A common issue when running the Homeserver firmware on a generic Debian system is that KNX multicast communication (224.0.23.12:3671) only starts working after manually restarting the service via: sudo systemctl restart hs_starter This happens because hs_admin is launched too early during boot—before the network interface is fully initia...
Running Gira Homeserver 4.11 on a Dell Optiplex FX160
This guide walks you through installing the Gira Homeserver 4.11 firmware on a Dell Optiplex FX160, based on a forum thread (original in German) at [RoelBroersma.nl Forums]. It reflects my personal experience and modifications—use it at your own risk. 1. Install Debian (Base System) Use Debian 13 AMD64. Download the netinstall ISO and...
How to Remove the Unwanted Dot in the Header of the Clever Fox Theme
If you're using the Clever Fox WordPress theme and noticing an unexpected dot at the end of text elements in the header area (like "Email Us." or "Online 24x7."), this is likely due to how the theme outputs text in the above-header.php file. In that file, the theme uses PHP’s printf() function with a format string that includes a period, lik...
KNX Smart Home 2.0 – A Decade Later
Over ten years ago, I wrote about my first experience with KNX home automation when building our previous house. Now, as we embark on a new construction project, I am once again committed to implementing KNX but this time with even more features and a refined approach. The new construction project - Quinta do Brejo Why KNX Again? ...
Customizing the SpicePress Theme for My Blog
After a recent theme update, I lost all my customizations. To avoid this happening again and to document the changes properly, I decided to write everything down for myself and for you. SpicePress is a great WordPress theme, but I wanted to make some customizations to better fit my blog's design and functionality. In this post, I'll go over ...
Setting Up a Freifunk Offloader on Hyper-V
For x86-generic systems, there are firmware images available that need to be installed. The version used in this setup is: 2020.2.3.3-1264 / gluon-v2020.2.3-14-g2ea83c44+ After reading through various forum posts and trying different configurations, I finally managed to set up a Freifunk Offloader on a Hyper-V virtual machine. My goal was...
Removing the ColorMag Theme Copyright and Adding Custom Footer Links
I manage the Wählergemeinschaft Wrist website on a voluntary basis, as well as the Gemeinde Wrist website. For the Wählergemeinschaft site, which uses the ColorMag theme, I needed to remove the default footer credits and replace them with a custom copyright notice and relevant links. Since ColorMag does not provide a built-in option for free...
Handling Calendar Import Issues: From Excel to iPhone via ICS and Google Calendar
Managing calendar events across different platforms can be tricky, especially when formats and standards don’t align perfectly. Recently, I ran into an issue converting Excel events into a calendar format compatible with an iPhone. Here's the journey and the workaround that finally worked. The ChallengeI started with event data in an Excel f...
TUTORIAL UPDATE: Installing TVHeadend on Ubuntu 22.04
Based on the previous post TUTORIAL: Installing TVHeadend on Ubuntu 20.04 LTSR The TVHeadend needed an update, so I updated the entire system to Ubuntu 22.04. I found help for this in a forum. To save you the trouble of reading through it, I'll summarize the solution briefly. For this, we need the file libdvbcsa.patch. Now, enter the f...
TUTORIAL: Installing TVHeadend on Ubuntu 20.04 LTSR
Continuing with the installation of the TVHeadend server on an Ubuntu machine. But before I describe the installation process, I wanted to provide some background information. For a long time, I've wanted to have a satellite dish at home so that satellite TV can be viewed in every room. In 2014, I installed coaxial cables in every room of th...
