What Can You Actually Run on a Used Thin Client?
A practical way to assess old thin clients before buying a newer mini PC.
Field notes
150 practical articles for people who want useful services without building a second job.
Small hardware
Dell Wyse J5005 Home Server Review
Where the J5005 is useful, where it struggles, and why it remains a good low-power utility box.
8GB RAM for a Home Lab: Enough or Not?
Eight gigabytes is enough for many focused services, but not for every homelab ambition.
16GB Versus 32GB for a Small Server
How much RAM a small self-hosted system really needs before extra memory becomes waste.
Mini PC or Raspberry Pi for Self-Hosting?
A grounded comparison for people choosing between an x86 mini PC and a single-board computer.
What Makes a Good Always-On Home Server?
The important characteristics are reliability, power use and recoverability—not benchmark scores.
Used Office PCs as Homelab Servers
Why retired business desktops are often the best value in a practical homelab.
Intel NUCs for Home Labs: The Real Trade-Offs
NUCs are compact and capable, but their small size changes the upgrade and cooling equation.
When an Old Laptop Is the Best Home Server
A battery-backed laptop can be an excellent first server if you work around its limitations.
Choosing Storage for a Small Docker Host
The right storage setup depends more on failure planning than headline capacity.
Bare Metal or Proxmox on a Small PC?
Virtualisation is useful, but it is not automatically the simplest choice.
Debian or Ubuntu for a Small Home Server?
Both are sensible; the better choice depends on support, packages and how much change you want.
How Much CPU Does a Home Lab Need?
Most personal services need less CPU than homelab shopping guides suggest.
The Quiet Home Lab: Hardware Choices That Matter
Noise is a design constraint, especially when a server lives near people.
Buying a Used Mini PC: A Practical Checklist
A short inspection process can prevent an apparently cheap server becoming a project.
USB Storage on a Home Server: When It Is Fine
USB storage is not automatically bad; it is bad when it is treated as the only copy.
Why Expansion Matters More Than Benchmark Scores
The useful life of a server often depends on ports, bays and upgrade paths.
ARM or x86 for a Small Homelab?
ARM hardware is attractive, but software compatibility can matter more than efficiency.
The One-Service-Per-Box Rule
Separating a few important services can be simpler than building one giant host.
How to Retire an Old Homelab Server Safely
Decommissioning is part of good infrastructure, not a sign that the project failed.
What I Would Build With $100 of Used Hardware
A realistic starter build using second-hand equipment and a narrow service goal.
What I Would Build With $300 of Used Hardware
A modest budget can buy a capable small server if you avoid unnecessary parts.
The Homelab Equipment Decision Log
A buying log prevents enthusiasm from turning into a pile of unused computers.
Why I Am Not Buying Another Single-Board Computer
Existing hardware often matters more than the next interesting specification sheet.
Home Assistant
Home Assistant on a Used Thin Client
A Wyse-class thin client can make an excellent quiet Home Assistant host.
Home Assistant Hardware: What Is Actually Required?
Home Assistant needs less hardware than many people expect, but storage reliability matters.
MQTT for Home Assistant Beginners
MQTT is a small piece of infrastructure that makes many home automations easier to reason about.
Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA?
The better Zigbee choice depends on device variety, control and how much maintenance you want.
Why Home Assistant Belongs on Its Own Small Server
Keeping home automation independent makes troubleshooting and recovery less stressful.
Home Assistant Backups That You Can Actually Restore
A backup is only useful if the restore path has been tested.
Home Assistant and a Camera NVR: A Sensible Boundary
Let Frigate handle video and let Home Assistant handle automation and notifications.
Tailscale for Private Home Assistant Access
Private remote access is usually safer and simpler than exposing Home Assistant directly.
Home Assistant on Wi-Fi or Ethernet?
Automation infrastructure should use the most boring reliable connection available.
Home Assistant Sensors Worth Starting With
Start with sensors that change decisions, not sensors that merely produce dashboards.
Designing Automations That Fail Safely
A good automation has a safe default when a sensor, network or service disappears.
The Case Against Automating Everything
More automation is not always a better home; maintenance is part of the cost.
