#home-network
31 episodes
#5918: Splitting One Camera's Audio for a Baby Monitor
One IP camera, two jobs: an open audio line for the nursery and Frigate's cry detection. Here's how go2rtc and Icecast fit together.
#5905: Bare Linux Routing vs OPNsense: What Actually Wins?
You can build a router on plain Debian or Ubuntu. The question is whether you should — and what it costs you over ten years.
#5904: Multi-WAN Beyond Failover: OPNsense vs OpenWrt
You stacked your links, failover works — so why does a dropped WAN still kill every session? Load balancing, mwan3, and what bonding actually solves.
#5831: Managed vs Layer 3: Two Switch Axes, One Empty Box
Managed and Layer 3 aren't the same thing — they're orthogonal. One quadrant of the matrix is a product that basically doesn't exist.
#5665: Fiber Through the Conduit: Bends, Dust, and Pull Socks
A failed Ethernet crimp caps a link at 100 megabit. Can the same conduit carry 10GBASE-SR fiber instead?
#5637: Lux Sensors for Home Assistant: The Feedback Loop Nobody Warns You About
Lux sensors sound simple until the lights you turn on trip the sensor that turned them on. Here's the full chain, from Aqara T1 to Matter's missing...
#5544: Open Source Wi-Fi Controllers: Why Mixing AP Vendors Is So Hard
OpenWISP, OpenSOHO, DAWN, TIP OpenWiFi, FreeSDN — six real projects, one shared wall: closed firmware.
#4732: Travel Router Tailscale Subnet Bridge
Military network tactics for home users bridging subnets with Tailscale and travel routers.
#4731: Teaching Your Router Bedtime: Automated QoS with OPNsense
Can your router learn when to prioritize Netflix over backups? We build schedule-aware QoS with OPNsense and cron.
#4697: Why Your Speed Test Lies About Your Internet
The speed test number hides bufferbloat, jitter, and loss. Here's what actually tells you if your connection is good.
#4639: Concrete Walls vs. Wi-Fi: Choosing a Fill-in AP
One AP used to cover Daniel's apartment. Then he moved. Concrete walls changed everything.
#4582: Designing a Home MCP Gateway for Conversational AI
How to securely connect ChatGPT to a home-hosted MCP gateway — transport, auth, and the missing pieces.
#4481: Rental Networking Without Wrecking Your Walls
How to run Ethernet in an apartment without damaging doors, walls, or your security deposit.
#4159: Managed vs Unmanaged Switches: What You Actually Need
What does "managed" actually mean on an Ethernet switch? And do you need it at home?
#4154: Wi-Fi Settings That Actually Matter
What those Ubiquiti controller settings actually do—and why maxing everything out breaks your network.
#4066: Wi-Fi 7 in a Rental: The Bridge Solution
Realistic home networking for renters: Wi-Fi 7 APs, dedicated bridges, and what you can actually expect to pay.
#3983: How to Pick the Right Fish Tape for Ethernet
Nylon vs. steel, flat vs. round, and how to avoid killing your Cat6A signal integrity.
#3902: Manual Network Config Demystified
Why your Linux box asks for gateway, subnet mask, and IP separately — and what each actually does.
#3884: Why Your Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Might Make Things Worse
Most people either under-provision or over-provision their home networks. Wi-Fi 7 makes both mistakes more expensive.
#3882: Fiber vs Ethernet from Your ONT
What to run from your ONT — Ethernet, fiber, or both? A practical breakdown of the two topologies.
#3808: Tracing a Packet: 3 Home Switches vs the Internet Backbone
Three home switches add 36 microseconds. Your cable modem adds 5-15 milliseconds. Let's follow a packet from phone to Google News.
#3535: Fiber vs Copper: Wiring Your Home Network Right
Fiber backbone or copper Ethernet? How to wire a modern home network from the ONT to every room.
#3454: Bluetooth Range Lies: How to Get Audio Through Concrete Walls
Your phone's Bluetooth antenna can't punch through concrete walls. Here's the dedicated transmitter that can.
#3228: Bulk Ethernet by the Reel: Where to Buy, What Size, Is It Worth It?
Where to buy bulk Ethernet cable by the reel, what spool sizes exist, and whether crimping your own beats pre-made cables.