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Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

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281–290 of 410 posts

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Upload bandwidth for 95% of homes in the US is the same as it was almost 20 years ago. It’s so bad it’s not even advertised. If you have access to fiber, then you’re very lucky in the US. I would also say 5mbps upload is hardly an upgrade. A single FaceTime call uses a couple mbps, so it’s probably just enough for that, assuming everyone in the neighborhood isn’t uploading too, which they are nowadays.

Again, anecdotally, mine's gone from 1 Mbps upload to 30 in the last ~10 years or so. I don't have fiber, I've got Spectrum over the cable lines, in a small market with not much competition. (It's either Spectrum, or the local phone company's shitty DSL offering. There's one local fiber company, but only in a couple percent of households... including literally my neighbor, but not me.) Specific data on upload speeds…

I can easily tell which of one of my family has fiber internet versus not fiber internet just by the consistency and quality of our FaceTime calls. Even between the US and England, the fiber to fiber connections are far more high quality and stable than cable and other types.

The ISPs can claim whatever numbers they want, but the real test is what it feels like when you use it.

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#282

Also bidets, nintendo switches, instant yeast, powdered milk, etc. I actually snagged some wine yeast on amazon and I'm on my third loaf of bread. Bidet was the best "waste of money" I have spent in a long time. My TP usage has been slashed.

It's not "instant" but it's usually possible to collect some yeast from your kitchen. https://twitter.com/shoelaces3/status/1244252079041974272

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#283
post #264

One ProTip: You can order directly from Logitech website. Couple of weeks ago there was no stock for C922 on Amazon, but was able to purchase it direct from Logitech. Shipping was free I think and it arrived in week or so.

Worked for me too. 2.5 weeks lead for a C930e ordered middle of March.

Razer Kiyo as well, direct from Razer.

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#285

Wyze cheap security cameras released a firmware that turns them into a webcam. Still in stock. You will also need a USB a-a cable that I didn't know existed or was legal. And a 32gb microsd. I did this last week, came in one day on Amazon prime. Under $50 for everything. Setup went okay, although the 3-4 minutes for firmware write was under a minute for me with their branded microsd. Quality is passable, lens is more…

You can still buy plenty of USB cameras at normal prices -- just search for ones that aren't called "web" cams. Here are a few examples but there are literally hundreds of others.

Search for "USB camera" or "machine vision camera".

https://www.amazon.com/Spinel-Support-1920x1080-Compliant-Ad...

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Realsense-D435-Webcam-FPS/dp/B0... (bonus! it's a depth camera but it does have RGB output as well)

https://www.amazon.com/ELP-degree-megapixel-fisheye-aluminum...

Also, toilet paper is in stock at several industrial suppliers, and especially the jumbo rolls (I'm sure if you're on HN you can improvise a way to hold those). I'm not going to list specific ones here but you probably know the usual suspects if you have ordered for a company before. It's mostly sold out only at consumer outlets.

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#286
post #264

One ProTip: You can order directly from Logitech website. Couple of weeks ago there was no stock for C922 on Amazon, but was able to purchase it direct from Logitech. Shipping was free I think and it arrived in week or so.

Every webcam I checked is "out of stock due to high demand."

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#287
post #272
post #129

Similarly, I felt that I outgrew my kettlebell and tried to order a new one - absolutely impossible right now, like most other home exercise equipment. At least it's something completely non-essential. I'm just grateful that we have food in the stores at the moment.

This is a prime example of why letting prices go up to a certain degree on certain items is a good thing. Case in point: you wanted to buy a new webcam, not because you needed one, but because you felt it was time to do so. You can't, because the prices are too high. But for someone for whom a webcam is essential (think a doctor providing televisits to patients), a high price isn't as much of a deterrent (within reas…

Exactly. Without price controls, prices go up some finite amount. With price controls, things sell out which means prices have essentially gone to infinity. Which is more of a price control?

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#288
post #278

Wyze cheap security cameras released a firmware that turns them into a webcam. Still in stock. You will also need a USB a-a cable that I didn't know existed or was legal. And a 32gb microsd. I did this last week, came in one day on Amazon prime. Under $50 for everything. Setup went okay, although the 3-4 minutes for firmware write was under a minute for me with their branded microsd. Quality is passable, lens is more…

I would not touch a Wyze camera with a 10 foot pole. Given the recent enormous security breaches, the likely connections to the Chinese government, and the incredibly low price point, there are red flags waving everywhere. Read this blog series about Wyze, and then make up you mind if you are comfortable having that piece of hardware in your home. I think it is pretty clear the risks are not trivial. https://blog.12s…

Great write up. I agree I do not trust them very much and would not use them on a network that has internet access.

They are a great cheap option when using their custom RTSP firmware with synology surveillance stations. I throw them on their own SSID that is isolated from other local networks and does not have internet access. The SS can reach into their network but they can't initiate connections out.

Still they briefly need internet when setting up to enable RTSP but I'm more concerned about them being remotely accessible at anytime and having access to anything else on my network. Even my setup would allow my email and the isolated network's topo to leak bc of brief internet access.

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#289

Also bidets, nintendo switches, instant yeast, powdered milk, etc. I actually snagged some wine yeast on amazon and I'm on my third loaf of bread. Bidet was the best "waste of money" I have spent in a long time. My TP usage has been slashed.

A few friends switch to bidets a while ago and wont look back. Personally I just jump in the shower if it's that bad.

I'm particularly hairy down there (not trying to be gross), so I often worry a bidet would just make a mess a wet mess.

Re: Tell HN: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and now web cams

#290
post #286
post #264

One ProTip: You can order directly from Logitech website. Couple of weeks ago there was no stock for C922 on Amazon, but was able to purchase it direct from Logitech. Shipping was free I think and it arrived in week or so.

Every webcam I checked is "out of stock due to high demand."

They come back in stock sporadically, probably worth it to check at odd hours.
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