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561: UniFi-ed by Chaos: Adventures in Ubiquiti Network Warfare

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  • Discussing the new MacBook Air M3 and its migration process

  • Highlighting the improvements in data transfer speeds

  • Network hardware lifespan and how to recommend upgrades to clients

  • Signs to look for to determine if network hardware needs to be upgraded

  • Discussing the benefits of Wifi 7

  • Common challenges faced during network upgrades and how to address them

  • Exploring Ubiquiti UniFi products including the Flex Switch and Switch Ultra

  • The client needed to replace an access point with a switch and an access point.

  • The client also had a builder working on their house who reset the network devices, causing additional problems.

  • The issue was resolved after the network devices were reconfigured.

  • Learned that the client should not touch the network devices and to label them accordingly.

  • Unifi devices were discussed. There are pros and cons to pre-configuring the devices on site vs on location. ░

560: Interview with Justin Esgar of ACES Conference - May 15th - 16th 2024

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Thank you to our VIP sponsors!

▶️ New: watch on YouTube!

Topics:

-Today we welcome Justin Esgar of Virtual Computers and The ACES Conference.

-Justin gives us his full review of Vision Pro.

-Joe gets practical about flying with a Vision Pro.

-Justin recommends a book called MSP Secrets Revealed (he happens to be in it as well).

-He does not recommend crying while wearing a Vision Pro.

-Our show now uses Streamyard, which Justin highly recommends.

-ACES Conference is back live!

-This is not a technical conference. Rather, it’s more about improving the ways we run and profit from our MSP practices.

-Justin tells us about many of the great names that will be in attendance, as well as Apple and other sponsors.

-Super Ops is giving away an Apple Vision Pro at ACES Conference!

-There will be great swag given away and, as Joe mentions, the hallway sessions.

-This is the 10th ACES Conference!

-Justin tells us why he started, and continues to run this conference.

-All sponsors have some requirements from Justin - no roadmaps.

-Make yourself accountable when you are there. Make the best use of your time.

-We talk about the ACES Mastermind Program. They group meets regularly to help each other accelerate growth of their businesses.

-Use the code commandcontrolpower for 10% off the ACES Conference!

-They are also offering a travel stipend. If your cost of travel is $650 or more ACES will help make it more accessible to be there.

-If the content doesn’t draw you in, come for the skiing!

-Both Joe and Adam Rice have their anniversaries during ACES.

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

551: Triumphs, Twists, and Unexpected Joys

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Topics:

-We have recently completed our rates survey. Stay tuned for more information.

-Jerry wants to know what has changed about our businesses for the better.

-Recurring fees have been a tremendous change for him.

-He also purchases a 2023 Mac Mini to filter out his spam emails. He uses SpamSieve to filter out junk mail.

-MacAdmins Slack has a for sale channel.

-Jerry also uses the new Mac mini for home automation.

-Joe & Sam discuss their automations as well.

-For 2024, Sam has been leaning into automation (no reference to the above). Using tools like Setup Your Mac, coupled with a setup guide, has made new user setup virtually hands off for IT.

-Another great open source tool called SYM Helper has made the script configuration much, much easier.

-Joe has some excellent points about certain features that would be great to be a function of MDM and not things we have to find open source solutions for.

-Because of confusion of updates vs full version upgrades, Joe & Sam had to disable their Nudge update prompts.

-Sam had a real problem with AWS VPN on Sonoma that he could not sort out. Once he did, he packaged up the solution and placed it in Self Service for users to correct themselves.

-Joe mentions how he permanently closed his office.

-Joe uses a recovery company called Data Savers, which Jerry has never heard of.

-Both Jerry & Joe have affiliate sites for some of their partner programs. Sam needs to purchase some domains…

544: Interview With Adam Burg - Owner Of CALSO Technologies LLC

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Topics:

-This week we welcome Adam Burg, founder of CALSO Technologies and Command Control Power Patreon sponsor.

-Adam shares the story of his consulting career.

-CALSO is an acronym for the members of his family.

-Partnering with key vendors made it simpler to manage his clients.

-They manage clients as small as 2 up to 50 users.

-MDM, email backup & archiving are key components to his MSP stack.

-The MacAdmins Slack is a major source of help. Adam can be found as MacDadmin.

