2019
Todd Olthoff | Marriage & Relationship Advice, Devotional Writing, Technology Reviews/Tutorials | 2018

macOS Catalina Part 1: Preparing to Upgrade

26/10/19 15:16 Filed in: Technology
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In this screencast tutorial I cover how to prepare yourself for the upgrade to MacOS Catalina. Catalina is a major upgrade and there are some big changes that you must be prepared for before even deciding if the upgrade is right for you right now. Catalina is the first Mac upgrade on which you can no longer run 32 bit applications. So if you have applications that are not yet or never will be 64 bit this is not the upgrade for you. I cover how to check on those applications along with other things to check before you actually go through with the upgrade.

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HOOBS Part 3: Adding Devices to HOOBS

22/09/19 15:07 Filed in: Technology
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In this screencast tutorial I continue my look at HOOBS and walk through how to add devices to HOOBS and show how to set up and access those devices in HomeKit. I am using Harmony hubs in this case and walk through how to install the plugin, change the configuration file to match your set up and show where you can see the devices you have set up on your HOOBS system.

I also walk through the steps to get your HOOBS hub onto the Home App on your Apple devices and how to add any devices you have connected through HOOBS. I then show you how this particular device, the Harmony Hub works with HomeKit.

HOOBS really is a great devices for making Homebridge simple. To have an option to connect all your devices that are not HomKit compatible to HomeKit gives greater access to devices for your home automation needs.


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HOOBS Part 2: Device & Software Updates

14/09/19 14:49 Filed in: Technology
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I had the guys at Homebridge Out Of the Box System or HOOBS contact me about checking out their new device. HOOBS was created to make the whole Homebridge set up process easy for those who may not want to go through the process of setting everything up manually or who may not want to run a full computer themselves. HOOBS can be purchases in a few different ways. If you want the software only with a clean interface you can buy an SD Card with the installation on it. You could also buy the hardware which includes a Raspberry Pi set up in a compact case that includes all you need to set up an always on Homebridge installation.

For those of you who may be wondering what all of this is about, Homebridge is software you can run that includes plugins that will make devices that are not naturally HomeKit compatible visible to HomeKit so you can include them with your other devices and automation through the Home App. Homebridge has worked well for me running on a Mac Mini and I have done a series of screencasts demonstrating how that works. But running a Mac mini all the time as a Homebridge server doesn't make as much sense as running a low power device dedicated to Homebridge which is what makes HOOBS or even a roll your own Raspberry Pi a much better option.

In this screencast I demonstrate how to change out the SD Card on the device and walk through how to update the main software on the device when updates are available.



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HOOBS Part 1: Installation & Set Up

06/09/19 14:28 Filed in: Technology
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I had the guys at Homebridge Out Of the Box System or HOOBS contact me about checking out their new device. HOOBS was created to make the whole Homebridge set up process easy for those who may not want to go through the process of setting everything up manually or who may not want to run a full computer themselves. HOOBS can be purchases in a few different ways. If you want the software only with a clean interface you can buy an SD Card with the installation on it. You could also buy the hardware which includes a Raspberry Pi set up in a compact case that includes all you need to set up an always on Homebridge installation.

For those of you who may be wondering what all of this is about, Homebridge is software you can run that includes plugins that will make devices that are not naturally HomeKit compatible visible to HomeKit so you can include them with your other devices and automation through the Home App. Homebridge has worked well for me running on a Mac Mini and I have done a series of screencasts demonstrating how that works. But running a Mac mini all the time as a Homebridge server doesn't make as much sense as running a low power device dedicated to Homebridge which is what makes HOOBS or even a roll your own Raspberry Pi a much better option.

In this screencast I demonstrate the basic installation and set up of a HOOBS box. It was a very easy process and having the ability to manage it through a web browser on my local network is a great option. Check it out for yourself and if you are interested you can check out getting your own over at www.hoobs.org.



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Smart Home Part 12: Harmony Bridge App

18/05/19 18:49 Filed in: Technology
Homekit Remote Icon
In this screencast tutorial I cover an application that sets up your multiple Logitech Harmony Hubs to run a separate instance of Homebridge which makes them available to HomeKit.

One the application is running, you will see each Harmony Hub and all of your activities will show as switches instead of showing up as separate HomeKit devices. This then allows you to use your Harmony Hubs in your HomeKit automation and with Siri.