Home Assistant Power Monitoring Without the Dashboard Obsession
Energy data is useful when it changes a decision or validates a hypothesis.
A Low-Power Home Automation Stack
A thin client, USB coordinator and a few focused services can cover most homes.
What to Do When Home Assistant Stops Responding
A calm recovery checklist is more valuable than another integration.
Home Assistant and VLANs: Start Small
Network segmentation should reduce risk without making the automation system impossible to repair.
Choosing a Zigbee Coordinator
Coordinator placement and firmware support matter as much as the radio chipset.
Home Assistant Notifications That Do Not Become Noise
The best alert is specific, actionable and rare enough to be trusted.
Running Home Assistant During a House Move
Keep the automation setup reversible when the physical environment is about to change.
Home Assistant for Renters and Temporary Homes
A portable setup can deliver useful automation without hard-wiring the building.
A Home Assistant Maintenance Calendar
Small scheduled checks prevent a quiet automation system from becoming invisible debt.
The Home Assistant Services I Would Not Run on the Same Box
Some workloads deserve isolation even in a small home lab.
Cameras & NVRs
Building a Camera NVR From an Old Dell
An i5-11500T system is a strong foundation for a private local camera recorder.
PoE Cameras Versus Wi-Fi Cameras
Wired power and networking remove several failure modes from a permanent camera system.
RTSP and ONVIF Explained for Home Camera Buyers
These standards determine how much freedom you have after buying a camera.
Reolink CX410 as a First Frigate Camera
The CX410 is an appealing low-light test camera, with important integration checks to perform.
TP-Link VIGI C340S Test Plan
A structured test reveals whether a conventional PoE camera fits a private NVR.
How Many Cameras Can an i5-11500T Handle?
Camera count depends on resolution, codecs, detection and retention—not just the processor name.
Camera Storage: Continuous Recording Versus Events
Recording policy is the largest lever on storage life.
Why Camera VLANs Are Worth Doing Carefully
Cameras are good candidates for isolation, but a rushed VLAN change can make the system harder to manage.
Frigate Hardware Acceleration on Intel
Intel iGPUs can reduce CPU load when configured and monitored correctly.
A Two-Camera NVR Test Before Buying Eight
Two cameras reveal most of the software, cabling and mounting problems early.
Camera Placement: Start With the Evidence You Need
A camera is useful only when its field of view answers a real question.
Why 4MP Is Often the Camera Sweet Spot
Four megapixels can balance detail, storage and decoding better than chasing 4K everywhere.
Driveway Camera Choices: Detail or Low-Light Colour?
The right driveway camera depends on whether identification or scene awareness is the primary job.
NVR Storage With Two 1TB Drives
Two drives create useful capacity and failure options, but they do not replace backups.
The Difference Between Detection and Recording
A camera can record continuously while a separate system decides what deserves attention.
Camera Audio: Useful Feature or Liability?
Audio deserves a deliberate decision because it changes the privacy profile of a camera system.
What to Test Before Mounting a PoE Camera
Bench testing saves ladder work and exposes bad cables, streams and firmware.
Local NVR or Vendor Cloud Recording?
Local recording trades subscription convenience for ownership and maintenance.
A Private Camera System With No Internet Access
Cameras can record locally while the NVR remains the only system with controlled remote access.
Frigate Notifications Without Alert Fatigue
A useful camera system filters events before they become interruptions.
What Happens to Cameras During a Power Outage?
A camera system is only as resilient as its switch, NVR and network power path.
The Camera Shopping List I Would Use Today
A small test purchase is safer than committing to a full camera ecosystem.
VPS & self-hosting
What Belongs on a VPS Instead of at Home?
Public, boring and always-on services are often easier on a VPS.
Running a Second Hermes Agent on a VPS
A separate agent can have a focused role without complicating the primary installation.
VPS #1 and VPS #2: Splitting Workloads
Two modest servers can create clearer failure boundaries than one overloaded host.
Tailscale as the Private Network Between Services
A private overlay network can connect home devices and servers without public ports.
