The Case for the Post-Install Check-In

Installing new network gear can feel like crossing the finish line of a marathon. The link comes up, the lights blink happily, and there’s a strong urge to declare victory and never look back. But that’s exactly why post-install check-ins matter. An install isn’t really done when the hardware is mounted and powered on — it’s done when you know it’s behaving itself in the real world, not just during that first five-minute victory lap.

In this case, I followed up on a Ubiquiti Wave Pro link after the install, fully expecting to see a calm, stable connection living its best life. Instead, I found the link hopping frequencies like it had too much caffeine. On paper, everything looked “up,” but under the hood the radio was changing channels far more often than it should. If I hadn’t checked back in, this would have quietly turned into intermittent performance issues and finger-pointing later on.

That’s the sneaky danger of skipping follow-ups. Many problems don’t show up immediately — they creep in once the link starts dealing with real interference, weather changes, or other radios in the area. A post-install review lets you catch these early warning signs while they’re still small and fixable, instead of waiting for a user to report that “the network feels weird sometimes,” which is never a fun troubleshooting starting point.

Following up also gives you a chance to validate your original assumptions. Maybe the spectrum looked clean during the install, but reality had other plans. Maybe auto-settings are being a little too enthusiastic. Checking back confirms whether the configuration you chose is actually the right one, or if it needs tuning. It’s like going back to tighten the bolts after a test drive — boring, but extremely effective.

In the end, checking on equipment after an install isn’t about mistrusting your work — it’s about respecting physics, RF chaos, and the fact that networks love to misbehave when you’re not looking. That quick follow-up on the Wave Pro link turned a potential future outage into a simple adjustment. And honestly, that’s way better than getting a call later that starts with, “So… this has been happening for weeks.”

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Introduction: Moving Beyond Basic Benchmarking

For network engineers, relying solely on basic single-stream iPerf or simple ping output often fails to capture the true performance characteristics of a network path, especially under load. This is where FLENT (The FLExible Network Tester) comes in.

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Cudy AX3000 Review - The Setup

 

Based on some limited research, I picked up a "Cudy AX3000 Multi Gigabit Dual Band WiFi 6 Mesh Router" from amazon.

https://www.cudy.com/en-us

I wont bore you with the whole 'unboxing' speech, but there's a lot to be said for a company that packages a product that doesn't

require a class in vendor unpackaging to get to the product.

It came with an installation card, ethernet cable and power supply.

Keeping in the spirit of your typical IT install, I chose to ignore the instructions and wanted to see how far I can get without having to resort to reading the manual. ;)

 

I connected the unit's internet port to my cable modem using the provided cable and plugged my laptop into the LAN port. After about a minute, I checked my and my address was on a 192.168.10.0/24 subnet with a default gateway of 192.168.10.1.

I figured I will try to access the internet and was a little disappointed that it it didn't work and I noticed the globe with the circle/line through it. 

This is important for me to know in case i consider this for some of my clients and friends who are further than a short drive away.

I figured I will just type the router IP address into my browser to see if I can access the router, or if I will be forced to download an app.  Cool, the browser loaded this page.

Its nice to see the vendor forcing you to change/create an admin password with some suggestions on creating a strong password.

I created my new password and was then prompted with a setup/captive portal.

Again, its important to me to know that until you create your password and go through the install screens, you will not have internet access.

Since my set up was DHCP based, I basically clicked by about half a dozen screens and completed the install.

As a side note, I found it interesting that the router had a few setup options that could help me out in the future.

Wireless access point in particular would be cool.  Currently, if I need a wireless access point and only have a residential router available, I disable DHCP and use the Lan port to connect to the current network.

After the install, I ran a quick Wireshark capture and noticed it was sending out IGMP packets.

I've seen IGMP enabled on a lot of residential routers and get annoyed when there isn't a way to disable IGMP. I figured "what the heck" lets see if Cudy allows me to disable it. I was pleasantly surprised when I quickly found the setting and disabled it.

The only other thing I did was change the SSID's and passwords.

Here's an interesting note: I chose to disable auto firmware updates so I could do it myself. I intentionally downloaded the incorrect firmware and was impressed that it did not blindly accept it. 

 The only thing worth noting was that after the firmware upgrade the password for my 2.4ghz SSID was a series of randomized characters, so I simply changed it back.  I only noticed because some IOT devices reported being offline after the firmware upgrade.

