Aiper Experts Duo Review: Worth the Upgrade?
I replaced my Poolvergnuegen suction-side cleaner with the Aiper Experts Duo robotic pool cleaner (Scuba V3 + EcoSurfer S2). Unboxing, first-week results. Continue reading →
David Mello
Breaker of software, geek, meme enthusiast. Writing about software testing, smart home devices, and more.
Latest posts
Gable Attic Fan Replacement, 3 Years Later
Replacing a seized gable attic fan: why intake venting matters most, CentricAir vs QuietCool, and three years of real attic temperature and humidity data. Continue reading →
How to Improve Portable AC Efficiency, Updated
Portable AC efficiency fixes ranked by cost and effort: duct insulation, the intake hose most people skip, window sealing, and when to upgrade to a mini-split. Continue reading →
UniFi 5G Backup: Great Hardware, Bad Plans
Ubiquiti's new 5G backup hardware is genuinely good. The bundled data plans are not. Here's what plans actually work, including an unlimited option for $14.95/month. Continue reading →
Prompt Engineering I Didn't Know I Was Doing
A StarEast tutorial put names to prompt engineering techniques I was already using and filled in gaps with a practical prompt template for test engineers. Continue reading →
Playwright AI Testing on a Budget: Locators vs. Computer Vision — StarEast 2026
Playwright's MCP server can burn your AI budget fast. StarEast 2026 lessons on efficient AI testing, and why locators still beat computer vision. Continue reading →
Getting Dirty with AI Testing: A StarEast 2026 Trip Report on Evals, Vibe Coding, and Prompt Engineering
StarEast 2026 trip report: what a hands-on AI testing tutorial taught me about prompt engineering, evals, and building an AI chatbot as Count Dracula. Continue reading →
Beyond Brittle Selectors: AI Vision Testing vs Playwright MCP — StarEast 2026
Brittle selectors slowing your team down? My notes from StarEast 2026 on AI vision testing vs Playwright MCP — and where to start. Continue reading →
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Review: 6 Years of Real-World Use
A 6-year hands-on Ecobee 3 review from a Florida homeowner — occupancy detection, remote sensors, humidity control, and whether the cost is worth it after years of real use. Continue reading →
How to Test AI Chatbots and Agents: A Real-World QA Engagement
Testing an AI chatbot with Promptfoo and Playwright: oracle problem, guardrail testing, bias detection, and accessibility — lessons from a real two-week engagement. Continue reading →
What Would You Stop Doing When UI Tests Are Flaky?
Most QA engineers answer this interview question confidently wrong. Here's what "What would you stop doing when UI tests are flaky?" is actually testing and what an experienced answer sounds like. Continue reading →
Is UniFi Talk Worth It? 4-Year Review with the UTP-Touch
At $9.99/mo, UniFi Talk replaced my ISP VoIP service, cut my bill by $20/mo, and eliminated robocalls entirely. Four-year review covering setup, number porting, the UTP-Touch phone, and what to know before switching. Continue reading →
How to Handle Failing Tests Caused by a Known Bug
When a test fails due to a known bug that can't be fixed immediately, commenting it out is the wrong move. Here's the right pattern, with skip syntax for every major test framework. Continue reading →
Automated API Testing with Schemathesis: Let Your OpenAPI Spec Do the Work
Schemathesis automates API testing by generating test cases directly from your OpenAPI spec — covering edge cases, schema violations, and server errors you'd never think of or have the time to write manually. Continue reading →
Playwright Accessibility Testing: What axe and Lighthouse Miss
axe and Lighthouse miss 60–70% of WCAG violations. Learn the limitations of automated accessibility testing and how to write smarter Playwright tests. Continue reading →
DIY Garage Door Insulation: Does EPS Foam Actually Work? (FLIR Proof)
Added a $138 EPS foam insulation kit to my Florida garage door and tested it with a FLIR thermal camera. Real before-and-after results, weight and spring considerations, and how it changed my mini-split's performance year-round. Continue reading →
AI in Test Automation: Real Limitations vs. User Error
Not every AI testing complaint is a real tool limitation. Some are skill gaps dressed up as criticism. This article goes through the most common ones and gives each a verdict — with practical mitigations for the ones that are legitimate. Continue reading →
DIY Solar Ground Mount IntegraRack Review
Step-by-step DIY solar ground mount installation using the IntegraRack IR-15 and AnchorSpike system — no concrete pad required. Real-world review from South Florida one year later, including wiring in series, shading lessons learned, and hurricane prep. Continue reading →
Airspool Solar Mini-Split AC Garage Install Review
Airspool solar mini-split review from a South Florida garage install. DIY installation guide, real performance data, financial payback math, and one year later results. Continue reading →
Is ISTQB Worth It? A Hiring Manager's Honest Take
After interviewing and evaluating over a hundred QA engineers, testers, and quality assurance professionals, here's what ISTQB certification actually signals — and what it doesn't. Continue reading →
Best Websites for Practicing Test Automation
Looking for example demo sites to practice your test automation against with Selenium, Playwright, or Cypress? Here is a list of the top demo websites for practicing your test automation skills against. Continue reading →
AI in Testing is Here — But Is Your Test Automation Stuck in Someone Else's Platform?
