Chris Sherwood
Founder, Crosstalk Solutions
Chris founded Crosstalk Solutions in 2015. Before that, he worked as an IT administrator, a sales engineer and a director at a VoIP company. He has taught networking and VoIP on the Crosstalk Solutions YouTube channel for more than a decade.
The channel has 540K subscribers and 571 videos.
Posts by Chris Sherwood
Never Lose Remote Access Again: Comet 5G KVM
GL.iNet Comet 5G KVM review: a KVM over IP with built-in 5G RedCap failover, tested against a real upstream network outage.
UniFi Network Masterclass: Design, Deploy, and Master UniFi!
The UniFi Network Masterclass is a hands-on course on designing and deploying UniFi networks, from fundamentals to firewall rules, VLANs and VPNs.
RingCentral vs. Crosstalk Cloud PBX: The Real Cost Comparison
RingCentral vs. Crosstalk Cloud PBX cost comparison: a real RingCentral bill with its contract and fees, plus a 12-user, five-year price breakdown.
Why I'd Never Trust 3CX With My Customers' Phone Systems
Why I won't trust 3CX with customer phone systems: how it treats partners, how it handled the 2023 supply chain attack, and its licensing changes.
Introducing UI Toolkit: A Free, Open-Source Dashboard for Your UniFi Network
UI Toolkit is a free, self-hosted dashboard for UniFi networks with Wi-Fi device tracking, IDS/IPS threat monitoring and live network stats.
Free Network Services Flyer Template for IT Consultants
Download our free network services flyer template, plus how I landed my first network consulting clients: walk-ins, a free WiFi survey, and a fast proposal.
Uptime Kuma: Complete Setup Guide on Digital Ocean with Docker
How to set up Uptime Kuma on a Digital Ocean droplet with Docker and Caddy, then add monitors, Discord alerts, a status page and ufw rules.
Easy! Install UniFi OS Server on a Raspberry Pi
Step-by-step guide to install UniFi OS Server on a Raspberry Pi with Ubuntu Server and Podman, from flashing the SD card to the setup wizard.
Complete UniFi OS Server Installation on Linux: Best Practices!
Install UniFi OS Server on an Ubuntu cloud server: Podman, multi-site mode, Let's Encrypt SSL via Cloudflare and UFW firewall rules, step by step.
Run Your Own ChatGPT Locally for Free!
How to run a ChatGPT-style AI locally for free on Windows with Ollama, Docker Desktop and Open WebUI, using models like Llama and DeepSeek R1.
How To: GL.iNet + Tailscale for Secure Remote Access
How to set up Tailscale on a GL.iNet travel router like the Beryl AX for secure remote access to your home PC and the devices behind the router.
How To: OpenVPN Access Server
How to set up OpenVPN Access Server on a DigitalOcean droplet, with an SSL certificate, MFA users, split tunneling and site-to-site router access.
How To: Password Pusher Complete Setup with Docker
How to self-host Password Pusher with Docker on a Vultr server, with Caddy for HTTPS, a ufw firewall and containers that restart on reboot.
UniFi U7-Pro: Speed Testing and First Impressions
UniFi U7 Pro speed tests against the U6 Pro with a Wi-Fi 7 Pixel 8 and an iPhone 13, plus specs, power draw and whether the upgrade is worth it.
The Best Travel Router (GL.iNet Beryl AX): Complete Setup Guide
GL.iNet Beryl AX travel router setup guide: hotel Wi-Fi repeater and captive portals, custom SSIDs, AdGuard Home and a VPN on the toggle switch.
Visual Network Management: Ubiquiti's New Pro Max Switches
What Etherlighting does on Ubiquiti's UniFi Pro Max switches, plus their 10G SFP+ and 2.5G ports, PoE++ and the Etherlighting patch cables.
My Ultimate Travel Network Setup: A Tech Enthusiast's Dream
My travel network setup: the GL.iNet Beryl AX travel router, Anker 655 USB-C hub, a portable monitor and a USB-C laptop for work on the road.
