I wanted to follow up on a question that came up in my recent video about the compatibility of 8BitDo controllers with the Switch 2. In that original video I demonstrated how 8bitdo’s latest firmware for many of their controllers was updated to provide Switch 2 compatibility. But I did not answer the question as to whether you could use one an 8bitdo controller to wake the console from sleep like you can with the original Switch.
To test this, I started with my original Switch. I turned on the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller, gave it a little jiggle, and sure enough, the console woke up. That confirmed what I expected. Next, I paired the same controller with my Switch 2 to see if it would behave the same way.
After pairing it up, I turned off the Switch 2 to put it into sleep mode and then tried the same trick—turning the controller on and giving it a jiggle. This time, though, nothing happened. The Switch 2 stayed asleep, even after repeated attempts. It turns out that even the official original Switch Pro Controller won’t wake up the Switch 2, so this isn’t just a third-party compatibility issue. You’ll need to press the power button on the console itself to get things going again.
Disclosure: 8bitdo’s distributor AKNES provided the controller to the channel free of charge. This was not a sponsored video nor did anyone review or approve of this content prior to uploading.
I’ve been spending some time with the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (compensated affiliate link), a gaming laptop that’s been on sale for Prime Day and likely will pop up in other sales throughout the year. This is a mid-tier option in the ROG lineup, and ASUS sent it over on loan for a closer look.
It’s powered by an Intel Core i7-14650HX—an older CPU, but still very capable given the rest of the system—and it’s paired with an Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU with 8GB of VRAM, running at up to 115 watts. The display is a 16-inch 1920×1200 panel in a 16:10 aspect ratio. It’s not especially high-res, but it runs at 165Hz with G-Sync and a 3ms response time. I’d estimate brightness at around 350 nits. While not the brightest screen out there, it holds up well in everyday use and looks good while gaming.
The build is mostly plastic, with some metal reinforcement on the display lid. It weighs in at about 5.84 pounds (2.65 kg). Inside, there’s 16GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. There’s an extra NVMe slot for expansion. One thing that stood out to me was the ease of access for upgrading memory and storage—no screws are needed to get inside. A simple twist-and-lift mechanism opens the bottom panel to expose the internals.
As for the lighting, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The system features a full underglow RGB light bar and zone-based keyboard lighting, but the customization process is far from intuitive. You’ll need to dig into ASUS’s Armory Crate and Aura Sync software to isolate the keyboard from the light bar, and it doesn’t support per-key lighting. It’s clunky.
The keyboard itself feels solid, with a good amount of travel and a few translucent keycaps that let the lighting through. The trackpad is generously sized and responsive.
Port selection is another strong point: the left side includes the power input, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, a 10Gbps USB-A port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and a 10Gbps USB-C port that also supports video output. On the right, there are two more 10Gbps USB-A ports. The power brick is 280W—not small, but a bit more manageable than others in this class.
I like Thunderbolt ports because they add a lot of versatility to a laptop, especially for someone like me who does live video production. With Thunderbolt, I can connect high-speed external storage, additional displays, or even specialized gear like desktop capture cards in compact breakout boxes (compensated affiliate link). I set my local high school up with a Blackmagic card in a Thunderbolt box that brought in four SDI camera feeds for live switching—something that wouldn’t be possible with a standard USB-C port. It’s one of those features that quietly makes a gaming laptop far more capable for both creative work and general expansion.
Battery life is about what you’d expect. While gaming, you might get an hour or two. Lighter tasks like browsing and document work could stretch it to six to eight hours, assuming lower brightness and efficiency settings. The 1080p webcam is passable, and there’s also an IR camera for facial recognition login.
In terms of gaming performance, I tested Cyberpunk 2077, No Man’s Sky, and Red Dead Redemption 2, all at the display’s native resolution with graphic settings cranked up and DLSS enabled. Frame rates ranged from about 75 to over 100 fps depending on the title and scene. Even with the modest display resolution, the visuals looked sharp and responsive, and the 165Hz refresh rate kept everything smooth. The display also handles glare well thanks to its anti-reflective coating.
As for benchmarks, the 3DMark Time Spy score came in at 12,960—better than last year’s version of this with an RTX 4060, and not far off from some RTX 4070 laptops. A 99.2% score on the 3DMark stress test suggests strong thermal performance under sustained load. The laptop has three fans and large exhaust vents, and while you’ll hear the fans when gaming, they’re not overly loud. This thicker chassis likely contributes to better airflow and reduced noise.
From a build and performance perspective, the G16 sits in an interesting spot—not quite high-end, but a clear step up from ASUS’s TUF line. It’s sturdy, not overly flashy, and quiet under load. The display looks better than its resolution might suggest, and gaming performance is solid across the board. It’s also a useful option for creators thanks to the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4.
This one checks a lot of boxes for me as someone who games occasionally and does video production. Others might prefer different brands or slightly different features, but this setup hits a nice balance.
Disclosure: Asus provided the laptop on loan. This was not a sponsored review nor was content reviewed or approved prior to publishing. All opinions are my own.
I recently went through another batch of tech gear ahead of Amazon Prime Day and thought it would be worth sharing what I found, especially since there’s a bit of something for everyone in this haul. Everything I looked at is linked individually via the compensated affiliate links below, and none of this is sponsored or pre-approved—just me sharing what came in.
The first item up was a wall plug security camera disguised as a USB charger. It’s a functional charger with an SD card slot that records video locally. It can run continuously or on motion detection.
The camera’s field of view is limited, especially given that outlets are usually low to the ground, so it mostly captures feet and torsos unless it’s installed higher up. There’s no night vision, and the included 32GB card only stores a few hours of footage, but it does work as described.
Next was a compact travel dock from Lenovo. It’s lightweight and sturdy with enough ports for most travel needs: 10Gbps USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI out, full-size and microSD card readers. It can pass through up to 65 watts of power, which is fine for lighter laptops but might fall short on high-demand systems.
If you’re after something more robust, I looked at Anker’s Thunderbolt 5 dock. It’s compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C as well, though the extra bandwidth from Thunderbolt 5 is where it really shines. It offers a good mix of ports, can power a MacBook Pro with up to 140 watts, and includes 2.5 gigabit Ethernet. However, I found Ethernet speeds to be inconsistent, particularly on the downstream side. It might be a driver issue, but the upstream speeds were fine. It also includes a power button that controls both lighting and power, so quick taps are key if you don’t want to shut it off accidentally.
One item I had fun testing was a USB-C to serial adapter from Sabrent. It worked without issue across platforms and even let me connect my Apple IIe to a Linux terminal for a bit of retro-style browsing. If you’re into serial-based projects or older systems, this might be useful.
There was also a DVD drive from Suideck that offered a bit more than expected. Besides reading and writing DVDs, it had a hidden panel with USB 2.0 ports, SD and microSD card slots, a USB-C port (albeit also USB 2), and even a SATA adapter for 2.5″ drives. It’s slow by today’s standards, but functional for retrieving data from older media.
For the Switch 2, I checked out a multi-function protective set from AKNES. It includes a hard-shell carrying case, silicone grips, snap-on protective covers, analog stick caps, and two screen protectors. It’s a solid option for traveling or for kids who are a bit rougher on their devices.
Anker also sent over a couple of wireless earbuds: their AeroClips and their AeroFit 2. I preferred the Aero Clips over the Aerofit 2. The Clips have a unique ear-hugging design that worked better for me and provided decent sound—close to the AirPods I usually use. The Aerofit 2s didn’t fit as well and were harder to position. Sound quality probably would’ve improved with a better fit, but I couldn’t get there.
