There’s an interesting concept behind any problem: you never really solve all your problems – they’re always there. What actually happens is this: by solving one, you inevitably create another, just in a higher dimension.
Take being overweight for example. You decide to fix it by joining a gym. Solved? Not quite. Now you need to find the right gym. Then adjust your schedule. Then pick a program. Then stick to a routine. Then maybe hire a coach. That leads you into nutrition, then sleep, then recovery… and so on. It never ends. It just evolves.
So here I am. I solved my website monitoring problem – great. But now I’ve created a new one: how do I keep my server running 24/7 to ensure continuous monitoring?
To be honest, I’m probably fine just running it from my home lab, but that’s nowhere near 99.999% availability. And the biggest risk? Power outages. I’ve already had a few this year. Before, I didn’t see the need for a UPS – my local-only home automation setup could tolerate the occasional reboot. But now, with a continuous ping going out every minute, I need an uninterrupted server plugged to UPS.
My Home Assistant Pi is upstairs in the office. My WiFi hub is downstairs in the living room. For ping to work – I need both. Result? I need two UPS units. Great!
I went with the CyberPower CP900EPFCLCD – actually picked up two of them. They look stunning, small and not bulky, with all cables neatly at the back and a slick front panel that blends into my interior perfectly.
The device is relatively small, but I’m only powering a Pi and a switch from one unit, and my WiFi hub along with the internet router from the other. Power draw is minimal – around 10 to 15 watts – and even with such a low footprint, both UPS units can easily sustain a power outage for over an hour. That’s more than enough for me, especially since I’ve never experienced an outage that long.
So, i solved another problem… and yep, by doing so I have created a new one. Now I need to monitor both UPS units and gracefully shut down the Pi when power goes out. I also have to be notified when that happens. But that’s a story for my next blog post.
So, I’ve now added a few more “nines” after the dot in my uptime… but the next challenge awaits: how do I monitor it? This UPS has a USB interface, and I need to somehow figure out how to feed that data into my HAOS Pi for further processing, stats and automation.
Oh man, I just love how one solution leads to the next problem – then another solution, then another challenge. It’s exciting, inspiring, and honestly just awesome to keep building on what’s already there. Don’t stop. Keep pushing forward. Explore new areas, expand your knowledge and experience, and just play with all this tech stuff… all while delivering real, tangible results that actually matter. Totally love it!
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