Posts

WiFi Monitor System

WiFi Monitor System Overview The WiFi Monitor System is an automated solution designed to monitor and maintain reliable WiFi connectivity in office environments, particularly for guest WiFi networks that may be unreliable. This system continuously checks WiFi connectivity and automatically power cycles the WiFi equipment when issues are detected, minimizing downtime and manual intervention. Problem Statement Many offices experience issues with their guest WiFi networks: Intermittent connectivity problems Need for frequent manual router/access point reboots Disruption to guests and staff requiring WiFi access IT staff time wasted on repetitive troubleshooting tasks Solution This automated monitoring system:

Sunday, April 20, 2025 | 4 minutes Read

Printer Monitor: Because Printers Are Out to Get Us

Printer Monitor: Because Printers Are Out to Get Us No one wants to be the printer whisperer—especially for low-cost, unmanaged printers. After one too many toner emergencies (always at 4:59 PM on a Friday), I decided to automate the pain away. If you’re tired of being the “toner psychic,” this Python script is for you. Why? Printers are needy, dramatic, and love to run out of toner at the worst possible moment.

Monday, April 14, 2025 | 4 minutes Read

Replacing Excel with a SharePoint List for Inventory Management

Introduction Managing a small inventory in Excel can be convenient at first—but as the inventory grows, Excel often becomes more of a bottleneck than a solution. I recently decided to shift from an Excel-based approach to a SharePoint List for better flexibility, multi-user access, and integration potential with APIs (like Dell’s warranty service). In this post, I’ll walk you through: Why I moved from Excel to SharePoint How I set up the SharePoint List Automating warranty checks with the Dell API Lessons learned and future ideas 1.

Monday, April 7, 2025 | 3 minutes Read

Repairing my Sena 20S Evo: Battery Replacement & Right to Repair

Repairing my Sena 20S Evo: Battery Replacement & Right to Repair When my Sena 20S Evo finally refused to power on, I realized I had to replace its battery. Sena didn’t make the job easy. 5 small screws, a knob, and a gluded in battery made it a challenge. I ordered a replacement battery from Amazon: 802540-Motorcycles Bluetooth Replacement Intercom Battery This video really helped me out: How to Replace Sena 20S Evo Battery

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | 2 minutes Read

Setting Up Docker and Jenkins on Raspberry Pi

Step-by-step guide to set up a Raspberry Pi to run Docker and Jenkins. Install and Configure Docker Configure Jenkins to Run in a Docker image Create a file named “Dockerfile.jenkins with the following content and change the group ID to the Docker group Add the following to the Jenkins file Build and run the Docker image

Thursday, February 20, 2025 | 1 minute Read

New-TimeSpan

I was investigating an issue with our identity provider and out of date passwords the other day. I needed to do a date comparison to find accounts with expired passwords. In the past I’d used (Get-Date).AddDays() and done an evaluation. It works, but to me the code is hard to read. I stumbled on the New-Timespan cmdlet which creates a timespan object. Creating a timespan object and referencing the days property is so much easier to read when you look at the code.

Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 1 minute Read

Delegation

I’ve been working on a canvas app to track and manage major IT projects. The app uses a SharePoint list as a datasource. Our executives also use the app and the PowerBI dashboard to review projects that require executive approval in the form of what we call our Change Advisory Board (CAB). I recieved feedback from a member of our CAB. “It would be nice to separate out the completed projects from all the other projects.

Sunday, March 13, 2022 | 2 minutes Read

Hiding a Button

Problem You only want certain people to use a button on an app. The button can be for navigation, or an action. It doesn’t matter. Solution Use an Azure Active Directory group to control who can use see the button. This makes managing permissions for the button very easy. You don’t need to change the app, change the group membership. Components Azure AD Group with members Azure AD Group Object ID Some onStart code A button you only want certain people to see Office 365 Groups Connector Office 365 Users Connector Azure AD Create an Azure AD Group Add members Make a note of the ObjectID Sample Group

Tuesday, February 1, 2022 | 2 minutes Read

Barcode Canvas App

Problem Barcodes are everywhere, and I needed a barcode scanner. So I made one. Solution This app started out as a single screen app where I could scan and email myself a barcode. It worked for the couple of odd times I needed a barcode off a piece of hardware. After getting a pile of equipment, scanning each item and sending an email approach wasn’t cutting it. I added a screen to my app for collecting many barcodes and emailing the result in an html table.

Saturday, January 8, 2022 | 2 minutes Read

Bingo Canvas App

Problem Not really a problem. Just an interesting mini project. The office holiday party is a virtual affair this year. Our leadership wanted to play Bingo to give away some extra gifts. Our web filter blocks pretty much anything that would host an online Bingo game, so I knocked out a Bingo Canvas App. Solution Canvas App based on American Bingo Random board is generated each time “New Game” is clicked.

Wednesday, December 15, 2021 | 2 minutes Read

PowerAutomate with Twilio Integration for Electricity Outages.

Problem We have a job site where power outages occur more often than we’d like. The site engineer and other key staff members need to know when the power fluctuates while they work out a more robust back up power system for their construction requirements. Naturally, we have an APC UPS on site for our network equipment. Why not use that as a monitoring device and get messages to our enginners.

Friday, November 5, 2021 | 2 minutes Read

SMS Notification PowerApp with Twilio Integration

SMS Notification PowerApp with Twilio Integration Problem Obayashi has a subscription to an SMS Emergency Notification platform. Access to the platform costs Obyashi approximately $5000 per year even if no messages are ever sent. That’s five thousand to reserve the right to use the platform. I was asked to take a look at different platforms to reduce cost. Solution I built a PowerApp that uses a Twilio connector. We pay for the messages that we use at a rate of 0.

Monday, June 1, 2020 | 2 minutes Read