One item I picked up myself was the V-Rig MagSafe mount, which works with tripods and camera mounts. I use my iPhone for a lot of filming, so I was looking for a way to streamline my rig. This attaches securely to MagSafe-compatible devices, and there’s a magnetic ring included for non-MagSafe phones. I also used it to stick an SSD to the mount for a tidy setup while filming.
I also threw in a 5 gigabit USB-C Ethernet adapter from Wavlink that doesn’t cost much more than a 1 or 2.5 gig NIC. It worked out of the box on both Windows and Mac, no drivers needed, and hit the expected speeds. It’s small and compact—about the size of older 1 gig adapters.
Finally, I tried the “Every Day” keyboard case from Belkin for the iPad Air 10.9 and Pro 11. It’s a lower-cost option that uses Bluetooth instead of the smart connector, which means it needs to be charged separately. The keys are smaller than I’d like, but they are well spaced, and the trackpad supports all the standard iPad gestures. It adds some weight to the iPad but works fine for basic typing and navigation.
That’s everything in this round. I try to do at least one livestream around Prime Day and have more gear coming in that I’ll be demoing. You can catch those on Amazon or YouTube. Let me know what stood out to you and see more of videos like this on my Hauls Playlist!
I got a chance to check out Lenovo’s new Chromebook Plus 14, powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 910 processor. I didn’t have high expectations going in—MediaTek hasn’t exactly been known for high-performance chips in the Chromebook space—but this one surprised me. It handled just about everything I threw at it with the kind of responsiveness I usually associate with Intel or AMD-based machines, and it stayed cool and quiet throughout thanks to its fanless design. You can see it in action in my latest review.
This particular configuration comes with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, priced at $749 (compensated affiliate link). The entry-level version starts at $649, and both perform the same. As part of the Chromebook Plus program, buyers also get a year of Google’s Gemini Pro service included, along with two terabytes of cloud storage across their Google account. After the first year, subscription fees apply.
The 14-inch OLED touchscreen runs at 1920×1200 with a 60Hz refresh rate and maxes out at 400 nits of brightness. It’s sharp and vibrant, with a 16:10 aspect ratio that works well for productivity. The webcam clocks in at 1440p and includes some of those AI background effects Google has built into the Chromebook Plus version of the ChromeOS operating system. It’s not amazing, but it does the job. There’s also a physical privacy shutter.
Build-wise, the Chromebook feels solid with a mostly metal chassis, though there’s a bit of flex in the keyboard deck. The keyboard is standard Lenovo fare—comfortable, backlit, and roomy enough for extended typing sessions, even if the key travel is a little shallow. The audio quality was better than expected, with Dolby Atmos certification and a full, clear sound, especially for a Chromebook.
Ports are minimal: two USB-C ports (one on each side, both full-function but limited to 5Gbps), a USB-A port, and a headphone jack. It supports up to two external displays, though only one port could hit 60Hz, the other 30Hz, when I mixed adapters. Wi-Fi 7 support is on board, and I was able to hit close to gigabit speeds with a compatible access point.
Battery life is a standout. I got more than 13 hours out of it under typical Chromebook workloads, especially when keeping the OLED brightness in check. And since it’s completely silent and solid-state, it’s a very comfortable device to use on the go.
In terms of real-world performance, web browsing felt snappy and responsive. On the Speedometer benchmark, it scored a 25, which lines up with newer Snapdragon-powered Windows devices and outperforms some previous-generation Intel Chromebooks. It also had no trouble playing back 4K 60fps YouTube video.
One limitation to be aware of is streaming video apps. Netflix, for example, doesn’t output HD video through the Android app on Chromebooks due to DRM issues—something that’s been unresolved for years. The workaround is to use the Netflix website instead, where video plays back at full resolution.
This particular Chromebook Plus has two on-device AI features lacking on other Chromebook Plus devices. The first is a browser tab organizer can group tabs into virtual desktops based on topic. It worked, though not perfectly and it sometimes missed obvious groupings. The other feature, an on-device background removal tool for images, is not quite there yet. I tried it on a photo for a YouTube thumbnail and still needed additional edits afterward. Some of the Gemini-based tools integrated into Chrome OS—like article summaries and auto-writing—worked more reliably and were genuinely helpful for quick tasks.
Gaming and emulation performance was better than I expected. Android games like Wuthering Waves ran smoothly on balanced settings. I tried mapping touchscreen controls to a game controller (another Chromebook Plus exclusive feature) and it seemed to work well enough. I also ran the Dolphin emulator and tested out GameCube games. I experienced solid, full speed performance with room to push resolutions higher on some titles.
3DMark’s Wildlife test gave a score of 18,498 on the standard benchmark and 5,284 on the Extreme version. That puts it in the ballpark with many of its peers at this price point.
Linux support is present, as it is with most Chromebooks. I installed the Linux development environment, ran some command-line tools like Nano, and even launched graphical applications like LibreOffice. Everything worked, aside from a few window resizing quirks. It’s a useful feature for anyone interested in development or running more traditional desktop applications.
This Chromebook will be supported with security updates through June 2035, giving it a 10-year lifespan. That’s about as good as it gets on Chrome OS right now.
What stood out most was just how capable the MediaTek chip was. I’ve used a lot of Chromebooks over the years, and this one didn’t feel like it was held back by its processor. I’m curious to see whether MediaTek will be able to bring this same chip to the Windows ecosystem. Overall this is a strong showing for Chromebook users looking for a fanless, portable device with long battery life and decent performance across the board.
Disclaimer: Lenovo provided the Chromebook on loan for this review. They did not review or approve this content before it was uploaded and this is not a sponsored review.
Plex has been sponsoring a monthly video on my channel for a while now, and this month I took another look at one of my favorite features: the watch list and its RSS feed that allows for many more uses. You can see it in action in my latest Plex Video.
One of the things I really appreciate about Plex is the strength of its universal search engine. For instance, if I search for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I can not only explore every season of the show but also see where it’s available to stream, even if it’s not on one of my own Plex servers. It gives me a single place to bookmark anything I want to watch, so later I can sit down at the TV, pull up my list, and head straight to whatever I’m in the mood for. It’s a really convenient system, especially when someone recommends a show—just hit the watch list button, and it’s waiting for you at home.
What the watch list doesn’t do, though, is notify you when a new season or episode is available. It does have a shelf on its recommendation page, but it’s not front and center. That got me thinking—could I build something to fill in that gap? I started playing around with the RSS feed Plex generates for your watch list. It’s turned off by default, but once enabled under your Plex Pass account settings, it gives you a URL to a standard XML file. That feed includes metadata like titles, summaries, and most importantly, the TVDB or IMDb ID for each item. That opened the door to building something a little more customized.
With a little help from AI, I created a Python script that parses the RSS feed, connects to the TVDB API, and pulls in the next known air date for each show. The script runs in the terminal and outputs a table sorted by upcoming release dates. Right now it’s basic, but it could easily be extended to integrate with Home Assistant or another tool for sending notifications. I’ve already got it tracking things like the next season of Squid Game and Stranger Things, along with upcoming episodes of Skinwalker Ranch and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
I also had the AI write a PHP version of the script that looks better in a web browser. Code for both versions are available here. Even without programming, you can do simple things like ask ChatGPT for sci-fi shows that aren’t already in your feed. That alone gave me a few new ideas for what to add to my list.
This RSS feature is easy to access and doesn’t require an API key. If you’re comfortable with a little coding—or even just working with a chatbot to help—you can build something that extends what the watch list already offers. If you’re doing anything creative with your own watch list RSS feed, I’d love to hear about it.