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macOS Mojave Server Part 11: Profile Manager Preference Menu Items

10/05/19 17:03 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
In this screencast tutorial I cover how to use the preference menu in Profile Manager to manage settings for your devices. I walk through all of the settings and what they do to help you manage your users and devices from the web interface making it possible to do that management remotely without needing to be in front of the device itself.

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macOS Mojave Server Part 10: Profile Manager macOS Device Profiles

03/05/19 17:00 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
In this screencast tutorial I cover how to use Profile Manager to manage settings for your macOS devices. I walk through all of the settings that would be best managed for an macOS device and tell you what each does and how to set them up

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macOS Mojave Server Part 9: Profile Manager iOS Device Profiles

26/04/19 16:59 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
In this screencast tutorial I cover how to use Profile Manager to manage settings for your iOS devices. I walk through all of the settings that would be best managed for an iOS device and tell you what each does and how to set them up. In future screencasts I’ll cover how to do the same with macOs devices.

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macOS Mojave Server Part 8: Profile Manager Users & Groups

19/04/19 16:57 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
In this screencast tutorial I cover how to use Profile Manager to manage settings for devices used by specific users or user groups. I walk through all of the settings that would be best managed on a per user or user group basis and tell you what each does and how to set them up. In future screencasts I’ll cover how to do the same with iOS and macOs devices.

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macOS Mojave Server Part 7: Profile Manager Overview

12/04/19 16:54 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
The actual Profile Manager interface has a lot to offer in terms of managing your devices all in a web interface. It is handy to have all of your device information available in one place where you not only can view that information but take action on your devices as well and push any changes you want to make over the air without ever having to have physical access to the device.

In this screencast tutorial I do an overview of the Profile Manager Interface. I walk through each section and talk about it’s function and how it is used to manage your users and devices.

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macOS Mojave Server Part 6: Profile Manager-Mac Device Enrollment

05/04/19 16:52 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
Profile Manager gives a great way to manage your Mac or iOS devices in a great web interface. This allows you to manage these devices anywhere you can get a web browser as long as you open the proper ports on your server.

In this screencast I cover how to enroll a macOS device into profile manager on macOS Mojave Server. I cover how to install the trust profile and the remote management profiles that add your Mac devices to profile manager so you can begin managing your Macs through the MDM interface.

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macOS Mojave Server Part 5: Profile Manager-iOS Enrollment

30/03/19 16:49 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
Profile Manager gives a great way to manage your Mac or iOS devices in a great web interface. This allows you to manage these devices anywhere you can get a web browser as long as you open the proper ports on your server.

In this screencast tutorial I cover how to enroll your iOS devices into Profile Manager so you can begin to manage them through the MDM service. I cover how to install the trust profile and the remote management profiles to add your iOS devices to Profile Manager.



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Smart Home Part 11: Fuse-Home & Music Control App

16/03/19 16:47 Filed in: Technology
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In this screencast tutorial I cover an application that combines your HomeKit device control with Sonos and your Mac’s and AppleTV’s all in one application. The Fuse app uses a simple card style to create a one screen quick look at all of your smart home devices which you can control. It also includes an Apple Watch App incase you don’t have your iPhone or iPad handy.

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Smart Home Part 10: Ecobee Switch+ Install & Set Up

16/02/19 16:45 Filed in: Technology
Ecobee Switch conversation icon
In this screencast tutorial I cover the installation and set up of an Ecobee Switch+. The next in my series on home automation covers something most of us wouldn’t think would be that exciting, a light switch. This light switch however is not just a switch. It also includes a motion & occupancy sensor, a temperature sensor, a night light and Amazon Alexa with speaker built into the switch itself. Also since it is only an on/off switch it will work with smart bulbs like Phillips Hue. This is a great addition to a home automation set up.

In this screencast I cover the installation of the switch and walk through the steps to setting it up an managing it on the Ecobee App.

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macOS Mojave Server Part 4: Remote Access Set Up

09/02/19 16:42 Filed in: Technology
OS X Server
Part of having a server is to be able to access that server remotely. There are a number of ways to do that including using another application or setting up your own domain name.

In this screencast tutorial I cover how to set up your server for remote access. I walkthrough changing the hostname and setting up your DNS at your domain provider to point to your server so you can access the Profile Manager service remotely.



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