Cloudflare Pages for Static Sites
Static sites are an excellent fit for Pages when there is no server-side application.
Cloudflare Tunnel or Tailscale?
The right choice depends on whether access is public, private or shared with non-technical people.
How to Keep a VPS Boring
A boring VPS has few exposed services, predictable updates and a tested recovery path.
Docker Compose for Small Personal Services
Compose can make a small service repeatable without turning it into an orchestration project.
When a Managed Service Is Better Than Self-Hosting
Self-hosting is a choice with maintenance attached, not a moral position.
Backing Up a VPS Without Backing Up the Problems
A backup plan should include configuration, data and a way to rebuild cleanly.
How to Monitor a Small VPS
A handful of meaningful checks beats a dashboard full of unread metrics.
SSH Keys Between Two VPSs
A clear client/server key model avoids copying private keys where they do not belong.
Why Public Services Need a Recovery Plan
A public URL is not a recovery plan; the rebuild path must be written down.
A Private Paper-Trading Bot on a VPS
A small VPS can host research and simulation without connecting to real money.
Crawl4AI as a Private Research Utility
A local extraction service can make repeatable research easier than ad hoc browser scraping.
How to Update a VPS Without Guessing
Updates are safer when you know what will restart and how to verify it.
The Minimum Useful VPS Security Checklist
Start with a small set of controls that reduce real risk.
Systemd Services Versus Containers
Both are valid; the choice should follow the service lifecycle and recovery needs.
Using a VPS While Moving House
Cloud infrastructure can keep projects available while the physical network is in transition.
How to Decommission a VPS Cleanly
Retiring a server should remove access and preserve the evidence you still need.
The Cost of Running a Small VPS
The right comparison includes time, availability and backup costs—not just the headline plan.
Private First: Designing a Personal Web App
A private app can be useful without becoming another public security obligation.
Networks & VLANs
VLANs for People Who Do Not Want a Network Project
Segmentation is useful, but a staged plan is more important than a complicated diagram.
The Safest Way to Add a Guest VLAN
Start with an additive guest network while leaving the trusted path unchanged.
802.1Q Tagged and Untagged Traffic Explained
The tagged/untagged distinction explains most small-network VLAN mistakes.
TP-Link TL-SG2424 VLAN Planning
An older managed switch can still form the centre of a sensible segmented network.
Why VLAN Migrations Fail
Most failures come from changing too many links at once or losing the management path.
A VLAN Change Checklist You Can Print
A printed checklist turns a stressful network change into a sequence of tests.
How to Test a VLAN Without Moving the Whole House
One port, one SSID and one test device are enough to validate the design.
Camera VLANs: What Must Still Be Allowed?
Camera isolation needs carefully chosen paths to the NVR, time source and update process.
IoT VLANs Without Breaking Home Assistant
Automation often needs selective discovery across boundaries.
How to Keep Switch Management Reachable
Management access is the first thing to protect during a migration.
Router, Managed Switch and Access Point Roles
Understanding each device’s job makes configuration less mysterious.
Why a Dumb Switch Complicates VLANs
An unmanaged intermediate switch can pass some traffic while silently breaking the design.
VLANs and Tailscale: Different Tools, Different Jobs
Local segmentation and private remote access solve different problems.
Testing Inter-VLAN Firewall Rules
Rules should be tested from both sides with a known expected result.
What to Back Up Before Touching the Network
A backup is useful only if you know how to get back into the device.
A VLAN Design for Cameras, IoT and Trusted Devices
A small three-zone design is enough for many homes.
The Difference Between Isolation and Security
A VLAN reduces reachability; it does not replace patching, strong credentials or backups.
How to Roll Back a Failed VLAN Change
Rollback should be a planned action, not an improvisation under pressure.
Wi-Fi SSIDs and VLANs: Keep the Mapping Obvious
Clear names reduce mistakes when adding devices or troubleshooting guests.
Home Network Monitoring With Very Little Hardware
A small monitor can tell you whether a failure is local, wireless or upstream.
Network Changes During a House Sale
Stability and documentation matter more than a perfect network during a move.
When Not to Add a VLAN
A VLAN is not automatically worth the complexity for every device or household.