We’ve been following the Comcast data cap saga for years, and this week there was finally some movement worth talking about. Comcast has made a major shift in its internet plans: the dreaded data caps are gone—for now. The change isn’t automatic, though. You’ll need to call or visit Comcast’s website to make the switch yourself.
For a while, Comcast’s cap was 1.2 terabytes a month, with a $10 charge for every 50GB you went over unless you paid a hefty monthly fee to bypass it entirely. It wasn’t a small issue either—many people, especially in areas without competing providers, had no choice but to deal with it.
Interestingly, in parts of the Northeast where there’s more competition, Comcast never turned on the caps. Comcast planned to roll them out during the early COVID lockdowns but backed off when the timing turned out to be especially poor. Increased competition in those regions likely kept the caps at bay.
Now Comcast is facing even more pressure. The FCC recently approved a merger between Verizon and Frontier, which means Verizon’s footprint is about to expand significantly. Frontier, after emerging from bankruptcy with a pile of copper infrastructure, managed to build out a decent fiber network using their existing poll attachments. They’ll now be part of a much bigger player, giving Comcast real competition in areas they used to dominate.
To stay competitive, Comcast has introduced new nationwide pricing tiers that eliminate data caps and includes a modem/router gateway without additional fees.
There are several tiers available, from 300 Mbps to 2 Gbps download speeds, though the upload speeds remain asymmetrical. The upstream rates will vary depending on where you live and typically range between 20 and 200 megabits per second.
But like anything with Comcast the price tiers are not cut and dry. Each data rate has three different prices: a one year lock, and five year lock, and an “every day price.” The one year rate is the least expensive, but after the year is up it will revert to the every day rate which at the moment is $30 more per month.
You can cancel service any time without a penalty, but you’ll lose that rate if you decide to come back later. My advice is for people in regions with more ISP competition to go with the one year as you’ll likely get the same or better deal after the year is up. If Comcast is your only choice, the five year is probably your best bet to maintain pricing stability.
The announced prices are assuming you opt into their $10 monthly autopay discount—and they’ll only give you that discount if they can draw directly from your checking account. Credit card autopay doesn’t qualify.
I looked at my own local rate card and confirmed that these new rates are available here in Connecticut. Comcast also offers bundling discounts if you include phone or mobile service, shaving off $10 to $40 depending on how many products you add.
Still, if you’re only looking for internet service in competitive regions, Comcast is not necessarily the cheapest option. Fiber providers like Frontier and GoNetspeed in my state offer symmetrical upload and download speeds, and at lower prices. For instance, Frontier offers 500 Mbps for $30 a month for the first year, while Comcast charges $55 with a one-year lock. But I’m finding all of these ISPs are always looking for ways to up their charges once customers have been with them for awhile.
The important takeaway here is that Comcast’s move to eliminate data caps and bundle in rental equipment is a direct response to increased pressure from fiber providers. Even in areas where Comcast still holds a monopoly, the new pricing applies—so it’s worth taking the time to switch plans.
The trick now is staying alert and ready to exercise your power as a consumer in a competitive marketplace. When your promotional rate expires, don’t let it slide. Call, negotiate, or switch to get the best price.
In my latest review, I take a look Lenovo’s Legion Go S – a handheld gaming PC that ships with Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS installed. It has a similar look and feel to the Steam Deck, but there are some key differences in the hardware that set it apart. Check out the review here.
The model I tried is the entry-level version with an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, 16GB of soldered RAM, and 512GB of storage. These sell for about $599 over at Best Buy (compensated affiliate link). There are also Windows variants available at a higher price point, which come with more RAM to accommodate the heavier OS. The entry level version comes in about $50 more than a comparably equipped OLED-based Steam Deck.
What you get for that extra $50 is a more advanced processor and a larger, higher-resolution display. The Legion Go S has an 8-inch 1920×1200 IPS screen running at 120Hz, compared to the 7-inch 720p display on the Steam Deck. While the OLED on Valve’s device offers deeper contrast, this IPS panel still looks sharp and is definitely an upgrade over the original Steam Deck LCD.
The form factor is roughly the same, though the Legion is slightly heavier and thicker. I found it comfortable to hold thanks to its rounded edges. It also offers two USB 4.0 Type-C ports on the top—and they’re fully functional for power, data, and video. The Steam Deck has only a single USB 3.2 USB-C port. SteamOS doesn’t yet support external GPUs, but with this hardware, it’s at least possible down the line.
One of the more interesting features here is the ability to switch the analog triggers into digital ones using a small physical lock. The Hall effect analog sticks are a nice improvement too, helping to reduce drift and offering smoother, more accurate control. I was able to customize the dead zones easily through settings. There are customizable LEDs around the sticks, though after a system update I wasn’t able to find the option to enable them.
The D-pad stood out to me—it’s responsive and easy to rock, with a feel reminiscent of some older Sega designs. The face buttons are slightly larger than those on the Steam Deck, and while there’s a tiny trackpad, it’s nowhere near as usable as the larger ones on Valve’s device. If you rely on trackpad input for certain games, that’s something to keep in mind.
As for performance, the Legion Go S compares well to the Steam Deck. In my tests, games that hit a playable frame rate on the Steam Deck at 720p were able to achieve similar performance at 1080p on this device. Cyberpunk 2077 ran around 40–45 FPS at native resolution on the Steam Deck preset. When I dropped it to 720p, the framerate climbed to 63 FPS. Doom Eternal and Ace Combat 7 also ran well, hovering around 60 FPS with modest settings.
The downside here is fan noise. When running intensive titles in performance mode, the fan ramps up and is noticeably louder than what you get on a Steam Deck. The system draws a lot of power—up to 46 watts—which drains the battery quickly. You’re looking at about an hour to 90 minutes of gameplay under those conditions, so carrying a charger is a must.
There was one audio issue worth pointing out. I ran into scratchy, distorted sound in louder games like Doom Eternal. A reboot helped temporarily, but the issue returned, and it seems to be a software or driver problem others have experienced too. Hopefully it’s something that gets patched soon.
Emulation worked great. The EmuDeck project installed without a hitch, and I was able to run Outrun 2006 for PS2 at a solid 60 FPS with 1080p upscaling. For anyone looking to use a handheld primarily for retro emulation but who wants a sharper screen than what the Steam Deck offers, this might be a good fit. Xbox 360 games didn’t fare well here, though—about the same as on the Steam Deck—so expect the best results with consoles from the PS2 era and earlier.
The collaboration between Lenovo and Valve really shows in how smoothly SteamOS runs on this hardware. It’s a polished experience overall, and while the performance gains over the Steam Deck aren’t massive, the upgraded screen and processor do make a difference—especially if you’re running games at 720p and want to squeeze out higher frame rates. For those considering their first handheld gaming PC, the Legion Go S is a solid contender.
I recently got a look at a compact mini PC from Beelink called the ME, and what makes it stand out is its ability to hold six NVMe drives internally. This device is built with network-attached storage in mind, and while I’m demoing it here with Unraid, it also supports other NAS operating systems and Linux distributions. It even ships with a licensed copy of Windows if you want to go that route.
Inside, it runs on an Intel N150 processor—definitely on the lower end—but well-suited for light server tasks and Docker containers. You can find it on Amazon or direct with a few more configuration options on their website directly (compensated affiliate links).
My review unit included a Crucial-branded NVMe drive pre-installed in slot 4. All the bundled storage options appear to use Crucial, which I’ve been using myself for years.
