Zeddeck

Recently I've been looking into setting up backup power for my security cams. One of the options is getting an "Uninterruptable Power Supply". I like the idea since it automatically switches to battery power, but I have some issues with the models I've seen. Namely: 1) They're usually pretty expensive, the cheapest options being around $50 and high-end models going for $150+ 2) They're only rated to run for about 25-45min before the battery dies So I was thinking, since the Wyze cams I use run on USB and only draw about 2-4watts; I could use a couple of power banks instead, one for each camera. I figure it'd be a cheaper and longer lasting solution if the power goes out while I'm away. My concern is that over time, this continuous charging and discharging would eat away the battery. Oh, and the only passthrough capable packs I can find are from manufacturers that I've never heard of. If anybody knows of one made by a reputable brand, please let me know. TL;DR: Can I plug a power bank into the wall and run a Wyze cam off it continuously, or will I burn through the battery in a week and/or set my apartment on fire?

Less of a need and more of an idea I wanted to bounce off some people with more building and technical experience. Planning for what might become viable as Moore's law applies itself and SSDs become less and less relevant. In general, I'm considering stuff that could help future-proof my setup.

So I picked up a Lenovo Y740 15" last month and have been pretty happy with its performance. The half-Tb NVME it shipped with is pretty snappy, but I need more space. Unfortunately the board only has one M.2 slot, so I'd need to get a SATA 3 drive to keep it all internal. Now, I started thinking about external drives, because most of my ports would easily support the 6gb/s that SATA III drives usually run at. Then I realized: I have a thunderbolt 3 port. That supports up to 40gb/s, which could easily support an NVME drive. Turns out that yes, you can get external m.2 enclosures that support TB3, though they don't come cheap. But, it would allow me to have additional NVME storage which is far faster than any 2.5" sad I could get for the internal bay. Long story short, I'm considering getting a TB3 M.2 enclosure instead of a more conventional SSD. Would it even work as a long-term solution, and will I get full NVME performance, or is it a monumental waste of money for a marginal and slightly unstable speed boost? Or am I just dumb for even considering this?