Don't Fall for Wi-Fi 7 Marketing! How to Build Your Own…
Is a Wi-Fi 7 router worth it? Why the TP-Link BE19000 hype misses the point, plus a $600 and a $1,500 UniFi Wi-Fi 6 network build.
UniFi Express: Is This the Best New Ubiquiti Device??
UniFi Express (UX) overview: Ubiquiti's compact gateway with built-in Wi-Fi 6, wired and mesh setups, ports, client limit and heat.
UniFi UXG-Lite: First Impressions of the Gateway Lite
First impressions of the UniFi UXG-Lite (Gateway Lite): specs, setup with a CloudKey, performance, and what a basic UniFi setup with it costs.
UniFi Network 8.0.7: What's New?
What's new in UniFi Network 8.0.7: the Radios view, port management and insights, the VLAN viewer and the WireGuard VPN client.
UniFi VPN Proxy Service configuration
Set up a VPN proxy service like Private Internet Access as a UniFi VPN Client, then route a device, specific domains or a whole VLAN through it.
LTX 2023 Whale LAN: Inside a 200 Gbps LAN Party Network
The LTX 2023 Whale LAN network diagram, explained: OPNsense, a MikroTik CCR2216 core, a 200 Gbps Lancache server and UniFi switching to every table.
Home Assistant: The Ultimate Setup Guide, a Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step-by-step Home Assistant setup guide: install it on a Raspberry Pi, Synology VM or Docker, run the setup wizard and build your first automations.
How to Disappear Online
How to disappear online: private browsers, HTTPS-only mode, private search, DNS over HTTPS, VPNs, Pi-hole ad blocking, Tor and Tails.
I Cancelled Starlink.
Why I cancelled my Starlink Residential service after price hikes, 1TB data caps, weak customer support and the loss of portability.
Cloudflare Tunnel Easy Setup
How to set up a Cloudflare Tunnel with a cloudflared Docker connector on a Synology NAS, reach LAN services over HTTPS and lock them down with Zero Trust.
Easy Yubikey How-To: Two Factor Authentication for iOS!
How to set up YubiKey security keys (FIDO U2F) to protect your Apple ID on iOS 16.3, with step-by-step iPhone screenshots.
T-Mobile Home Internet Review
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet review with speed tests, 30 days of logged results, double NAT and static IP limits, and where it fits as backup internet.
Orange Pi 5: Simple Overview and Installation with M.2 SSD
Orange Pi 5 overview and setup guide: flash Ubuntu to a microSD card, then move the OS to an M.2 NVMe SSD and boot from it via SPI flash.
Starlink Side Hustle: How To Make Money with your Internet
How to build a portable Starlink network in a box with UniFi, a paid captive portal, battery power and Layer 7 filtering to sell Wi-Fi at events.
Mastodon Easy Server Setup
How to set up your own Mastodon server on a Digital Ocean droplet with the one-click install, Spaces storage, SendGrid SMTP and CrowdSec.
The World's Greatest Pi-hole (and Unbound) Tutorial 2023
Pi-hole and Unbound setup on a Raspberry Pi, step by step: imaging, static IP, install, block lists, and your own recursive DNS resolver.
TP-Link Omada Installation on Ubuntu 20.04
How to install the TP-Link Omada SDN software controller on Ubuntu 20.04, with OpenJDK 8, jsvc, MongoDB 4.4 and the Omada installer.
PiVPN / WireGuard Complete Setup 2022
Step-by-step PiVPN and WireGuard setup on a Raspberry Pi: install, static IP, port forwarding, client QR codes, conf files and backups.
Sonoff RF Bridge: How To Setup with Home Assistant
How to set up a Sonoff RF Bridge with Home Assistant: pair it in eWeLink, add Sonoff LAN through HACS and automate RF lights with a motion sensor.