-Adam hosts the Los Angeles Mac Admins Meetup.

-Adam’s kids love the Command Control Power theme songs.

-“There’s no substitute for being there”. -Joe Saponare

-Adam talks about his team, including his wife, who is a co-owner, and a contractor/employee that he relies on heavily.

-Taking a job can sometimes mean you need to rely on others that have the expertise to get the job done.

-Adam talks about traveling with the family on work trips, and finding time to get away on hikes.

540: Interview With Mike Bombich of CEO and Developer of Carbon Copy Cloner

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Topics:

-We are pleased to welcome Mike Bombich, creator of Carbon Copy Cloner.

-He tells a story of losing data that inspired his creation of Carbon Copy Cloner.

-Mike spent 8 years as a creative with Apple.

-CCC was initially donation-ware.

-He never wanted to put any barrier between you and your data.

-macOS Big Sur started the downfall of bootable backups.

-Mike talks about how that affected CCC and his customers.

-We talk about Time Machine’s reliability and alternatives to built in solutions.

-Mike is not a fan of backing up to disk images.

-Jerry talks about the new Quick Updates feature of CCC.

-Mike talks about his feelings on cloud storage.

-Migration Assistant is another hot topic and we get into methods of restoration.

-Mike has always had a concern about releasing software that can delete data.

-We love the fish (it’s a tuna!) that guides us to privacy settings.

-He shares a bug from the Mojave days that affects helper tools, that has now been corrected in Ventura.

-Carbon Cooy Cloner’s update will not be subscription based.

-Check out the latest release of Carbon Cooy Cloner and the list of new features.

538: Welcome All Pings

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Topics:

-The Andy Esposito story from an ACEs conference event long ago is the gift that keeps on giving.

-Jerry gives a shout out to our friends at TidBITS Content Network.

-Dave Hamilton of Mac Geek Gab mentioned blazing fast ThunderBolt cables from Leirui. Available on Amazon.

-Joe has some personal experience with Nudge and AppleScript automation from macsudo.com.

-Joe wants to do some follow up on all the automations within Addigy…when he has time.

-Sam made a mistake deploying Nudge and found out the result the hard way.

-The power of beta testers is crucial. A small group of tech savvy employees that can vet your deployments.

-Sam has some experience with UniFi’s Cloud Controller and shares some of what he has learned.

-Ryan Grimes gave Joe some tips on keeping tabs on UniFi alerts using Uptime Robot.

-LTE backup ISP options are critical when another ISP isn’t available for a business.

535: PART 2 - Interview With Lucas Acosta Founder & CEO of Foojee

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Topics:

-This week we continue our conversation with Lucas Acosta of Foojee.

-Sam asks Lucas about keeping that drive going.

-Interesting thought - the CEO is not allowed any quarterly goals…

-Identifying roles & responsibilities are crucial for  Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to work, keeping the visionary in check.

-Lucas takes us through the level of importance of the integrator.

-Burn out is a real thing. And sometimes we deserve a break after all that we put in.

-Client referrals are incredibly important and sometimes we have to flat out ask for them.

-Apple Store communication is an involved process so we get into how to cultivate that relationship.

-A custom landing page for Apple Store employees is a solid idea to run with.

-You can interact with Lucas on MacAdmins Slack or by going to lucasacosta.com.

526: Stay In Your Lane

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Thank you to our VIP sponsors!

Topics:

-Jerry talks about a break/fix client that stores Time Machine backups on a Synology.

-A discussion ensues about how to charge a client that needs you out of the blue and what your expertise is worth.

-We get into changes in the Dropbox API and its behavior.
https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes

-An odd issue really confounds Sam with a SonicWall firewall and Ubiquiti PoE switches.

-Joe runs into a snag with devices adoption in the UniFi portal.

-Joe has some thoughts on remotely rebooting modems and managing using a WattBox

-Some feedback on using the UniFi LTE as a backup ISP connection.

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

520: My Precious

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Topics:

-Jerry takes issue with the way Joe & Sam covet their calendars.

-Each of us either use Calendly or Harmonizely.

-We discuss the latest in Apple certifications and listing on the ACN locator.

-The two courses and exams are Apple Device Support and Deployment & Management.

-All of us are intrigued with Apple Messages for Business. Cost seems to be a barrier for entry.