The drives insert vertically and make contact with a heat pad that connects to a large central heatsink. That design does a noticeably better job at keeping drives cool than other compact NAS units I’ve tested recently. The slots themselves are mostly 1x PCIe interfaces, with slot 4 being the faster with a 2x lane slot. Even so, it maxed out around 1.3 GB/s with the Crucial PCIe 4.0 SSD out of that slot. The rest are slower but the bottleneck in most NAS applications will be the network, not the drive speeds.
This unit includes two 2.5Gb Ethernet ports, which gave me around 200–250 MB/s throughput over the network during my tests. It’s unlikely you’ll saturate even the slowest drive slot with this kind of networking. Internally, the device has 12GB of soldered Crucial RAM. That’s not expandable, but for NAS and home server purposes, it’s enough. There’s also an Intel AX101 Wi-Fi 6 card if you’d rather go wireless.
Ports include two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one USB-A, one USB-C), HDMI, USB 2.0, and a power jack—no external power brick here, just a built-in 45W supply. The casing is plastic but feels solid and clean, especially for a device that may sit out in the open. Video output supports 4K60, and I tested it with Ubuntu and Windows 11 Pro, both of which ran without issues. The hardware was properly recognized under Linux, and the preinstalled Windows license activated without a problem.
To test Unraid, I simply took the drives out of a GMKtec NAS I had been using and inserted them into this one. Everything came up immediately, including my external USB drive array. The only hiccup came from the USB-C port not playing nicely with my drive array; switching to the USB-A port resolved it, but I did lose my parity drive in the process. That seems more like a controller compatibility issue than a fatal flaw, though it’s something to be aware of.
I’m now considering moving entirely to solid-state storage, especially since this device gives me two more NVMe slots than the GMKtec box did. With Unraid’s parity setup, five slots can be used for storage and one for parity, giving me up to 20TB of usable space if I install 4TB drives across the board. I’ve only got about 9TB of data right now, so it’s feasible. 4TB NVME storage is pretty pricey at the moment so I’ll probably piece it together with smaller drives.
Power consumption is low—about 18–20 watts idle with five NVMe drives installed and a couple of Docker containers running. Under load, like when writing large files or playing back a Plex stream with hardware-accelerated 4K HDR tone mapping, it edged up to around 26-30 watts. Hardware transcoding works just fine in Unraid as long as you remember to add /dev/dri to your container configuration. I detail that in the video.
Temperatures on the drives were impressive. A WD cache drive that previously idled at 69°C in the GMKtec unit now hovers around 50–51°C in this one. Under load, those numbers go up a bit, but they’re still dramatically better than before. It’s a testament to the improved passive cooling inside this unit. The fan is also whisper-quiet—much less noticeable than my spinning external drives.
One downside is thermal throttling under extended CPU load. A 3DMark Time Spy stress test resulted in a fail grade, with performance dropping around 16%. That’s shouldn’t impact most NAS workloads, but I wouldn’t use this for anything that demands sustained CPU performance.
Overall, this mini PC has proven to be a capable, efficient little box for self-hosting in tight spaces. I’ve got some reconfiguring to do now—time to dig through my parts bin and see which higher-capacity NVMe drives I can consolidate onto this unit. It feels like there’s real potential to go all solid-state here and simplify the setup.
If you’ve ever looked at your cable or streaming TV bill and wondered why it keeps climbing, there’s a good chance it has something to do with retransmission consent disputes like the one playing out between Altafiber and Nexstar. This case gives us a rare look inside the kinds of negotiations that usually happen in private and might help explain some of the hidden costs passed along to subscribers.
Altafiber, formerly known as Cincinnati Bell, filed a complaint with the FCC accusing Nexstar of negotiating in bad faith. At the heart of the complaint is Nexstar’s demand that Altafiber carry its cable news network, NewsNation, as a condition for continuing to retransmit one of its local broadcast stations. Altafiber claims this violates FCC rules as they allege that Nexstar is not negotiating in good faith by forcing a cable channel to be bundled with a local broadcast station.
What’s more, Altafiber says that only about 900 of its 87,000 subscribers live in the market where Nexstar’s broadcast station is located. Yet they’re being asked to pay for NewsNation across their entire subscriber base. Altafiber says viewership of NewsNation is extremely low, adding that only about 30 people complained when NewsNation was dropped. They argue that the proposed increase in Newsnation’s renewal fee is 15 times the rate of inflation.
This situation is part of a larger trend. Broadcasters used to be guaranteed carriage on cable systems through must-carry rules, but those were ruled unconstitutional in the 1980s. The Cable Act of 1992 replaced that with a system where broadcasters can either demand free carriage or negotiate “retransmission consent” which requires cable operators to pay to carry the station. Most broadcasters chose the latter, and the result is a steady increase in retransmission fees as advertising revenues decline. In my area, Comcast’s local broadcast TV fee recently jumped from $32.75 to $37.50 per month at the start of 2025. And that’s on top of the regular monthly bill for cable and internet service.
This kind of cost creep was what finally pushed me to cut the cord. These fees tend to sit outside of long-term contracts, so they can be increased at any time. The added frustration is that you’re often paying for channels you don’t watch or want, but have no choice in the matter. Altafiber claims NewsNation is profitable not because of viewership, but because of these kinds of forced bundling tactics.
In 2023, Nexstar made $2.57 billion from retransmission fees—far outpacing their ad revenue. In 2024 that number rose to $2.9 billion. The business model seems less about attracting viewers and more about collecting fees from cable and streaming companies, who in turn collect them from you.
The National Association of Broadcasters is pushing for even more deregulation, including relaxed ownership rules and changes that would let them negotiate directly with streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu in the same way they do with traditional cable companies. That means the $83 monthly bill you’re paying for streaming could go even higher if these efforts succeed.
Some people (like me) try to bypass all this nonsense with an antenna, but that’s becoming harder too. The new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard is encrypted using DRM that relies on Google and Amazon infrastructure. To watch free over-the-air TV, you often need a “certified” Android box connected to the internet to download decryption keys. The whole system is positioned as protection from “big tech,” yet it can’t function without it.
It’s not often we get this level of detail into how the sausage is made. But based on how things are trending across the industry, the next price hike is probably already on its way.
I’ve been testing out an external SSD from SanDisk that’s designed for smartphones. It’s called the Creator Phone SSD, and it attaches magnetically to the back of your MagSafe compatible phone. If you’re not using an iPhone with MagSafe, there’s a ring included in the box to help with the mounting. The drive connects via USB-C, so it’s compatible with just about any device that has a USB-C port including Android phones.
Physically, there’s not much to it—just a USB port and the magnetic mount point. One limitation is the lack of a pass-through port, which means the phone’s USB-C port is completely occupied when the drive is connected. That rules out charging your phone or connecting something like an external microphone while recording. It’s a tradeoff that could matter for certain workflows.
There is a five-year warranty on the product, which adds some peace of mind for professional users. Out of the box, it’s formatted with the exFAT file system, which works across most devices—iPhones, iPads, Windows, Macs, and Linux systems. Some older Android phones might not mount the drive properly due to lack of exFAT support, but reformatting to FAT32 can help with compatibility in those cases.
One frustration I had was with the bundled app, SanDisk Memory Zone. If installed, it auto-launches every time the drive is plugged in. It’s useful for things like photo and contact backups, but it also tends to interfere with other apps, particularly Final Cut Camera. Even worse, if you don’t install it, your iPhone will keep prompting you to do so. The only workaround I found was to install the app and then uninstall it, which stops the prompts and lets other video apps access the drive properly.
