Labthrift Labthrift What to buy. What to skip. Why.

Updated 7 Sep 2026. Start with gear you already have. The buy notes are for later.

All notes

398 notes, grouped by topic. Start with gear you already have. New-in-store products when you actually need them.

Topics

398 notes

Getting started

Read these in order. Old PC first. Buying is later.

Start with what you already haveDon't buy anything yet. Old laptop first, or a retired OptiPlex from Marketplace. What OS to put on itDebian or Ubuntu Server if you can dedicate the old PC. Leave Windows if you still use the laptop. Your first weekendInstall the OS, name it, and reach it from the couch. Don't buy anything this weekend. Find it on the house networkThe computer has a number on your house network. You need that number to SSH from the couch. You don't need a new router. SSH from the couchType commands on the old PC from your laptop, on the house network. Password login first. Don't open this to the internet. The first useful thingPut a house-wide ad block on the old PC. The rest of the house keeps using the internet as usual. You don't need a Raspberry Pi. A file shareA folder on the old PC that the house can open from a laptop or a phone. You don't need a NAS for this. A backup of the house folderA second copy of the house folder, on a USB disk you already have, or on another old computer. You don't need a NAS for this. What a VM is, and when you don't need oneA pretend computer inside the old PC. Useful later, when you want to try something without breaking Pi-hole. You don't need one this weekend.

Also useful, after the path.

