# TechnoLitero > Practical field notes for admins, builders, and curious tinkerers How to read this site: - Prefer the markdown alternate on each public page, or `/raw/{slug}`. - Full public corpus: `/llms-full.txt`. - Public content only. Gated member notes are omitted. - These files are generated from live published content and update when you publish. Site: https://www.technolitero.com Author: SiteAdmin, Infrastructure Architect RSS: https://www.technolitero.com/feed Sitemap: https://www.technolitero.com/sitemap.xml Markdown index: https://www.technolitero.com/llms.txt Full text: https://www.technolitero.com/llms-full.txt ## Pages - [About TechnoLitero](https://www.technolitero.com/about): The public notebook for Unifi, Meshtastic, local AI, and PowerShell that solves a real admin problem. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/about - [Contact](https://www.technolitero.com/contact): Reach the author about an article, a download, or the privacy policy. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/contact - [Home](https://www.technolitero.com): Field notes for Unifi, Meshtastic, local AI, and PowerShell — written to be useful the same day you read them. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/home - [Privacy Policy](https://www.technolitero.com/privacy): What this site collects, including advertising cookies if AdSense is enabled. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/privacy ## Topics - [Networking](https://www.technolitero.com/topics/networking): Unifi, firewalls, and the field notes that keep networks stable without overthinking them. - [Meshtastic](https://www.technolitero.com/topics/meshtastic): Off-grid messaging, private meshes, MQTT, and the practical setups that actually work on real property. - [AI](https://www.technolitero.com/topics/ai): Local models, context engineering, and using AI as a thought partner instead of a search bar. - [PowerShell](https://www.technolitero.com/topics/powershell): Scripts, automation, and admin tooling published for others to reuse and extend. - [Learning](https://www.technolitero.com/topics/learning): Learning new skills - [Hardware](https://www.technolitero.com/topics/hardware): Hardware made fun. ## Blog - [Repurposing a Surface HUB 1](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/repurposing-a-surface-hub-1): I enjoy figuring out how to make locked down hardware useful after its use case is no longer a thing. A few months ago I was gifted a Surface Hub 1..... - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/repurposing-a-surface-hub-1 - [Building a WebSite with AI](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/building-a-website-with-ai): I am a fan of WordPress but I am also a fan of using the newest tools, my lab for example does run Beta versions just so I can get access to the latest features. So what's a guy to do when I hear that AI can build a website in 10 minutes... - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/building-a-website-with-ai - [Learning in IT - Find a use case](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/learning-in-it-find-a-use-case): I'm going to go through my thought process for a project I recently completed and that is repurposing a Unifi Cloud Key Plus as a standalone docker host..... - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/learning-in-it-find-a-use-case - [Learning in IT - Think like an Architect](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/learning-in-it-think-like-an-architect): There are many qualities in a great Engineer and an Architect. I would say that in my experience I have worked with many Engineers that could become Architects if they wanted to. The expectations.... - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/learning-in-it-think-like-an-architect - [Local AI on a Budget](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/local-ai-on-a-budget): One of my many side projects is using Local AI but like most, I’m on a budget. Smaller models act like smaller models — until you stop treating them as one giant brain. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/local-ai-on-a-budget - [The Modern Engineering Stack: Moving Beyond the Search Bar](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/the-modern-engineering-stack-moving-beyond-the-search-bar): AI is quickly becoming an accelerator for more things than just Google searches. Copilot, Claude, OpenAI, and Gemini each earn a different seat in the stack. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/the-modern-engineering-stack-moving-beyond-the-search-bar - [Learning AI – The Basics](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/learning-ai-the-basics): Let’s be honest with ourselves, AI is one of the greatest things since the internet. The question is what you offload, and how you stay in control of the result. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/learning-ai-the-basics - [Getting the most out of AI, starts with you!](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/getting-the-most-out-of-ai): Prompt engineering is one of the most misunderstood issues with AI for the masses. I asked for a screwdriver, not a therapist. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/getting-the-most-out-of-ai - [Building Unifi Analyzer using AI!](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/building-unifi-analyzer-using-ai): I loaded up Visual Studio Code, attached GitHub and Claude, and started building the Unifi tool I had wanted for years. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/building-unifi-analyzer-using-ai - [AI – Context Engineering Overview](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/ai-context-engineering-overview): AI is smart and has access to pretty much all data, but it is missing the context you are working in. That is the difference between an answer and the right answer. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/ai-context-engineering-overview - [PowerShell in the Field](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/powershell-in-the-field): The public PowerShell repo is the toolkit I am willing to share. Clone it, read it, then run it on a box you can afford to break first. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/powershell-in-the-field - [Meshtastic NRF MQTT Decoding](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/meshtastic-nrf-mqtt-decoding): NRF Meshtastic nodes will not emit JSON to MQTT. Decrypt the protobuf on a small Python bridge and push a clean topic Home Assistant and Telegraf can actually use. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/meshtastic-nrf-mqtt-decoding - [Meshtastic TIG Stack](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/meshtastic-tig-stack): Grafana does not speak MQTT well, and MQTT is a terrible long-term database. Telegraf plus InfluxDB is how Meshtastic JSON becomes a map and a message log. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/meshtastic-tig-stack - [Private Meshtastic](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/private-meshtastic): The public LongFast key is well known. If you do not want strangers reading telemetry off your property mesh, change the primary channel key and own your relays. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/private-meshtastic - [Meshtastic Beginners Guide](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/meshtastic-beginners-guide): Meshtastic is a way to communicate across distances without Wi-Fi or cellular. Range is a mix of height, antenna, and how many friends your mesh actually has. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/meshtastic-beginners-guide - [Network Tool](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/network-tool): I asked Warp to combine LLDP Discovery, Port Finder, and Packet Capture into one PowerShell GUI. Six hours later I had a Swiss Army knife I would have spent a week writing by hand. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/network-tool - [LLDP Discovery in Windows](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/lldp-discovery-in-windows): LLDP tells you which switch port a Windows box is sitting on. pktmon already lives on the machine. Wrap it in a GUI and stop tracing cables by guesswork. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/lldp-discovery-in-windows - [Packet Capture No Wireshark Needed](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/packet-capture-no-wireshark-needed): Microsoft pktmon is a stripped-down NPCAP you already have. Wrap it in a small GUI and you get PCAP plus a TXT file AI can actually read. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/packet-capture-no-wireshark-needed - [Repurpose Starlink Cable as Ethernet](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/repurpose-starlink-cable-as-ethernet): The new Dishy cable is Ethernet with weird ends and a weirder color code. Here is the pinout that actually passed a 1 Gig wire map. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/repurpose-starlink-cable-as-ethernet - [PowerShell Introduction](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/powershell-introduction): PowerShell is one of my favorite scripting languages. These are the practices that keep scripts readable when you are not the person running them. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/powershell-introduction - [Unifi Security Settings](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/unifi-security-settings): Zone-based firewall on Unifi was confusing at first. Zones, policies, network objects, region blocking, and honeypots are what I actually turn on. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/unifi-security-settings - [Unifi Advanced Networking](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/unifi-networking): Port profiles, DHCP guardian, and a Default network that is not 192.168.1.0/24. The advanced Unifi settings I actually leave on. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/unifi-networking - [Unifi UDM Quick Start](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/unifi-udm-quick-start): Unifi is not Cisco with a prettier UI. Get the UDM online, adopt devices, and stand up Wi-Fi without dragging enterprise habits into a 15-minute install. - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/unifi-udm-quick-start - [Entry Level AI](https://www.technolitero.com/blog/entry-level-ai): When people think about using AI it gets daunting. What if you thought about AI as a mentor instead of a technology? - Markdown: https://www.technolitero.com/raw/entry-level-ai ## Downloads - [Unifi Analyzer](https://www.technolitero.com/downloads/unifi-analyzer): A Windows tool that pulls Unifi UDM configuration over the API and SSH so you can analyze, export, capture packets, and keep config history. - Source: https://github.com/Technolitero/unifi-analyzer - [PowerShell Public Scripts](https://www.technolitero.com/downloads/powershell-public): Public PowerShell scripts from the TechnoLitero toolkit. Clone the repo, take what you need, and keep the rest out of your production path until you have tested it. - Source: https://github.com/Technolitero/Powershell-Public - [Meshtastic Notes](https://www.technolitero.com/downloads/meshtastic-notes): Companion notes and configs for Meshtastic work: private meshes, MQTT, and the hardware paths that actually get used. - Source: https://github.com/Technolitero/Meshtastic ## Resources - [Technolitero on GitHub](https://github.com/Technolitero): Public