Once I removed the app, Final Cut Camera immediately recognized the drive, and I was able to record without issues. Using HEVC compression, the 1TB drive can store a lot—up to 18 hours of 4K 120 fps footage, or 36 hours at 60 fps. With ProRes, that drops to about 1 hour and 9 minutes at 4K 60 fps, which is still respectable for the format.
SanDisk seems to have done a good job managing the drive’s power draw, which is important for iPhones. The iPhone will cut off power if a connected accessory pulls more than 4.5 watts, and I didn’t encounter that problem during extended testing at 4K 60 fps or 120 fps.
But in order to manage power draw, the drive will throttle its write performance. While I was able to achieve 4k 60 fps ProRes recordings without any dropped frames, I did have some frame drops shooting 120 fps with the ProRes codec. I did not have issues with fast frame rates at 120fps, however.
I ran the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test on my MacBook Air to get a sense of the drive’s performance. It clocked write speeds around 917 MB/s and read speeds near 881 MB/s. Those are solid numbers, but I did notice some variation in earlier tests, with write speeds occasionally dipping to around 400–500 MB/s. Apple says ProRes 4k 120 needs a minimum of 440 megabytes per second in sustained write speeds.
For users who need consistent, reliable performance at 4K 60 fps using ProRes, I think this drive holds up. It didn’t overdraw power, and I didn’t see dropped frames during long recordings. I’d like to see a future version of this drive with pass-through power and maybe a USB hub for audio gear, and it would be a big improvement if the software didn’t interfere so much. Still, the hardware itself seems reliable, and that counts for a lot if you’re shooting professionally with a phone.
Disclosure: Sandisk sent the drive to the channel free of charge. However no other compensation was received and they did not review or approve this post or my video prior to publication.
I noted last week that I was able to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day, and one of the first things I wanted to check out was how well 8BitDo controllers work with it. If you’re not familiar with 8BitDo, they make a mix of retro-styled and modern wireless controllers that have been popular with Switch owners for years. They are excellent budget replacements for the first party Switch Pro controller that cost substantially less.
8BitDo recently posted an update on their X account detailing which of their controllers now support the Switch 2 via firmware updates. Some older models are still out of luck, but a good number of the more recent ones—including newer versions of the SN30 Pro, their translucent editions with Hall effect sticks, and others—can now connect and work properly once updated.
I took a handful of these controllers, installed the latest firmware, and tested them with Super Mario Odyssey to see how they held up with basic controls, motion input, and rumble feedback.
The update process itself was a little bumpy. The SN30 Pro uses a different tool than the Ultimate and 2C controllers, and I ran into some hiccups—especially with the Ultimate 2C controller not connecting properly on macOS. Switching to Windows solved the issue, and once I got the firmware installed on all three, it was time to test them out.
Pairing the SN30 Pro was straightforward. After holding down Y and Start to enter Switch mode, the console recognized it as a Pro Controller. In Mario Odyssey, the buttons, analog sticks, and motion controls worked as expected. The same held true for the 2C and Ultimate controllers—everything was responsive and mapped correctly, including motion gestures like flicking Mario’s cap.
One thing I did have to tweak was the vibration setting. It was off by default, and none of the controllers rumbled until I went into the system settings and turned vibration back on. Once enabled, rumble worked normally, although it’s the standard type—not the HD Rumble you’d get from Nintendo’s Joy-Cons.
I also tested input latency using a 240fps camera to measure button response time. All three controllers, when connected via Bluetooth, performed identically to the Joy-Cons in terms of latency.
At the moment, Switch 2 compatibility is limited to specific 8BitDo models, as outlined in their recent post. Support for older controllers isn’t here yet, but they’ve indicated that more updates are on the way. For now, if you have one of their newer models and install the latest firmware, you should be in good shape.
Disclosure: 8BitDo and their distributor AKNES sent the controllers to the channel free of charge. No other compensation was received and they did not review or approve this post or my video before publication.
Android 16 is now out for Google Pixel phones, and a new beta of Android 16 has a (very) early desktop mode feature. While this kind of functionality isn’t new—Samsung’s DeX has been around for a while—this is the first time we’re seeing Google itself build something like this directly into Android. You can see it in action in my latest video.
The idea is to turn a phone into something that more closely resembles a desktop computer, complete with windowed apps and external display support.
Performance on mobile devices is getting to a point where this sort of thing actually makes some sense. Apple’s iPads, for instance, use the same chips as their MacBook Airs. There’s no technical reason a tablet couldn’t run a full desktop OS at this point. So while desktop modes might have felt like a gimmick in the past, they’re starting to feel like a real alternative—or at least a supplement—to a traditional PC.
To get this working, I had to enroll the Pixel 8 Pro in the Android 16 beta program. This particular phone had not yet received the Android 16 update, so after opting in the update was immediately available. That wasn’t the case with another Pixel 8a I tested on a different account, which had already received Android 16—it took a few days longer for the beta to show up there.
Only Pixel 8 and newer models support HDMI output via USB-C, so older devices won’t be compatible. I enabled developer mode, scrolled down to the “window management” section, and turned on the desktop mode features. After a reboot, I plugged the phone into a dock that provides HDMI, power, Ethernet, and USB input. I used that to connect a keyboard and trackpoint combo and sent video to an external display.
The result was a desktop-style interface on my display. Apps appeared in movable and resizable windows, and I could open and interact with multiple apps at once—like Google Docs and my blog—side by side. That said, the experience was clearly still in the early stages. Visual quality was disappointing, with text appearing blurry even though the display was set to 1080p. I also didn’t see any built-in options to adjust resolution or text scaling.
I tried running it on a 4K display as well, but everything was too small to be usable. Sticking to 1080p was more manageable. App support was inconsistent. YouTube, for example, didn’t scale well and maintained a layout more suited to a phone screen, even in a resized window.
There’s clearly a lot of work to be done. It doesn’t feel like something that’s close to release-ready, even as a beta. Still, I’m glad Google is exploring it. I’ll be keeping an eye on how this develops and plan to revisit it as the feature matures. There’s real potential here, even if it’s a little rough around the edges for now.
I picked up a Switch 2 (compensated affiliate link) the other day—not because I had planned on it, but because I noticed GameStop had them in stock, so I grabbed one. I’ve been playing with it since, but what really stood out to me wasn’t the console itself—it was the nature of the launch. This might be the most low-key console release I’ve ever seen. My kids, who are big Nintendo fans, didn’t even know it was happening. None of their friends were talking about it either. It felt like the Switch 2 just kind of… appeared. And I think that was by design.
That said, the launch was a success for the Big N. They manufactured enough inventory to get units into the hands of most early adopters who wanted one. Nintendo says it’s their most successful console launch to date, selling 3.5 million units in its first four days on the market. Scalpers are not making much money this cycle as a result.
The Switch 2 feels like a slightly better version of the original Switch. It feels faster while navigating the interface and it now has 4K output when docked, though most games won’t take advantage of that. The handheld now sports a larger and higher resolution 1080p screen at 120Hz with variable refresh rate.
There are some tweaks to the hardware: it now features magnetic Joy-Con attachments that attach securely (but prevent the use of non-drifting hall effect sticks), dual USB-C ports, and a sturdier kickstand. Docking works smoothly, and the whole thing feels very familiar to the original Switch. That seems intentional. Nintendo didn’t want to reinvent the wheel—they just wanted to refine it. The result is a console that’s very recognizably a Switch, just with some extra capabilities and polish.
Backward compatibility has been seamless in my experience. Some older games even seem to run a little better. Nintendo is also offering paid upgrades for certain titles—I spent $10 to upgrade my copy of ZeldaTears of the Kingdom, for instance.