Don't let the laptop sleepClose the lid. It has to stay awake so SSH and Pi-hole keep working. A desktop can skip this. See if the laptop is actually plugged inBefore you trust the laptop overnight, confirm it is drawing wall power. A dying battery is not a reason to buy a UPS. Put the old PC on house Wi-FiUbuntu Server on an old laptop often has no cable nearby. Join house Wi-Fi so SSH and Pi-hole can work. Skip this if ethernet already works. When house Wi-Fi on the old PC keeps droppingSSH dies or ads come back because the computer's Wi-Fi keeps falling off. Check power save, signal, then prefer a cable. You don't need a mesh kit tonight. When the house Wi-Fi password changedYou (or the ISP) changed the Wi-Fi passphrase. The old PC on radio is offline — SSH hangs, ads are back. Update the saved password on the computer. Skip a new mesh kit tonight. A cable beats Wi-Fi for the old PCOnce it is doing real work, plug it into the router with a cable. Skip if it is already on a cable. When the cable is plugged in but there's no linkEthernet is seated, but SSH still hangs or the computer never gets a house address. Check both ends, LAN vs WAN, link lights, then ip link before you buy a NIC. When the old PC has two house addressesSSH works on one number, Pi-hole or the reservation on another — Wi-Fi and the cable both live. Keep one link. You don't need a new router. Keep Wi-Fi off after a rebootAfter the cable works, stop Wi-Fi from coming back so it keeps one address. Keep the computer updatedOnce a week, give the computer its fixes so SSH and Pi-hole are not sitting on last year's bugs. Skip this until next week if you just finished first weekend. When weekly updates won't installapt says could not get lock, waiting for cache, or dpkg was interrupted. Wait out the other updater, free disk room, then finish the weekly fixes. You don't need a new mini PC. When the computer's clock is wrongHTTPS fails, apt says the Release file is not valid yet, or logs look like 2019. Check the clock, turn network time on, set the house zone. You don't need a GPS clock hat. See if a reboot is neededAfter weekly updates, check whether a reboot is needed before you buy a monitoring box. Shut down without yanking the plugWhen you're done for the night, shut it down and let it finish writing files before it powers off. Don't yank the cord. Skip this if you only need a reboot after updates. Keep it on the house networkSSH and Pi-hole belong on the house network. Skip this if you never opened the router settings. Don't forward port 22. Don't cook the computerThe computer stays on. It needs air. A laptop under a pile of clothes will cook. Skip this if it is a desktop with vents clear. When the old PC's fan is loudA Marketplace OptiPlex or EliteDesk screams in the living room. Blow the dust, give it air, move it to a closet. Skip a water cooler this weekend. When the old PC feels slowSSH lags, apt crawls, or the house share feels sticky. Check load, memory, disk room, then one busy job. Skip a new mini PC tonight. When the computer ran out of memoryPi-hole vanished, the share died, or dmesg says Out of memory. Confirm the OOM killer, free RAM, restart house jobs. Skip a new mini PC tonight. When the house won't browse after Pi-holePhones say no internet, or every site times out, after you pointed the house at Pi-hole. Put router DNS back on automatic so dinner works, then fix the computer. You don't need a new router. When ads come backAds are back, sites won't load, or a phone still shows banners. Check the computer, Pi-hole, router DNS, then the phone. When ads sneak past on IPv6Pi-hole looks fine on IPv4, but phones still show banners. Check IPv6 DNS on the router, or turn that path off for now. You don't need a new router. When one phone still shows adsEveryone else's ads dropped. One phone still shows banners. Check Private DNS, Private Relay, a VPN, then the Wi-Fi lease. You don't need a new router. When one laptop still shows adsEveryone else's ads dropped. One laptop (or one browser) still shows banners. Check Chrome, Edge, or Firefox Secure DNS, Windows encrypted DNS, Mac Private Relay, then a VPN. You don't need a new router. When guest Wi-Fi still shows adsGuest Wi-Fi is a separate network on purpose. Leave guests on ISP DNS, put a visitor on the main house Wi-Fi, or point guest DNS at Pi-hole only if they can reach the computer. You don't need a new router. When the ISP swaps your routerTech left a new gateway (or reset yours). Ads are back, and SSH may miss the old address. Re-find the computer, re-point DNS, re-do the reservation. You don't need a new router or a new Pi-hole. After the power comes backLights blinked. Ads may be back, SSH may miss the old address, and the share may be gone. Check the computer, find its number, point DNS again if needed, then the share. You don't need a new UPS tonight. Turn the old PC back on after a power blipLights come back, but the OptiPlex stays off until you press the button. Flip Restore AC / Power On After Power Loss in Setup. Skip a UPS for this. Replace the CMOS battery on the old PCEvery unplug resets the clock, or Restore AC won't stick. Swap the coin CMOS battery on the board. Skip a new PSU tonight. Pause Pi-hole for a few minutesTurn blocking off for five minutes to test a broken site or a dinner guest. It turns itself back on. You don't wipe the lists or change the router. When a site won't load after Pi-holeA bank, streamer, or login page breaks after Pi-hole. Pause blocking for five minutes, then allow the domain you need. You don't need a new router. When browsing feels slow after Pi-holePages hang a few seconds, then load. Ads may still be blocked. Time a DNS lookup, check Pi-hole and its upstream, then prove it with a bypass. You don't need a faster plan tonight. When casting won't find the TVPhone or laptop