BrowserStack's State of AI Testing 2026 report shows 93% of companies using AI in testing workflows. Here's what the data means for QA engineers and vendor lock-in. Continue reading →
Adding Custom Commands to Nightwatch TypeScript Projects
Learn how to extend Nightwatch's built-in automation commands with your own when working inside a TypeScript Nightwatch test project in this post. Continue reading →
Add API Testing to your Nightwatch Test Automation
Learn how to add API testing to your existing selenium automated tests using the API testing plugin for Nightwatch.js Continue reading →
Testing Software using Decision Tables
Decision tables are software testing tools used to ensure one fully captures the expected behaviors of features involving complex business rules. Once created, decision tables provide valuable documentation of the software's desired behavior that one can directly use to create their test cases with. Learn how to create and use decision tables for testing your next Agile story in this article.…
Automated Email Testing with Nightwatch and MailTrap
This handy guide will show you how to perform email testing in your end-to-end test automation to verify email delivery, recipient, localized content, or follow links out of account verification/activation emails in your Nightwatch selenium test suite using the MailTrap email sandbox tool. Continue reading →
Automated Visual Regression Testing Guide - Best visual tools, how, and when to use them
Visual regression testing is a QA testing technique effective at catching look and feel or layout regression defects and catching bugs that you aren't explicitly looking for in your tests. These tests can be flaky or high maintenance without the right combination of visual testing tool, platform, and style so this guide will help you pick the best visual regression tool and write maintainable…
Using TypeScript to write Nightwatch.js Automated Tests
Nightwatch supports TypeScript! Learn how to write your Nightwatch automated tests and page objects using TypeScript with the examples in this documentation. Get the benefits of intellisense and type checking in both your tests and page objects! Continue reading →
Speed Test Comparison Unifi Wi-Fi 6 Pro vs UAP-AC-Pro access points
Ubiquiti released their new Wi-Fi 6 access points including their new U6-Pro-US so I decided to upgrade and test the speeds to see how the Unifi Wi-Fi 6 Pro compares to the UAP-AC-Pro and UAP-AC-HD using an iPhone 13 pro and iPerf3. Continue reading →
Reviewing SwitchBot door contact and motion sensor home automation
In this review I'll use SwitchBot door contact and motion sensors to setup smart home automation routines using Amazon Alexa and the SwitchBot app to turn on lights when I open the door or shut lights off when occupancy isn't detected in the room. Continue reading →
What to Buy your Model Y
There are a lot Tesla Model Y accessory options out there. Now that my model Y arrived here are my reviews for the best accessories for your Tesla Model Y that you'll want day 1. Benefit from my hindsight. Continue reading →
Oupes 600w Portable Power Station Generator Review
I've been researching battery-powered power stations or generators as hurricane-season approaches and this review goes over the features of the Oupes 600w, 595wh, inverter power versus similar models from Jackery and GoalZero. Continue reading →
Testing the Flume 2 for wifi water monitoring and leak detection
The Flume 2 provides wifi whole-house water monitoring without requiring cutting plumbing or external power allowing you to see check water usage and get notified of leaks in near real time. Learn about how to install the Flume and my impressions after 3 months. Continue reading →
How to Find Your Variable Speed Pool Pump's Most Efficient Speed Without a Flow Meter
How to calculate total dynamic head (TDH) to find your variable speed pool pump's optimal GPM and RPM settings — no flow meter required. Continue reading →
Review and setup of Amcrest's AWC897 4K webcam
Amcrest has been releasing 1080p and now 4k webcams at budget-friendly prices throughout 2020 and 2021. This review will setup their latest 4k webcam and test the microphone audio, resolution, and color balance to see if they've improved over their previous webcam models. Continue reading →
