Network Rack for Small Office (Build Guide)
Last week I walked into an empty 5 × 4 ft storage room. By the end of the week, that blank space held a fully functional network core designed to keep a small…
20 Best Network Switches Under $100 (2025)
Choosing the right network switch is essential for building a reliable home network, home lab, or small‑office setup. The process can feel deceptively simple until slow file transfers or unexpected upgrade costs remind…
6 Essential Checks Before Choosing a Network Switch
Choosing a switch can feel deceptively simple, until slow file transfers, port shortages, and similar unexpected upgrade costs remind you otherwise. Before you click “Buy,” it helps to step back and look at…
pfSense Firewall Config: My Settings with Screenshots – Part 2
Let’s pick up right where Part 1 left off: pfSense Firewall Appliance Unboxing. This isn’t a quick-start guide. It’s my logbook from weeks of fine-tuning pfSense. Weeks, not years, so follow along and…
My $300 pfSense Firewall Appliance – Part 1: Unboxing
For the past three years, I’ve been putting off an upgrade to my network’s firewall. During that time, I was balancing multiple priorities: maintaining uptime with multiple ISPs, managing VPN performance limitations, and…
Building an LLM-Optimized Linux Server on a Budget
As advancements in machine learning continue to accelerate and evolve, more individuals and small organizations are exploring how to run language models (LLMs) like DeepSeek, LLaMA, Qwen and others on their home servers. This…
DeepSeek Local: How to Self-Host DeepSeek (Privacy and Control)
By following this guide, you will be able to successfully self-host your preferred DeepSeek model on a home lab or home office server, harnessing the potential of these AI models in a private and…
How I Chose the Best Managed Network Switch for My Home Lab
Recently, I started the process of upgrading my home network to give myself more room to experiment and grow. The first major step was replacing my router with a new firewall appliance, which…
Learn Linux: 4 Devices to boost your Linux skills (2025)
Ready to go on a journey that will take your Linux skills to the next level and beyond what theoretical learning can? The devices in this article will give you hands-on experience and…
5 Network Devices for work-from-home and Small Business
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a mass migration from the work office to the home office. This continues to increase the requirements for better home network security, capacity, and additional capabilities….
Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins – Part 2
Last week, I published part 1 of this five-part series entitled: Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins. That first article scratched the surface of what, I believe, are 50 to 100 commands used often…
Firewalla Blue Plus Review by Ben Isai
I’d like to start off by thanking @hydn for the opportunity to enter and win this FWB+. Table of Contents Background I really enjoy homelabbing and playing with Linux (Servers/Networking devices). I have a few mini PCs, Raspberry…
Home Lab Beginners guide (Hardware)
My Home lab – a work in progress (everything pictured is listed below) As of today, I’ve almost completed the setup of my new Home lab, and it’s now fully functional. I’m pleased…