About This Section

Home/Office/Factory Automation brings ease of fine control, and hence efficiency, over day to day housekeeping tasks within the modern connected environment. Tasks can include security, media streaming, per-room heating schedule, home/office/factory automation and fire safety. Combining many aspects of my skillset, from programming, to electrical and electronic engineering, network and computer systems configuration, and hardware installation, this field has become something of a speciality.

I am available for select bespoke consultation, design, installation, manufacture and configuration work. Please email info@themikeburns.com with details of your project to discuss a quote.

Items reviewed can be purchased from my Web Shop

Media Streaming

Host your own storage and media streaming server to stream to multiple devices anywhere with an internet connection.

Plex Server

Plex is powerful free software allowing you to manage and stream your media collection to multiple devices.

Asustor Lockerstor 16R PRO AS7116RDX NAS

Asustor Lockerstor 16R PRO AS7116RDX - Intel Xeon 9th generation Quad-Core CPU, Server-grade ECC memory: 8 GB ECC DDR4-2666 (Max 128GB, 32GB x 4), 3U chassis design, 16 SATA drive bays, Dual M.2 NVMe SSD ports for fast caching, Complete iSCSI/IP-SAN and NFS support. VMware, Citrix and Hyper-V ready., Supports Virtualization and Docker apps, PCIe slots for 10/25/40/50 Gigabit Ethernet cards as well as SAS cards. Windows ACL support combined with Windows AD infrastructure enhances management efficiency for business applications.

Asustor AS5304T NAS

Asustor AS5304T NAS - Two 2.5 GbE ports with up to 5 Gbps under Link Aggregation, Up to 72 TB, 4GB DDR4-2400, Intel Celeron quad core CPU

Asustor AS6004-U1 NAS Expansion Unit

Asustor AS6004-U1 NAS Expansion Unit

Networking

Networking can achieve an impressive range of performance dependent on your bandwidth and cost needs.

100 Gigabit Ethernet

100Gb Ethernet, aka 100GBASE[-XXXX] is a group of computer networking technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at rates of 100 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). This is currently the Gold Standard.

10 Gigabit Ethernet

10Gb Ethernet, aka 10GBASE[-XXXX] is a group of computer networking technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at rates of 10 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). This is more than enough for any substantial home or SME network and allows considerable room for future proofing.

1 Gigabit Ethernet

1Gb Ethernet, aka GbE, 1 GigE or 1000BASE-T, is a group of computer networking technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at rates of 1 gigabit per second (Gbit/s). It is defined by the IEEE 802.3ab standard. It came into use in 1999, and has replaced Fast Ethernet in wired local networks due to its considerable speed improvement over Fast Ethernet, as well as its use of cables and equipment that are widely available, economical, and similar to previous standards. This should be the minimum standard for the modern connected home.

Gigabit Ethernet Switch

Netgear GS116LP ProSAFE FlexPoE 16-Port Unmanaged Rackmount Gigabit PoE+ Switch (76W). The NETGEAR GS116LP ProSAFE FlexPoE Gigabit Unmanaged Switch helps businesses cost-effectively increase power budget to expand their network. Powered by the industry's first flexible PoE+ integrated technology, you can increase or decrease the PoE budget by simply buying a new power supply, effectively future-proofing small business networks and budgets. All ports support PoE/PoE+ that makes them the perfect switches for deploying Wireless APs, Pan/Tilt/Zoom and fixed IP Cameras, VoIP Phones, access-limited security door locks or any other IoT PoE-powered devices. The GS116LP Gigabit Ethernet switch come with 16 Gigabit copper ports in a desktop metal case. The small form factor combined with the rack-mount and wall-mount accessories give you the flexibility to place this switch in small cabinets, in a 19" rack, on a wall or on your desk. Key Features Sixteen (16) x Gigabit Copper Ports (all support 802.3af PoE / 802.3at PoE+) 32Gbps Bandwidth PoE Max Power Per Port: Up to 15.4w for 802.3af and 30W for 802.3at Desktop, Wall-mount and 19-inch Rackmountable Small Form Factor Fanless design for silent operation All ports support PoE+ All ports supports PoE+ and PoE being able to provide up to 30W per port to any power-hungry device (PTZ Cameras, PoE Lights, PD Switches, Access Points). Flexible PoE Budget Interchangeable External Power Supply. Increase or decrease your PoE Budget as needed. GS116LP: 76W PoE Budget Flexible mounting options Adapts to your needs and configuration and configuration in any environment. Rackmount, wall or desktop mounting options. Silent Design Small form factor and silent for quiet operation makes it the ideal switch for noise-sensitive environments. Why the NETGEAR PoE/PoE+ Switches are ideal for SMB Upgradable PoE budget with interchangeable power supplies Small form factor and silent for quiet operation Plug-and-play, automatic connectivity to your router or modem Prioritise voice and video traffic Outstanding power flexibility with NETGEAR’s exclusive FlexPoE Powered by the industry’s first flexible PoE+ integrated technology, you can increase or decrease the PoE budget by simply purchasing a NETGEAR FlexPoE power supply, effectively future-proofing small business networks and budgets. With NETGEAR’s exclusive FlexPoE, the GS116LP switch helps businesses cost-effectively increase their power budget to expand their network as needed. All ports support PoE/PoE+ up to 30W per port, which makes the GS116LP the perfect switch for deploying Wireless APs, Pan/Tilt/Zoom and fixed IP Cameras, VoIP Phones, access-limited security door locks or any other IoT PoE-powered devices.

Mesh WiFi

A good Mesh WiFi system will ensure the fastest download speeds consistently at all point within your home. Performance can be further enhanced by configuring for 1GbE or 10GbE Ethernet backhaul

Linksys Velop Pro 6E Tri-Band Mesh Router

An excellent and reliable multi-node mesh system. Easy to configure and manage via the mobile app.

Gigabit Broadband

A good broadband connection will depend on the services available in your area.

Community Fibre

If you can get it, by far the best Broadband option. Speeds of up to a symmetrical 3Gbit/s for £49/month, or 1Gbit/s for £25/month.

Three 5G Broadband

If you live in an area with good 5G mobile coverage, this may be your second best option. Reliable download and upload speeds of several hundred Mbps, for £22/month.

Virgin Media

A very poor third best. Claimed download speeds of up to 1130Mbps, for £45/month. However, reliability and over-contention have always been a problem for Virgin Media, along with terrible Customer Service.

BT Fibre to Cabinet Only

BT's best offering, which they bill somewhat grandiosely as as "superfast" broadband claims average download speeds of up to a paltry 16Mbps for £31.99/month.

Sky Fibre to Cabinet Only

Sky's best offering is little better, selling full fibre (somewhat of a misnomer) broadband up to 100Mbps download for £32/month.