Raspberry Pi LAN Speed Test
How to run an OpenSpeedTest LAN speed test server on a Raspberry Pi with Docker and Portainer to test your local network speed.
Definitive Guide to Hosted UniFi 2021
Host a UniFi Controller on an Ubuntu 20.04 Vultr server: SSH keys, UFW firewall, UniFi install, setup wizard and Let's Encrypt SSL.
Raspberry Pi 4 Boot with USB
How to make a Raspberry Pi 4 boot from a USB SSD or M.2 drive: copy the microSD card to the drive and set USB boot order in raspi-config.
VoIP.ms setup using pjsip on FreePBX
Step-by-step VoIP.ms SIP trunk setup on FreePBX with pjsip, covering sub accounts, DID routing, the trunk and inbound and outbound routes.
How To: Enable Jitsi Server Authentication
How to enable Jitsi Meet authentication with Prosody so only registered users can start meetings while guests still join anonymously.
How To: Install Jitsi Server on Ubuntu 19.10
Install a self-hosted Jitsi Meet video conferencing server on an Ubuntu 19.10 Vultr VPS, with SSH keys, UFW firewall rules and Let's Encrypt.
How to Share Internet with your Neighbors
How to share your internet with neighbors over a Ubiquiti point-to-point wireless bridge with a separate, throttled guest VLAN and SSID.
Getting Started with Raspberry Pi 4
Getting started with Raspberry Pi 4: flash NOOBS to a microSD card, install Raspbian, update it and enable SSH and VNC for remote access.
Create Your Own Personal VPN Proxy with Streisand
Build your own Streisand VPN proxy server on DigitalOcean: builder droplet, Ansible install, DNS, SSH SOCKS proxy in Firefox and OpenVPN fixes.
Definitive Guide to Hosted UniFi
Host a UniFi Controller on a Vultr or Digital Ocean server: SSH keys, UFW firewall, UniFi install and Let's Encrypt SSL, step by step.
UniFi Controller Installation on Vultr
Install a UniFi Controller on a Vultr Ubuntu 16.04 server: 2FA, server setup, SSH hardening, firewall, swap, Java and the UniFi package.
Long Range Dead Drop
Build a long range dead drop: a Raspberry Pi running PirateBox behind a Ubiquiti LiteBeam AC PtMP link for offline anonymous chat and file sharing.
Solar Powered WiFi Part 3: Companion Guide
Wiring diagram and full parts list for a solar powered WiFi bridge: Renogy panel, Victron MPPT controller, battery, PoE and NanoStation M5s.
Let's Encrypt UniFi
How to install a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate on a self-hosted UniFi Controller, with automatic renewal through cron.
15 Minute Hosted UniFi Controller Setup
Set up a hosted UniFi Controller on a Digital Ocean droplet in about 15 minutes: Ubuntu, SSH hardening, firewall, swap and the UniFi install.
Send Telemarketers to Hell
How to install the Blacklist Loser module in FreePBX and build an x666 ring group that blacklists telemarketers live and sends them to Lenny.
FreePBX Polycom Directory Automation
A bash script and cron job that build a FreePBX Polycom directory XML file from your extensions, so every Polycom phone's directory updates hourly.
HowTo: Stream Music on Hold in FreePBX
How to stream music on hold in FreePBX from an internet radio station using a streaming category, mpg123 and an inbound route.
HowTo: Pwn Telemarketers with Lenny
How to set up the Lenny telemarketer bot in FreePBX with an Asterisk custom context, Lenny sound files and a custom destination.
HOW TO: Install Webmin on FreePBX
How to install Webmin on FreePBX with the Webmin yum repo: add the repo file, import the GPG key, install and log in on port 10000.
How to Create a Wireless Bridge
How to create a point-to-point wireless bridge by unboxing and configuring a pair of Ubiquiti NanoStation Loco M2 radios.
Beware of Shady VoIP News
Why VoIP lead-generation articles like VoIP News can mislead businesses, and why not every network is ready for a VoIP phone system.