As for new games, there’s not much to talk about. Mario Kart World is the marquee launch title along with Fast Fusion, a sequel to an F-Zero style racing game that launched on the first Switch. There’s three remakes/remasters of older games exclusive to the Switch 2: Survival Kids, and Bravely Default HD, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut. Aside from that, there’s Nintendo Welcome Tour, which is more of a tutorial than a game. The rest of the lineup are bunch of ports of games that have been out for awhile on other systems including Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky.
Price-wise, it’s not cheap. $449 for the console and dock, or $499 if you want the Mario Kart World bundle (which comes as a digital download). Nintendo has also introduced a new kind of cartridge—digital key cards that don’t contain the game but rather a code to download it embedded on the chip. On the plus side, these can be resold unlike non-physical digital titles. On the downside, they rely on Nintendo’s servers, which raises questions about long-term access.
Battery life is about on par with the original Switch: two hours or so when running demanding titles like Mario Kart, and a bit more for lighter games.
What stood out to me most about this launch was how quiet it was. Nintendo made a deliberate choice to ease into this. After all, they’ve been here before. The Wii sold over 100 million units, but its successor, the Wii U, sold only 13.5 million. That was a hard lesson in how quickly things can go south when the mainstream consumer base gets confused or alienated. The Switch reversed that trend and became a runaway success. Now, Nintendo’s being cautious, and I can’t blame them.
What I think we’re seeing here is the continued commoditization of video game hardware. Consoles no longer have unique, defining traits. The PlayStation and Xbox are essentially the same inside—PCs in console shells. Microsoft isn’t even making its own handheld—it’s letting ASUS handle that with a Windows-based Xbox-branded device. Nintendo’s sticking to ARM architecture with Nvidia chips, but even that feels like a holdout against an inevitable shift.
It’s starting to feel like we’re heading into a hardware-agnostic future. Where you play might soon matter less than what you play, and the idea of console exclusivity might not hold much weight when the hardware differences vanish. That raises some big questions for Nintendo. Do they eventually pivot fully into software? They resisted that move before, but as more consumers expect access across devices, the pressure might mount again.
For now, the Switch 2 is what it looks like: a slightly nicer Switch. And that might be enough to get through the rest of this decade and into the next.
I’ve been experimenting lately with external GPUs on the channel, especially now that Oculink ports are showing up in more mini PCs. One of my ongoing frustrations, though, is that a lot of the budget Oculink gear looks like a science fair project when you set it up—there’s power supplies and cables all over the place.
The other day a company called GTBox reached out and sent over their G-Dock, which aims to clean things up a bit. You can see it in action in my latest video review.
The G-Dock integrates an 800 watt power supply, which not only makes things neater but also more convenient. What’s nice about the G-Dock is that it’s more versatile than most setups I’ve tried. It supports both Oculink and Thunderbolt/USB 4 connections, and the USB/Thunderbolt port also provides power delivery, so it can charge a laptop with up to 100 watts while providing external GPU support all through one connection. You don’t get a traditional enclosure with this—your card mounts on top, exposed—but it does make for a more compact and affordable option.
The unit sells for $249 on GTBox’s site (compensated affiliate link), and they provided a coupon code—LON10—for an extra $10 off. It’s also on Amazon. Just keep in mind, if you’re connecting over USB 4, you’ll need a full 40 Gbps port for it to work. A lot of USB-C ports look the same, but older USB 3.2 ports won’t cut it. Oculink, on the other hand, requires your PC to have an Oculink port or an adapter that adds it. Some mini PCs have them built in now, and I’ve tested some of those here in the past.
For the G-Dock test, I hooked up a 4060 GPU to the dock and connected it to a MinisForum mini PC using the included Oculink cable. It’s important to note that Oculink isn’t hot-swappable, so you need to boot the system with the connection already in place. I also made sure to connect my HDMI cable directly to the GPU rather than the mini PC for best performance—routing through the system’s onboard video usually results in lower performance.
The G-Dock powered up just fine. The GPU’s fan spun up, Windows detected the card, and after installing the latest NVIDIA drivers, I fired up Cyberpunk at 1080p with medium settings which ran great. The mini PC featured in this video has strong CPU performance but weak integrated graphics, so the external GPU really gave it a boost.
Next, I tried it with a laptop over Thunderbolt. Everything worked as expected, though there was a small performance dip compared to the Oculink connection. I also made sure to disable the laptop’s internal display and run everything through the external monitor connected to the GPU, which helps avoid further performance losses.
Overall, the G-Dock felt solid. The fan noise was minimal, and the integrated power made it a lot less cluttered than the other Oculink setups I’ve worked with. Still, I’d like to see companies revisit the more protective enclosures we see in the Thunderbolt world—something that completely houses the card and power supply for better durability and aesthetics. But all in this is one of the better Oculink solutions I’ve used.
Disclosure: GTBox sent the eGPU enclosure to the channel free of charge. I purchased the 4060 GPU with my own funds. No other compensation was received and no one reviewed or approved this post or video before it was uploaded.
John Bergmayer, Legal Director at Public Knowledge, provided me some detailed insight into the ongoing FCC debate surrounding DRM (Digital Rights Management) and ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV in a recent interview.
Public Knowledge, a Washington D.C.-based consumer rights advocacy group, champions balanced digital rights, net neutrality, intellectual property reform, and media policy reforms that benefit diversity of voices and consumer interests. Bergmayer, who has been with the organization for over 12 years, emphasized their proactive role: “We do interface with government directly and participate in regulatory proceedings like this one at the FCC.”
Despite engaging in working groups aimed at consensus-building for the future of television, Bergmayer identified substantial disagreements among stakeholders. He explained, “There was consensus on the sort of issues that don’t really matter all that much… but on fundamental questions about DRM and encryption issues, there was not a lot of agreement.” Bergmayer highlighted that within broadcaster groups, positions significantly diverged, citing smaller broadcasters like Weigel Broadcasting, who see limited benefits in transitioning to ATSC 3.0.
A central point of contention involves DRM implementation, which Bergmayer argued severely threatens fair use rights and consumer freedoms. He emphasized the inherent conflict: “DRM interferes with things that are legal… it prevents you from accessing the content to do things that are fair uses.” According to Bergmayer, DRM undermines established consumer rights, specifically referencing landmark fair use cases such as the Sony case, which secured the right to record and privately use broadcasted content at home.
Bergmayer pointed out the paradox created by DRM regulations, noting that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) makes circumventing DRM illegal, even if the underlying action, such as recording television programs for personal use, is legally protected fair use. He explained that this contradiction effectively criminalizing legitimate first amendment activities.
The chilling effect of DRM was another significant concern raised by Bergmayer. He indicated that DRM requirements could severely limit innovation and device availability. Specifically, he mentioned popular devices like the HDHomeRun, which significantly outsell DRM-compatible devices precisely because of their flexibility and consumer-friendly nature.
Bergmayer also underscored the unique obligations of broadcasters, emphasizing their responsibilities given their free access to valuable public spectrum. “Free public airwaves should not be turned into a private playground for these companies,” Bergmayer said.
Regarding consumer engagement, Bergmayer praised the active participation of thousands of individual commenters in the FCC docket, noting its unusual depth for such technical issues: “It’s really impressive that there’s people out there who are willing to spend the time to make their voice heard.”
Looking forward, Bergmayer predicted inevitable legal challenges regardless of the FCC’s decision, referencing previous influential cases like the Broadcast Flag litigation, which Public Knowledge successfully led. He believes further court battles are likely due to persistent conflicts between DRM implementation and established individual rights.