Costs & power
How Much Does a Small Home Server Cost to Run?
Idle power is often more important than purchase price for an always-on machine.
Measuring Idle Power Without Guessing
A plug-in power meter turns a hardware debate into a real number.
The Real Cost of a $100 Used PC
A cheap computer may need storage, power, adapters and time before it is useful.
Power Cost: Thin Client Versus Mini PC
Low-power hardware wins when it runs continuously and the workload is modest.
Does a VPS Save Electricity?
A VPS can be cheaper once availability, network equipment and your time are included.
The Electricity Cost of a Camera NVR
Recording continuously changes the power profile of a home server.
UPS Sizing for a Small Homelab
A UPS should buy recovery time, not pretend to provide infinite runtime.
Power Budgeting a Home Assistant Setup
A small automation stack can run for very little power if each component has a reason to exist.
Why the Cheapest Hardware Is Not Always Cheapest
Purchase price ignores failure, noise, time and power.
When to Replace a Spinning Disk
Age and error history matter more than trying to extract every last month of service.
Power-Proportional Homelab Design
Choose hardware based on the workload that actually runs, not the workload you imagine.
Annual Cost of an Always-On 10-Watt Device
A simple way to compare small always-on devices using your actual tariff.
Do You Need a Managed PoE Switch Yet?
PoE is convenient, but a managed switch adds cost and configuration responsibility.
Buying Used Hardware During a House Move
A move is a poor time to accumulate infrastructure with no settled role.
How Much Is Your Time Worth in a Homelab?
Self-hosting is partly a hobby, but maintenance still has an opportunity cost.
The Cost of Keeping a Spare
One practical spare can be more valuable than a large inventory of cheap parts.
Power Draw of Gaming Hardware as a Server
An RTX-equipped machine can be excellent compute but poor 24/7 infrastructure.
A Homelab Budget That Does Not Spiral
A simple budget rule helps keep experiments from becoming permanent subscriptions and hardware piles.
Latest field notes
Why I Am Keeping the Camera Project Reversible
A house sale changes what “permanent” should mean right now.
Four Cheap Blink Cameras: Keep, Sell or Repurpose?
Cheap cloud cameras can still be useful when treated as temporary tools.
The Case for a Second Hermes Agent
A second focused agent can be more useful than duplicating a general-purpose assistant.
What I Learned From a Failed VLAN Upgrade
A failed network change is useful when it produces a safer method for the next attempt.
Why the MacBook Is the Local LLM Machine
A capable laptop can be a better AI lab than another always-on server.
The NUC RTX 2060 Is a Gaming Machine
Not every capable computer needs to become infrastructure.
The Wyse J5005 as a Future Home Assistant Box
A low-power thin client is a good match for quiet home automation.
Why the Dell i5-11500T Should Become an NVR
Dedicated roles make a homelab easier to maintain and recover.
When Not to Buy the Interesting New Board
The best next computer is often the one already on the shelf.
A Practical Inventory of My Small Infrastructure
A real equipment inventory makes project choices easier.
How to Choose the Next Homelab Project
A project should solve a real problem, teach one useful thing or produce a reusable service.
The Difference Between a Demo and a Service
A working prototype becomes a service only after recovery, updates and ownership are clear.
Why “Local First” Does Not Mean “Everything at Home”
Privacy, reliability and convenience can point to different locations for different services.
My Rule for Adding Another Container
A container earns its place by providing a clear capability with a known maintenance cost.
The Small Homelab as a Learning System
A restrained setup can teach more than a rack full of unexplained services.
What I Want the Homelab Blog to Be
A blog for people slightly beyond beginner who want decisions, not equipment theatre.
A Better Way to Compare Homelab Hardware
Compare equipment against a workload and a service life, not a spec sheet.
How Moving House Changes Infrastructure Decisions
Temporary uncertainty is a reason to reduce commitment, not stop learning.
The Boring Infrastructure Test
A system is successful when it quietly performs its job and is easy to repair.
The First Ten Articles I Would Publish
A focused editorial plan is more useful than publishing every idea at once.