I’m back. It has been a few months since the last email, but WrongWords On Porpoise has not gone quiet. There have been new videos, plenty of smart-home tinkering and, naturally, a few things that did not quite go to plan.
From now on, WrongWords Weekly will arrive on Sunday evening with Friday’s video, one other useful smart-home story and anything else worth sharing from behind the scenes.
Installing a Reolink TrackMix 4K PoE camera with one hand
This week’s main video follows the complete installation of the Reolink TrackMix 4K PoE camera. That means unboxing it, getting it onto the network, mounting it outside and trying to make the waterproof connection genuinely waterproof — all while working one-handed.
The TrackMix uses two lenses at the same time: one gives you the wide view, while the second can zoom in and follow whatever has caught its attention. I tested the PTZ controls, auto-tracking, daylight footage, infrared night vision and, naturally, whether it could keep up with the dog.
The supplied waterproofing did not suit my cable run, so the installation also involved a custom 3D-printed junction box and a proper drip loop. It is exactly the sort of small detail that tends to decide whether an outdoor-camera installation stays reliable.
Watch the Reolink TrackMix installation
Home Assistant is dropping :8123 — but only for new HAOS installs
Home Assistant 2026.8 changes the default web port for new Home Assistant OS installations from 8123 to the standard HTTP port 80. In practical terms, a fresh HAOS system should open at an address such as http://homeassistant.local/, without adding :8123.
This is not a forced change to every existing installation. Home Assistant Container continues to use port 8123 by default, and an existing HAOS setup will not simply have its port changed underneath it.
- Fresh Home Assistant OS installation: port 80 by default.
- Home Assistant Container: port 8123 remains the default.
- Existing users: check before changing anything.
- If you change the port, update the URL saved in the Companion app.
- If port 80 is already occupied, Home Assistant may continue on 8123.
You can manage the HTTP server under Settings → System → Network. Home Assistant restarts after the setting is saved and gives you five minutes to confirm it; otherwise, it rolls back to the previous working configuration.
Read the official Home Assistant HTTP documentation.
Thanks for reading. If there is something you would like me to test, break or explain in a future video, you can reply to the email or leave a comment on YouTube.
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