-You can have SMS hosted by a different company than you use for voice.

453: The Case Of The Weeping Wall Wart

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Thank you to our VIP sponsors!

Topics:

-After attempting some remote upgrades, Joe found himself in a difficult situation. Thanks to an article from Mr. Macintosh, he was able to get out of a jam.

-Addigy has a fix in their community scripts to correct this issue before upgrades are performed.

-As Sam contemplates a fully remote support solution, Jerry talks about the pain points of doing so.

-One of Sam’s clients encounters a strange copy/paste issue and he quizzes the crew.

-Long time friend of the show, Tim Nyberg talks about how removing excess files in /var/folders can actually improve computer performance as well.

-Sam remotely onboards a new customer and finds a user with a non-standard setup. He had to come up with a creative way to resolve the situation.

-An OG client of Sam’s has a “media cabinet” with some pretty old school equipment.

-Jerry had a “wall wart” that needed mounting in a basement. He uses some heavy duty velcro to keep it up on the wall.

Thank you to our Patreon sponsors!

365: Interview With Richard Wingfield Of Envision Design

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Thank you to our VIP Sponsors!

Special Thanks to our friends:

Command Control Power has donated one month's Patreon income from Command Control Power to these three charities: Black Lives Matter, Communities United Against Police Brutality, and Campaign Zero. Please consider a donation if you would like to support one or more of these organizations.

Topics:

rbw+avatar+6x6.jpg

-This week we welcome back Richard Wingfield, Head Geek at Envision Design in Houston, TX.

-Richard has talent in photography and has taken a picture a day on Instagram @rbwaia

-Joe recommends a guided meditation app on iOS called Waking Up by Sam Harris.

-Sam has experienced float tanks as a form of meditation and relaxation.

-Working to calm your “monkey mind” can take practice.

-Currently, Envision is only working with their clients in a remote capacity.

-On the topic of photography, Joe mentions the Front Steps Project in Neeham, MA.

-Richard discusses some of his key components in working with his clients in a managed services capacity, like Synology, Dropbox, Barracuda, etc.

-As more of our clients work from home, we discover just how many only use their iPhone as a hotspot or those who are just stealing their neighbor’s wifi.

-Most of Richard’s clients have been respectful of not having his team in and much of their staff is still mostly remote as well.

-He did have one that needed onsite work to set up surveillance system for a client that just completed a new space as the pandemic hit.

-Sam has a client that has had a very tough time with video conferencing, even though their network and ISP speeds are very stable.

-Richard had suggested a device called Domotz to Sam, to investigate network related issues at his client. Richard installs Domotz at all of his clients as part of his services to them. Domotz has a hardware device that can be installed but even more handy is their Synology app.

-Domotz charges $19/month per site and includes a powerful feature set for reporting, network topology, and device priority.

-Richard put considerable effort into making billing changes in his company. In part, it was in response to clients not understanding what his monthly charges were for. In these changes, he split out costs for actual support time, called Consulting & Support and costs for items they may resell, called Software & Services.

-These changes to his billing procedure helped, especially when clients may look to shop around.

-Richard talks about minimum standards for signing and working with any new client.

-Some clients only learn after something happens.

-Syncing is not backup!

-As a gesture to his clients, Richard and his company gave many hours on top of MSP support to assist remote setups.

-Give a listen to Richard Wingfield’s new podcast, The Black Hole Cafe. He records the show with his daughter and the first episode is dedicated to coffee: https://www.theblackholecafe.com

348: More Fiddleable Time

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Topics:

-Command Control Power needs your support. If you feel like the show has benefited you and your business, please consider supporting us on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/cmdctrlpwr

-Jerry has a real head scratcher with a new client who had files disappearing from the desktop. He tried various fixes, including the keyboard shortcut to show hidden files: Command + Shift + Period. As it turns out, it was Parallels Desktop that had a toggle to hide items on the desktop. Face Palm!

-The next thing Jerry had to deal with was, how much should he charge?