Bergmayer strongly encouraged continued public awareness and advocacy as the FCC is obligated to process and acknowledge consumer feedback in making its decisions.
A major filing was submitted just before the ATSC 3.0 public comment deadline by a coalition including Public Knowledge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Consumer Reports, and several other organizations. Their message to the FCC is clear: DRM has no place in public broadcast spectrum. You can read the document here and watch my analysis piece here.
Their argument centers around the idea that mandatory encryption under ATSC 3.0 fundamentally conflicts with the legal and constitutional frameworks that have long governed broadcast TV.
One case they point to is American Library Association v. FCC, where a rule that would have forced devices to honor a broadcast flag was overturned. The court concluded that the FCC had no authority to regulate what happens inside consumer devices once a signal is received. That precedent is particularly relevant as we now face a situation where encryption could prevent people from exercising their long-established right to record broadcasts.
The filing emphasizes that public spectrum isn’t a private asset—it’s a shared, collectively owned resource managed under a mandate to serve the public interest. That’s different from how spectrum is handled in industries like mobile phones, where companies purchase and control allocated spectrum. Here, broadcasters are allowed to profit, but only as trustees serving the public.
What stood out in this filing was how thoroughly it outlined the risks to consumers. Many certified ATSC 3.0 devices are already showing their flaws—most require Internet access to tune televisions, others are running outdated software, and few give users any meaningful flexibility. If encryption becomes the norm, gateway devices, DIY DVRs, open-source solutions, and even basic home recording could vanish.
A central point made by the filing is that DRM turns broadcasters into gatekeepers—not just over content, but also over the devices people can use. It also creates a strange contradiction in the law. On one hand, it’s legal to record a broadcast under the American Library decision and the 1980s Sony Betamax case; on the other, it’s illegal to bypass encryption under the DMCA. So even if you have the right to record something, you will be breaking the law in practice.
They also call out the ATSC 3.0 Security Authority, or A3SA, for setting private rules that aren’t subject to public oversight. Even the encoding guidelines broadcasters have touted are limited—they only apply to ATSC 1.0 simulcasts, not future ATSC 3.0-only broadcasts.
The process by which A3SA licenses devices is also under scrutiny. Developers have to sign NDAs, the terms aren’t transparent, and consumers have no voice in the process. This kind of structure, the filing argues, runs counter to the FCC’s mandate to ensure open and nondiscriminatory access to public airwaves.
Interestingly, the document even questions whether encrypted broadcasts still qualify as “broadcasting” under the law, since they require a privately licensed decoder to access them.
So what happens next? It’s going to be a waiting game. The FCC is about to be short on commissioners, with two stepping down and replacements not yet confirmed. Until the commission has a quorum, it won’t be able to vote on anything substantial—including ATSC 3.0 rules.
On Monday we’ll have an interview with John Bergmayer from Public Knowledge, the lead author of the filing, to dive into this topic further.
Until then, this conversation around DRM is going to slow down a bit as we wait for the FCC to get back to full strength. But I’ll keep tracking the story and will have more updates when the next phase begins.
I’ve been gradually upgrading the Wi-Fi setup in my house, and the latest step in that process is beginning to swap out my UniFi Wi-Fi 6 access points for the new Wi-Fi 7 models. This first step was installing the new U7 Lite, their entry-level Wi-Fi 7 device priced at $99 (compensated affiliate link).
I started with the one in my studio since this is where I’ll likely have the most Wi-Fi 7 clients to experiment with. It’s a good test case for seeing how much of a real-world bump I can get from upgrading to Wi-Fi 7.
Physically, the U7 Lite is nearly identical to previous “Lite” models from UniFi. It uses the same mounting bracket as the AC Lite and U6 Lite, which made installation a 30-second job—twist out the old one, twist in the new one, and that was it. It requires PoE (Power over Ethernet), and I’m powering it through the UniFi Flex 2.5 PoE switch I reviewed recently. The U7 Lite, like the prior model, doesn’t include a PoE injector.
Specs-wise, the U7 Lite is a 2×2 access point for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz only—it doesn’t include 6 GHz support. For my environment, which is a rural home with minimal RF interference and modest usage, that’s fine. The jump to 2.5 Gbps Ethernet from the 1 Gbps found on older units opens up some potential bandwidth gains, and I was curious to see just how much improvement I’d get on my Wi-Fi 7 devices.
Before upgrading, I ran some benchmarks using an iPhone 16 Pro Max connected to my U6 Lite prior to its decommissioning. Downstream speeds hovered just under 500 Mbps, and upstream was a bit better, close to 600 Mbps. Those were solid numbers for a mid-range access point, and I saw similar results on my Windows PC as well.
Once the U7 Lite was installed and adopted by the UniFi Controller, I didn’t change any settings initially—just let it run with the defaults to see if the upgrade alone made a difference. And it did. Download speeds immediately jumped to around 700 Mbps. Upload stayed in the same ballpark as before, but the increased downstream bandwidth was a good early sign.
Next, I tried enabling a wider channel width. The U7 Lite allows up to 240 MHz, but that depends on client compatibility and has the potential for channel overlap and interference with other access points. I set it to 240 just to see what would happen, and my iPhone connected at 160 MHz—likely its hardware limit. Still, that change alone brought my download speeds right up to a gigabit, with upload seeing an improvement as well.
Then I tested out Multi-Link Operation (MLO), a new feature in Wi-Fi 7 that allows simultaneous connections across multiple frequency bands—in this case, 2.4 and 5 GHz. I created a new SSID and enabled MLO in the UniFi Controller, but the results weren’t impressive. Downloads dropped a bit compared to the single 160 MHz channel, and upload didn’t see much change either. Latency was slightly worse as well, with occasional packet drops during ping tests. For now, MLO seems like a feature that still needs some maturing—both in terms of firmware and client device support.
When I reverted back to the standard 160 MHz Wi-Fi 7 configuration, latency improved and speeds returned to peak levels. I’ll continue to keep an eye on MLO as I bring in new test devices with stronger radios, but it’s not quite ready for prime time in my setup.
The takeaway so far is that Wi-Fi 7, even on an entry-level access point like the U7 Lite, can deliver meaningful performance gains—especially on the downstream side. It’s a simple, affordable upgrade that integrates easily into existing UniFi networks. I’ll likely pick up another, more robust unit for my upstairs area where traffic is heavier and keep testing from there. As always, more to come!
Disclosure: I purchased the U7 Lite myself. The router I’m using, the UniFi Dream Machine Pro, was sent to the channel five years ago, but all opinions are mine and the video was not sponsored or pre-reviewed.
Lenovo’s Yoga Tab Plus is a large Android tablet that packs a fair amount into a single package. It includes the tablet, keyboard, and pen—all for a price that’s often around $700, sometimes less if there’s a sale. You can find it direct at Lenovo or at Best Buy (compensated affiliate links). Shop around and you may get a good price when it goes on sale.
The tablet comes equipped with a nice 12.7-inch LTPS display. It’s not OLED, but the 3K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate made it look sharp and feel very responsive. It supports Dolby Vision HDR with a peak brightness reaching up to 900 nits. The display was quite visible outdoors even under direct sunlight. Colors are accurate too, with full DCI-P3 coverage.
Performance is solid thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. It’s responsive for everyday use, can run Android games well, and even handles emulation up to the PlayStation 2 era reasonably smoothly. There’s 256GB of internal storage, though there’s no SD card slot, which might be a limitation for some. You can expand storage via USB-C, but there’s not much in the way of ports otherwise—just a USB-C and a power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader.
