you submitted comments before this notice came out, please file again to have your input considered during this official period.

When writing your comments, be specific and back up your statements with facts whenever possible. If DRM has impacted your ability to enjoy over-the-air television—especially if you use HDHomeRun or hoped to—it’s important to say so. Also consider the broader impact. Small companies like SiliconDust, which produces HDHomeRun devices, face real risks. Channels DVR is in a tight spot, and Plex hasn’t even attempted to get into ATSC 3.0 because of the current restrictions. These are the kinds of real-world effects the FCC needs to hear about.

If you’re ready to comment, the process isn’t too difficult. On the FCC’s website, you’ll find two options: an “express comment” form and a more detailed “standard filing” route if you have something longer to say. Just make sure to reference docket number 16-142, and be sure to include your mailing address—it won’t be made public, but it’s required to verify your identity.

I’ve put together my own written comment organized into sections to make it easier for the FCC to follow that you can find here. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT MY WORDS AS YOUR OWN. A number of people have done this already, this hurts the cause more than helps. Take the time and relate your personal experinces.

atsc3commentDownload

Once you’ve submitted your comment, it may take a day or two to show up in the public docket. But the important thing is to submit something. Your experiences matter, and the FCC is actually listening—at least for now. Whether they’ll take action based on what we say remains to be seen, but our collective efforts are part of the official record. That alone makes it worth speaking up.

Here’s how to submit:

1. Click this link to be taken to the FCC filing form. This will take you to the express filing. You’ll also see the option at the top of the screen to select the standard filing option where you can submit a PDF or Word Doc. The instructions for submitting are the same for both.

2. On the first line for proceedings type in 16-142 . The system will then display the text “Authorizing Permissive Use of the “Next Generation” Broadcasting Television Standard.” Click on that to lock in the docket number. Here’s what it looks like:

I’ve found that sometimes on the express form that the search doesn’t always pop up correctly. Sometimes clicking over to standard and back to express will get it working. Once you click on it 16-142 will light up yellow like this:

3. Fill in your information. A US address is required and note that this will be part of the public record.

4. Write your comment in the comment section. It’s important to provide some detail especially how this change will make it difficult for YOU to consume over the air television.

We’re almost there!