can't see Chromecast, AirPlay, or the smart TV after Pi-hole. Same Wi-Fi first, pause blocking to prove it, then allow the blocked name. You don't need a new TV. When the printer won't printPhone or laptop can't find the house printer after Pi-hole, or a cloud print app stalls. Same Wi-Fi first, pause blocking to prove it, then allow the blocked name. You don't need a new printer. When the Pi-hole admin page won't openhttp://pi.hole/admin or the computer's address plus /admin won't load. Check house Wi-Fi, the address, then Pi-hole and the web service. You don't need a new router. When the home router page won't open192.168.x.1, routerlogin.net, or the sticker URL won't load. Find the gateway number, use http on house Wi-Fi, then log in. You don't need a new router. When the router password won't workThe gateway login page loads, but sticker, app, or old password fails. Try the right account and maker app before a factory reset. A reset wipes DNS and reservations. Is it still on?You left the computer on. This morning ads are back, or SSH hangs. Check if it is awake before you buy anything. Restart Pi-hole or the house shareAds vanished or Finder lost the folder, but the computer is still on. Restart the one service that died. You don't need a full reboot or a new mini PC. Wake the computer from the house networkSoft-off is fine overnight. Wake the old PC from a laptop or phone on the house network so SSH and Pi-hole come back. You don't need a smart plug for this. When Wake-on-LAN won't wake the computerYou sent the magic packet. Fans stay quiet. Check power, cable, MAC, BIOS, and Wake-on: g before you buy a smart plug. Keep Pi-hole updatedWeekly apt does not refresh Pi-hole. Update the software and the block lists on the old PC so ads stay gone. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. See what Pi-hole blockedOpen the query log (or watch it over SSH) so you can tell ads are dying, which device asked, and which name to allow later. You don't need a new router. When Pi-hole shows no queriesAdmin opens, totals stay at zero, query log empty. Prove the house asks the computer for DNS, then check Pi-hole status. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. Block a site in Pi-hole on purposeOne domain you don't want in the house. Add it to the deny list. You don't wipe every block list or buy a new router. Allow a site in Pi-hole on purposeOne domain the house needs that a block list keeps catching. Add it to the allow list. You don't wipe every list or buy a new router. Save a Pi-hole backup before you change thingsExport settings with Teleporter so a reinstall or a bad list does not wipe your allow list and local DNS. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. Put a Pi-hole backup back with TeleporterAfter a reinstall or a bad list, import the Teleporter zip so allow lists, deny entries, and local DNS names return. Fresh Pi-hole first. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. Add a local name in Pi-holeGive the old PC a short house name so phones and laptops can open SSH, the share, and the admin page without remembering the number. You don't need a new router. When the house name won't resolvelab.home says unknown host, or SSH and the share still need the IP. Prove which DNS the device uses, check the Pi-hole record, then the reserved address. Skip a new router tonight. See how long it has been awakeBefore you buy a UPS or a new mini PC, see how long the computer has been awake. Give it a name that sticksPing and SSH are easier if the computer has a short name. Something short is fine. Set it so the name survives a reboot. See which OS it is already runningBefore you reinstall or buy a tiny computer, check which OS the computer already has. Open the house share from a phoneThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from an iPhone or Android on house Wi-Fi. You don't need a NAS app for this. Save phone photos to the house shareCopy camera-roll photos from an iPhone or Android onto the house folder on the old PC. House Wi-Fi only. You don't need a NAS app or iCloud for this. Open the house share from a laptopThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder on the house network. You don't need a NAS for this. Map the house share as a driveGive Windows a letter (Z:) or keep Finder's Locations entry so the house folder on the old PC opens every time. You don't need a NAS. Open the house share from a ChromebookThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from a Chromebook Files app on house Wi-Fi. You don't need a NAS app for this. Open the house share from a Linux laptopThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from Ubuntu or Fedora Files (or KDE Dolphin) on the house network. You don't need a NAS for this. Back up a Mac to the house share with Time MachinePoint Time Machine at a Samba folder on the old PC. Separate share from photos. Cap the size. You don't need a Time Capsule or a NAS for this. When Time Machine won't back up to the house shareFinder can open the share, or it used to, but Time Machine fails, stalls, or says the disk disappeared. Check the computer, the fruit lines, free space, then the Mac. You don't need a Time Capsule. Back up a Windows PC to the house share with File HistoryPoint Windows File History at a Samba folder on the old PC. Separate share from photos. You don't need a NAS for this. When File History won't back up to the house shareFile Explorer can open the share, or it used to, but File History fails, stalls, or says the drive disappeared. Check the computer, credentials, free space, then Windows. You don't need a NAS. Put the house folder on a USB diskMove the house share onto a USB disk that stays plugged into the old PC so photos don't fill the system drive. You don't need a NAS for this. Copy your files off before you wipePull