Integrating TestRail with Nightwatch.js
Test case management systems that aren't integrated with your automation framework are wasteful. Learn how to integrate Nightwatch automated test results into TestRail automatically in this tutorial with the help of testrail-nightwatch-updater. Continue reading →
Using Nightwatch global variables to write tests that work everywhere
Learn how to use Nightwatch.js global variables so you don't need to hardcode values in your test automation allowing them to work in multiple environments and reduce test maintenance costs. Continue reading →
Implementing a Minimum Accessibility Test Plan
This tutorial will cover how to implement a minimum accessibility test plan against a website using Nightwatch.js and aXe. Continue reading →
TP-Link KL50 edison style kasa smart bulb reviewed
TP-Link released a unicorn of a smart bulb for those looking for a smart LED edison filament style bulb perfect for people who like vintage bulbs, but don't want to sacrifice energy savings and home automation features. Continue reading →
How to use SauceLabs with Nightwatch.js
Learn how to configure Nightwatch.js to use SauceLabs for scalable, parallelized, multi-browser automated test execution in this software testing tutorial. Continue reading →
Using SwitchBot to install a smart switch without a neutral
Renters who can't replace their switches or homeowners without neutral wires needed for smart switches have trouble installing smart switches in their homes. Switchbot makes a unique product that allows you to convert your dumb switches into smart switches. Continue reading →
Comparing the Amcrest ProStream AWC2198 webcam to other 1080p models
Amcrest generally puts out pretty decent quality security cameras at a reasonable price, but their webcams have been hit or miss. This review will see if the latest Amcrest ProStream model AWC2198 USB webcam gets it right. Continue reading →
South Florida Test Automation Meetup presentation for Getting started with NightwatchJS
Our local South Florida Test Automation chapter met virtually to go over the Nightwatch.js framework. It was our first virtual testing Meetup in an effort to adapt to the new normal. Continue reading →
Review of Crenova's XPE660 1080P HD LED projector
Crenova recently released a 1080p (upscaled from 1280x800) projector which makes a great companion for projecting streamed content from smart devices like an Amazon FireTV stick. In budget projectors brightness and sharpness are usually sacrificed. Let's see how it holds up in this review. Continue reading →
Review and setup of Amcrest's AWC195-B 1080P HD webcam
Amcrest, normally known for their security cameras, has recently released their second HD webcam, the AWC195-B to meet the demand from remote workers. Their first HD webcam had acceptable video quality, but terrible microphone. In this post I'll review their latest webcam and see if there are improvements to video and audio quality. Continue reading →
Writing maintainable tests with Nightwatch.js page objects and commands
Using page objects and commands for repetitive selectors and test code allows you to write maintainable automated test cases. Learn how in this Nightwatch automation tutorial. Continue reading →
Review and setup of Amcrest's 1080P HD webcam
With so many people working from home, Amcrest, normally known for their security cameras, has entered the webcam space. Let's see how their first 1080p webcam performs in this review. Continue reading →
How I turned into a Lockdown meme
My friend Bryan just blew my mind with a Lockdown Starter Pack fb post the other day that caused me to realize the pandemic lockdown has turned me into a meme. Let's explore how I won this unfortunate bingo prize. Continue reading →
Teckin SS31 wifi smart plug installation with Alexa
If you are looking to upgrade your photocell timer plug to a smart outdoor plug this Teckin smart plug review is for you. Continue reading →
Automated database testing with Nightwatch.js
When writing automated browser tests at the UI using frameworks like Selenium or Nightwatch.js it can be useful to validate your front-end interactions cause the desired changes in the backend database. This tutorial will show you how to use Nightwatch to write database tests against SQL databases. Continue reading →