-PSA from one of our listerners - 10.15.3 appears to correct the bug of data loss in Apple Mail. Thanks to Claire @ Passion Support for bringing it to our attention

-Another listener and “verified oldster” Glenn Kowalski describes the details behind some older network terminology like AppleTalk & LocalTalk

-Joe describes some helpful details about local IP address reporting within Watchman Monitoring

-Joe describes his frustrations with diagnosing logs on macOS

-Shout out to our friends at The TidBITS Content Network for their invaluable contributions

-Joe shares a story from listener Tim Nyberg of The Mac Guys where a client fell for a painfully obvious scam

-Jerry has a positive experience to share setting up Eero in a residential environment

-With mesh networks, Joe also leans towards Eero for ease of setup and maintenance.  But he does have concerns about privacy and ownership by Amazon

-The Eero Pro portal to manage all of your clients is a nice benefit to centrally manage things like updates and adding devices. https://pro.eero.com

274: Back To The Future

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A Special Thanks To Our VIP Patreon Sponsors

Topics:

-We take a trip down memory lane as we go back to a very early set of interviews from Apple Advanced Camp in Austin, TX 2013

-We also have a listener contribution from our friend from the Netherlands, Remie Cremers

 

Thank you to our Patreon Sponsors!

Thank you to our Patreon Sponsors!

271: If You Think I Am Done, I Am Not

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Topics:

-In a rarity, Joe and Sam are recording without Jerry

-Joe is in the state of Washington and they discuss the possibility of meeting up on the west coast

-With all of the security features and changes with new hardware, the guys discuss the need to get your hands on current hardware to make sure you as a consultant are familiar with changes in behavior.

-Sam has a saga to share about issues related to his own computer.  He spins a yarn to take listeners through every gory detail, including:

  • Reinstall from recovery

  • Using dscl to create users

  • Recreating/deleting .AppleSetupDone

  • Choosing Spanish as the language

  • Recreating the user account

  • Changed UID back to 501

  • Deleted /var/folders/zz

-Sam wonders if Joe has realized that he had forgotten something in preparation for his trip

Patience is a virtue.  Or at least it's a learned skill in our business.  End users don't always know when to "wait it out" and let a process complete.

-Joe was having an issue importing contacts for a client and fields that were not supported in Exchange.  Another issue was making a contact listed by company instead of First Name/Last Name.

268: Peaves Or Gripes?

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This week we are proud to be sponsored by FLEXdesk, an offering from our friends at Rooted Consulting.  FLEXdesk - Help Desk support that grows with you

Topics:

-Joe has some questions about content caching and working with multiple WAN IP addresses.  Sam makes an attempt at discussing while on the road.

-Sam encounters an issue when attempting to download a full macOS High Sierra installer.  With content caching enabled on another computer, the App Store only downloaded a small 15 MB file.  Only when turning content caching off would it download the full installer.

-Jerry is in the midst of a remodel in his home office so he talks about the struggles of being uprooted and moving equipment

-He recommends theTP-Link PowerLine Adapters as a good alternative to ethernet when that’s not possible:https://amzn.to/2N6vX6P

-After Jerry was talking about how an Apple TV reset worked to correct issues, Joe suggests a change in our motto to “Have you tried resetting it?” 

-Joe recommends these fans he found on Amazon for spot cooling.  He specifically uses the AC Infinity Multifan
S2: https://amzn.to/2NcQhmP
S7: https://amzn.to/2uo5t8U

-Quick tip from Jerry about a client that took their Mac into the Apple Store and were told that it needed a new logic board.  He saves the day by unplugging the battery and the client is ecstatic that it turned on again.

-A reminder from Jerry to have your clients put reviews on Google or Yelp

-Joe has some Safari gripes to talk about.  At times, when clicking on a link in Apple Mail, it will open a new tab in one of his minimized windows in the Dock.  Jerry wonders if it’s more of a peeve than a gripe.

-Another annoyance is making exceptions to invalid certificates in https sites.  He also noticed that the password dialogue box is for the current logged in user’s credentials.  Sam thinks this is because it is placing an exception in the user’s keychain.  Jerry wonders if it’s a router’s config page with an expired certificate.  An older version of Firefox is the workaround.

-Joe attempts to hold Sam to his keychain thought and he cannot verify as he is careening down the highway at high speeds

-A connection to John Gruber and Daring Fireball - he declares the Menu Bar as the Mac’s greatest invention.  Joe says Command+Tab is the greatest keyboard invention.  Sam wonders what came first, Command+Tab or Windows key+Tab?