Networking
Tailscale vs WireGuard vs Cloudflare Tunnel vs Reverse Proxy
A practical remote access comparison: Tailscale, raw WireGuard, Cloudflare Tunnel, and reverse proxies solve different homelab problems.
NAS vs DAS vs Mini PC: The Storage Decision Tree
A practical decision tree for choosing NAS, DAS, or mini PC storage based on who needs the files, how apps run, and how recovery should work.
The Cisco Catalyst Smart Switch Story: C9350, C9550, Silicon One, and the AI-Ready Campus
Cisco’s Smart Switch story is bigger than one SKU. It connects C9350 access, C9550 aggregation and core, Silicon One, IOS XE, telemetry, security, post-quantum readiness, and AI-era campus design.
Branch Network Design for the AI Era
AI-era branch design needs SD-WAN, SSE, secure access, local resilience, application steering, Wi-Fi capacity, segmentation, and experience telemetry.
Resilience Planning for Cisco Networks: Patch, Shield, Replace, or Segment
A practical resilience model for Cisco networks should classify each exposure into patch, shield, replace, or segment, with owners, deadlines, and evidence.
Smart Home VLAN, Guest Wi-Fi, or Second SSID?
Smart-home isolation can improve security, but it can also break discovery, Matter, Thread border routers, casting, and app setup.
Local-First Smart Home Without Becoming a Sysadmin
Build a smart home that keeps working when the internet is down without turning the house into a fragile homelab.
Direct Play vs Transcoding: The Media Server Cheat Sheet
Diagnose why Plex or Jellyfin is transcoding, how to force more Direct Play, and when hardware acceleration is worth it.
What Should Happen to Your Homelab During a Power Outage?
A homelab should fail in a predictable order: keep the network alive first, shut down storage cleanly, stop compute before batteries are exhausted, and restart services only after power is stable.