As far as WiFi performance goes, it did outperform my previous lab wireless router by 50 Mbps up and down as well as added some solid coverage to 2 spotty areas.

I tried to keep the first write up short and plan to do more based on different features and scenarios, so let me know if you like this format.  

For example, the next thing I want to set up is the various flavors of VPN server, VPN client and VPN tunneling, bandwidth control...

amazon.com link: https://amzn.to/3N7pooH

amazon.ca link: https://amzn.to/3YZoCg5

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Cyber Leaders Podcast

Free Stanford AI Course - Computer Vision (CS231N)

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If you’re fascinated by the technology that enables computers to “see” and understand images, this Stanford CS231n: Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition YouTube playlist is a must-watch treasure trove of knowledge. This curated series of lecture videos brings to life one of the most influential deep learning courses ever created — the one that helped shape modern computer vision. Whether you’re a student, engineer, or AI enthusiast, you’ll find content that’s both inspiring and deeply informative. 

What sets this playlist apart is the balance of rigorous academic insight and hands-on practical examples. Taught by Stanford professors who helped pioneer the field of deep learning for vision, the lectures take you step-by-step through core concepts like convolutional neural networks (CNNs), image classification, localization, object detection, and much more. You’ll gain both the theory and intuition behind the models that power today’s advanced computer vision systems — from autonomous vehicles to facial recognition and beyond. 

One of the greatest benefits of this YouTube playlist is its flexibility. You can learn at your own pace, revisit complex topics whenever you need, and follow along with real code examples and visual demonstrations. There are no deadlines, no tuition, and no rigid classroom structure — just world-class deep learning instruction available to you anytime, anywhere. It’s like having a Stanford computer vision class on demand. 

In a world increasingly driven by visual data and intelligent systems, mastering CNNs is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Whether you’re building your first project or preparing for a career in AI, this playlist gives you the conceptual foundation and practical confidence to succeed. Dive in today and explore the frontiers of computer vision with some of the leading minds in the field. 

Link to video

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HTTPS certificate industry phasing out less secure domain validation methods

Why Your EdgeRouter Deserves Proper Name Resolution

If you’ve ever stared at your equipment logs trying to figure out which mystery IP address belongs to which device, you already know the pain. Enabling name resolution turns that mess of numbers into actual, human-readable names. Suddenly, instead of “192.168.1.37 did something suspicious,” you see “printer-that-shouldn’t-be-talking-at-3am.” It’s an instant quality-of-life upgrade that makes troubleshooting faster and a lot less rage-inducing.

I did some homework on the Ubiquiti Edgerouters that i manage and found something cool. That’s where **dnsmasq** really earns its keep. It acts as a lightweight DNS and DHCP helper that automatically ties IP addresses to hostnames. Devices grab an address, dnsmasq remembers the name, and your router logs suddenly make sense. No more keeping a separate spreadsheet titled “IPs I Hope I Remember.” It’s like giving your EdgeRouter a cheat sheet for your own network. It also helps resolve names for devices that are not configured in your DNS server like cameras and printers.

Another big win is troubleshooting speed. When name resolution is enabled, firewall logs, traffic stats, and diagnostic tools become way more readable. Instead of mentally translating IPs back to devices, you can immediately see who’s doing what. That means less time decoding numbers and more time actually fixing the problem—or pretending you fixed it and going for coffee.

Best of all, enabling name resolution with dnsmasq is one of those rare networking tasks that delivers big results for very little effort. A small config change makes your network easier to manage, easier to explain, and easier on your sanity. Your EdgeRouter already knows what’s going on; dnsmasq just helps it talk to you in plain English instead of fluent IP-address-ese.

In the video below, I use Wireshark to learn and confirm if the config change actually works.

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What is 5G Network Slicing

 

From the NETSCOUT blog “What Is Network Slicing” explains how network slicing—a cornerstone capability of 5G networks—creates multiple isolated, logical networks over a single physical infrastructure to meet diverse service demands like ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and massive device connectivity, unlocking new business opportunities and optimized experiences for enterprises and consumers alike. 

The post breaks down how network slicing works across radio access, core, and data domains, highlights key use cases (from IoT to gaming to autonomous systems), and underscores its benefits in generating revenue, improving service quality, and reducing costs. NETSCOUT also showcases its 5G solutions that provide visibility, automation, and SLA assurance for managing and scaling these slices, encouraging organizations to leverage this transformative technology for competitive advantage.

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