repos for Unifi Analyzer, PowerShell, Meshtastic, and Unifi notes. - [Unifi Analyzer repository](https://github.com/Technolitero/unifi-analyzer): Source and releases for the Unifi Analyzer Windows tool. - [PowerShell Public](https://github.com/Technolitero/Powershell-Public): Shared PowerShell scripts from the field toolkit. - [Unifi Network Community](https://community.ui.com/): Great for digging into Unifi Network issues. - [Unifi Network Management](https://unifi.ui.com/): Remote management of Unifi equipment. - [Home Assistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/): Leading open source home automation. Nabu Casa is the paid remote-access option. - [Speedtest.net](https://www.speedtest.net/): Validate network speeds before you chase a ghost. - [MXToolbox](https://mxtoolbox.com/): DNS, blacklist, and mail record checks. - [Gibson Research Shields Up](https://www.grc.com/shieldsup): Remote firewall port scan to see what the internet can actually see. - [DownDetector](https://downdetector.com/): Near-real-time view of whether an outage is just you or everyone. - [Microsoft 365 Copilot](https://copilot.microsoft.com/): Licensed business AI that can stay inside a tenant with proper governance. - [Google Gemini](https://gemini.google.com/): Free enough to get your feet wet. - [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/): The original public chat bot, still a useful baseline. - [Claude](https://claude.ai/): Strong for developers and scripters, including editor integrations. - [xAI Grok](https://x.ai/): Another public chat option if you want a different model personality. - [Wireshark](https://www.wireshark.org/): Packet capture and analysis. Worth the learning curve. - [PuTTY](https://www.putty.org/): SSH client for devices that still live on a command line. - [WinSCP](https://winscp.net/): SFTP and SCP file access that pairs well with PuTTY. - [Meshtastic](https://meshtastic.org/): Official Meshtastic site, flasher, and client. - [Meshtastic Web Client](https://client.meshtastic.org/): Connect to a Meshtastic device from a browser. - [Meshtastic Flasher](https://flasher.meshtastic.org/): Firmware upgrades for Meshtastic devices. ## Tools Third-party wrappers. TechnoLitero does not run these lookups. - [Open Ports](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/open-ports): Check whether a host answers on a TCP port. Runs at YouGetSignal, not here. - Provider: https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/ - [Port Scanner](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/port-scanner): Another browser-side port check when you want a second opinion. - Provider: https://www.subnetonline.com/pages/network-tools/online-port-scanner.php - [Visual Traceroute](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/visual-traceroute): Map the hops from the provider’s network to a host. - Provider: https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/visual-tracert/ - [Looking Glass](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/ping-pe): Ping, traceroute, and MTR from many vantage points. - Provider: https://ping.pe/ - [Ping / Traceroute / DNS](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/ping-eu): Classic network tests from ping.eu. - Provider: https://ping.eu/ - [Redirect Checker](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/redirect-checker): Follow HTTP redirects and see the hop chain. - Provider: https://www.redirect-checker.org/ - [MX Toolbox](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/mxtoolbox): MX, blacklist, SMTP, and related mail/DNS checks in SuperTool. - Provider: https://mxtoolbox.com/SuperTool.aspx - [intoDNS](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/intodns): DNS health report for a domain (NS, MX, SOA, and common misconfigs). - Provider: https://intodns.com/ - [DNS Dumpster](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/dnsdumpster): Passive DNS recon and related host mapping. - Provider: https://dnsdumpster.com/ - [DNS Watch](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/dnswatch): Look up records from a public DNS UI. - Provider: https://www.dnswatch.info/ - [DNS Lookup](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/dns-lookup): Query common record types from dnslookup.online. - Provider: https://dnslookup.online/ - [Global DNS Propagation](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/whatsmydns): See how a record looks around the world. Opens at the provider because they block embeds. - Provider: https://www.whatsmydns.net/ - [Mail Tester](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/mail-tester): Score an outbound message for spam and authentication issues. - Provider: https://www.mail-tester.com/ - [WHOIS](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/whois): Domain registration lookup. - Provider: https://www.whois.com/whois/ - [IP WHOIS](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/ip-whois): IP geolocation and network details from ipwho.is. - Provider: https://ipwho.is/ - [BGP Toolkit](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/bgp): Prefixes, ASNs, and routing views from Hurricane Electric. - Provider: https://bgp.he.net/ - [SSL Server Test](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/ssl-labs): Qualys SSL Labs. Opens in a new tab because they block embeds. - Provider: https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/ - [Security Headers](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/security-headers): Grade a site’s HTTP security headers. Opens at the provider. - Provider: https://securityheaders.com/ - [Mozilla Observatory](https://www.technolitero.com/tools/observatory): Mozilla’s site security scanner. Opens in a new tab. - Provider: https://observatory.mozilla.org/