The included keyboard, while not backlit, feels solid—similar to Lenovo’s laptop keyboards with good spacing and travel. It attaches magnetically and folds around the back when not in use. One weak point is the kickstand, which doesn’t sit flush when folded up and feels a bit awkward. Still, the keyboard gives the tablet a laptop-like experience, especially when used with Lenovo’s optional “PC Mode” that lets apps float in windows rather than running full screen.
The included pen introduces something a little different. It offers subtle haptic feedback and a paper-like writing sound that made the experience feel more natural. It also supports pressure sensitivity and charges magnetically on the top of the tablet. The build quality of both the pen and the tablet feels premium, with a metal body and sturdy design.
For media consumption, the tablet supports Widevine L1 DRM, so Netflix and Disney+ stream at the full resolution of the display. Audio is decent with a quad-speaker setup that includes what Lenovo says are subwoofers. There’s not much deep bass, but the sound is balanced and immersive enough, especially in landscape orientation.
The camera system is pretty good especially for conference calls. The front-facing 13MP sensor supports 4K at 30fps and looks better than many laptop webcams I’ve looked at. Around back, there’s a second 13MP camera and a 2MP macro camera. Rear video also records in 4K, but there’s no stabilization, so handheld video can get shaky.
Battery life held up well in testing. Lighter tasks like web browsing and media playback stretched past 11 hours, while more demanding apps will naturally pull that number down. The tablet ships with Android 15 and will get security updates through 2029—less than what Chromebooks or PCs usually get.
There’s also a local AI feature onboard called AI Now. It works completely on device and will analyze attached documents to answer questions. It’s not perfect, but it worked reasonably well in my tests, and it’s entirely self-contained on the device. For more accurate or nuanced answers, you’ll still want to turn to cloud-based tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini.
All told, the Yoga Tab Plus offers a lot for the price—especially with the pen and keyboard included. It’s not a top-tier device, but for those looking for a larger Android tablet that can handle a bit of everything without breaking the bank, this might be worth a look—particularly if you catch it on sale and don’t mind waiting for the right deal to come along.
For my latest monthly sponsored Plex video, I took on a fun project that turned my Plex library into a fully programmed, always-on TV channel. Using an open-source tool called ErsatzTV, I set out to recreate the experience of traditional broadcast television—with scheduled shows, filler ads, and a sense of timing you just don’t get from on-demand shuffling.
The idea behind ErsatzTV is pretty straightforward: it links into your Plex server and plays back episodes from your media library on a set schedule. It even keeps track of what episode aired last, so it will step through a season of a show each day or week. It can also shuffle episodes each time. If you tune in halfway through, that’s where you start watching—just like the old days.
To make it work with Plex, you do need a Plex Pass since it ties into the live TV and DVR features.
I installed ErsatzTV on a Windows machine for demonstration purposes, but it’s cross-platform, and you can run it on Linux, macOS, or via Docker. After downloading and extracting the app, I launched the server and configured it through the web interface. The first tweak was enabling hardware acceleration for better performance, which in my case meant selecting the VAAPI option for Intel graphics.
From there, I connected ErsatzTV to my Plex server and synced my TV show library. My mix included old episodes of David Letterman and Johnny Carson, Star Trek: The Next Generation, some 80s cartoons, and a healthy dose of Bluey for the kids. I also added a folder of vintage commercials and PSAs as filler content to help round out the schedule to clean half-hour or hour blocks.
ErsatzTV doesn’t let you slot individual files—everything has to be bundled into collections. So I grouped the ads into a “filler” collection and set up presets for midroll and fallback padding. This way, the system could drop in the right number of ads to stretch shorter content to the next block precisely.
Then came the fun part: building out the channel. I created a schedule starting at 6 a.m. with “Star Blazers and “He-man”, Bluey from 9 to 1, some afternoon Star Trek, and nighttime talk shows beginning at 10 p.m. with Johnny Carson. I used a mix of fixed and dynamic scheduling depending on the content length. ErsatzTV handled the logic to round everything off nicely with filler content when needed.
Once the channel was ready, I registered ErsatzTV as a tuner device inside Plex using its HDHomeRun emulation feature. That let me pull the guide data from ErsatzTV’s built-in XMLTV feed, and just like that, my custom channel showed up alongside my antenna broadcasts. Everything worked as expected: metadata, descriptions, proper timing—it all lined up. If I tuned in late, I caught shows mid-episode, and the transition between shows and filler felt natural.
There’s definitely something satisfying about turning Plex into a virtual broadcast network. It’s more work than hitting “shuffle,” but the end result feels more alive. There’s structure, nostalgia, and the bonus of always having something ready to play, exactly when and where I want it. Now that the framework is in place, I can add more shows, create additional channels, or even bring back “Tuesday Night Movies.” The only real limit is how much media I can cram onto my server.
Walmart just refreshed their sub $30 Google TV device with the new Onn 4K Plus (compensated affilate link). These are designed mainly for situations where a TV’s smart features are outdated or no longer functional, and in that context, it ends up being a surprisingly capable solution that feels a lot more powerful than its predecessor.
The device itself is a small puck—slightly larger than the last version—with HDMI out, a USB-C port for power, and a reset button. Performance over Wi-Fi was surprisingly solid. It supports Wi-Fi 6 and pulled around 430 Mbps down and up.
The 4k Plus supports USB-C hubs for peripherals, and I was able to get Ethernet working through one, though compatibility was inconsistent depending on the adapter. It looks as though the port is limited to USB 2.0 speeds as the best I could get out of my adapter was 100 megabits per second.
Internally, this version runs on an Amlogic S905X5M processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. That’s a bump up in both performance and storage compared to earlier models. It still won’t satisfy power users, but general performance is responsive, especially when navigating Netflix and other streaming apps. The interface felt much zippier than I expected for this price point.
It runs Android 14 under the hood, and the front-end experience is standard Google TV, which remains very ad-centric. You’re presented with promotions and suggestions based on viewing habits, and it integrates content from services that support Google’s recommendations. The usual suspects like Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube are present, although there are some quirks—Netflix shows can’t be added to the watchlist, for example. That’s a long-standing limitation tied to how Netflix handles integration.
The remote includes voice control, which worked well for searches, and a new “Free TV” button that jumps into Google’s curated free content offering. It’s not vastly different from what Roku or other aggregators do, but Google has added a prominent shortcut to it on the remote to steer users onto their free platform.
Video and audio performance was mixed depending on the app. Netflix ran fine with Dolby Vision and Atmos audio on my 4K setup, but Disney+ didn’t deliver Atmos, and also failed to switch into 24p mode for content that needed it. This isn’t unusual—frame rate switching has been a persistent issue on Android boxes. You can enable it in settings, but results still vary app by app. Netflix behaved the best in my testing.
Gaming was better than expected. Android games ran smoothly, and GeForce Now performed decently over Wi-Fi at 1080p60. There was one crash and reboot, possibly related to the 2GB RAM ceiling, but overall stability was reasonable. Emulation is limited; PlayStation 1 works, but GameCube and PS2 emulators wouldn’t install.
As a Plex client, it handled browsing quickly, which made navigating a large local library feel snappy. But it lacks features more serious users might expect—no support for Dolby Vision from Blu-ray rips or lossless audio passthrough. So while it’s fine for casual Plex use, it’s not going to replace a higher-end setup in a home theater environment.
This box isn’t for enthusiasts, but it’s the kind of product they might still find a use for in a guest room or second TV. For most people, especially anyone looking to upgrade an old smart TV without spending much, it feels like a substantial upgrade. Even if it’s not perfect, it is probably the most value packed TV box on the market.
