Networking
2.5GbE vs 10GbE: Which Home Network Upgrade Is Worth It?
Most homes should start with 2.5GbE for NAS, mini PCs, and Wi-Fi 6E/7 access points because it is cheap, cool, and works over existing Cat5e in many runs. Choose 10GbE when large.
What Is the Right VLAN Layout for a Beginner Homelab?
Start with four networks: trusted devices, guest devices, IoT/smart-home devices, and management or lab infrastructure. Add more only when a new trust boundary is clear, because every VLAN also adds firewall, DNS.
Remote Access Without Opening Router Ports: Safer Homelab Access With Tailscale and Cloudflare Tunnel
Reach homelab services remotely with tailnets, tunnels, access policies, DNS, MFA, and clear rules for what should stay private.
OPNsense, pfSense, UniFi, or Consumer Router: Which Should Run Your Homelab?
Use a consumer router if you need simplicity, UniFi if you want integrated routing/switching/AP management, and OPNsense or pfSense if firewall policy, VPNs, VLANs, logging, and control matter more than polish.
15 Router Security Settings to Audit Before Something Breaks
A practical home-router audit checklist for admin access, firmware, Wi-Fi security, guest networks, UPnP, WPS, and firewall validation.
How Do You Make DNS Keep Working When the Internet Is Down?
Keep local DNS local. Your router, Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, Technitium, or internal resolver should answer local names without forwarding to the internet, and clients should have at least two reachable resolvers that.
Fix DNS Once: Router vs PC vs Browser, and How to Stop Settings Fighting
DNS problems get messy when the router, operating system, browser, VPN, and IPv6 all disagree. This guide shows where to change DNS once and how to prove it worked.
Cloudflare Tunnel vs Tailscale vs WireGuard vs NetBird: Which Remote Access Tool Fits?
Use Tailscale or NetBird for private device-to-device access, WireGuard when you want direct control and can manage keys and routing, and Cloudflare Tunnel when you need to publish a web app without.
Malware-Blocking DNS for the Whole House: Set It Once, Prove It Works
Use router-level DNS filtering to block known malware and phishing domains for every device, then handle IPv6, browser DoH, VPNs, and false positives.
What Should You Monitor in a Homelab?
Monitor the things that would make recovery harder or affect the household: internet, DNS, router, UPS, NAS disks, backup jobs, storage capacity, certificates, critical containers, and remote access. Start with alerts you.