photos, papers, and downloads onto a USB stick before the installer erases the disk. Skip if the computer is empty. Then wipe. Wipe a Marketplace PC before you installA used OptiPlex may still have the last owner's Windows and logins. Wipe the disk with the installer before you plug it into the house network. Make a boot USB for the installWrite Ubuntu Server or Debian onto a USB stick so the old PC can boot the installer. Use Etcher or Rufus. Don't drag the ISO into a folder. Boot the old PC from the USB stickPlug in the installer stick, open the one-time boot menu, and pick the USB. Dell F12, HP Esc then F9, Lenovo F12. Don't dig through every BIOS screen tonight. When the boot USB won't startYou flashed the stick and opened the boot menu, but the installer never appears. Try another port, the UEFI line, a reflash, then Secure Boot last. Skip a new mini PC tonight. When the old PC won't bootNo fans, black screen, or stuck on the logo. Check power, the monitor, a hard power cycle, then try the installer USB before you buy a new board. Copy the house folder to another old computerA second copy of the house folder, over the house network to another old PC. Not only a USB stick. You don't need a NAS for this. Point common home routers at Pi-holeWhere to set DNS on TP-Link, ASUS, eero, Netgear, Nest, and ISP gateways so the house asks Pi-hole. Prefer LAN DHCP DNS. You don't need a new router. Flush old DNS on phones and laptopsAfter you point the router at Pi-hole, phones and laptops may still use the old DNS. Renew the Wi-Fi lease or flush the cache so ads drop. You don't need a new router. Keep the computer on the same address on common routersWhere to reserve DHCP on TP-Link, ASUS, eero, Netgear, Nest, and ISP gateways so SSH and Pi-hole keep the same number after a reboot. You don't need a new router. Point a phone or laptop at Pi-hole when the router won'tWhen Nest, Google Wifi, or an ISP gateway will not take custom DNS, set DNS on one phone or laptop so it asks Pi-hole. You don't need a new router for this device. When SSH won't connectSSH hangs, says connection refused, or Permission denied. Check the computer is on, confirm the address, then the user and password. You don't need a new router or a KVM. Add another person to the house shareGive a partner or roommate their own login for the house folder on the old PC. Same share path. Separate Samba password. You don't need a NAS. Add a second house shareMake another Samba folder on the old PC: documents next to photos, or a quiet place for laptop backups. Same computer. You don't need a NAS. Remove someone from the house shareTake a partner or roommate off the house folder on the old PC. Drop them from Samba, then from valid users. Optional: delete the Linux login. You don't need a NAS. See who is using the house shareCheck which logins and devices are connected to the Samba folder on the old PC. smbstatus. You don't need a NAS. When the house share won't openFinder, File Explorer, or the phone can't open the house folder. Check the computer is on, confirm the address, then match the error (path not found, login failed, can't write, disk full). You don't need a NAS. When you can open the house share but can't writeThe house folder opens, but copy, save, or phone upload fails. Check disk room, Samba read only, then folder ownership. You don't need a NAS. When the house share is slowThe folder opens and copies work, but photos crawl. Check Wi-Fi vs a cable, link speed, disk room, then the laptop. You don't need a 10G switch. Forget the saved house-share loginWindows, Mac, or a phone still uses the old Samba password after you changed it. Clear Credential Manager, Keychain, or the phone bookmark, then open again. You don't need a NAS. When the house backup won't runrsync failed, the USB is missing, or the second copy never landed. Check the stick, the mount, the source path, then match the error (no space, permission, connection). You don't need a NAS. When the backup USB is fullrsync says no space, or df shows the stick is packed. Confirm the mount, free room or use a bigger stick, or copy to another old PC. You don't need a NAS. When the computer's disk is fullPhotos won't copy, the share says no space, or df shows the system disk packed. Confirm it is the computer (not the backup stick), free room or move the house folder. You don't need a NAS. See if the old disk is dyingSMART reports whether the drive still looks healthy. Install smartmontools, list the disk, run a quick health check before you trust photos on a Marketplace PC. You don't need a NAS. When the old disk is dyingSMART says FAILED, the disk clicks, or dmesg shows I/O errors. Copy the house folder off first, then plan a drive swap. You don't need a NAS tonight. When the disk went read-onlyapt fails, the share won't take photos, or mount shows ro after a power blip. Confirm read-only, copy off what you can, then remount or fsck. You don't need a NAS tonight. Format a USB stick for the house backupWipe and format a spare USB stick so the old PC can mount it for the house-folder backup. Ext4 for Linux. This erases the stick. You don't need a NAS. Mount the backup USB automaticallyLeave the backup stick plugged in and mount it at boot by UUID, so weekly rsync finds /mnt/backup without a hand mount. You don't need a NAS. Unplug the backup USB safelyFinish disk writes, unmount /mnt/backup, then yank the stick into a drawer. Fixes target is busy. You don't need a NAS. Put the house folder back from the backupAfter a wipe, a reinstall, or an empty share, copy the house folder from the USB (or second old PC) back onto the computer. You don't need a NAS. Run a local chat on the old PCInstall Ollama, pull a small model, chat over SSH. Stays on the house network. CPU is fine for a first try. Don't buy a GPU this weekend. Back up phone photos with ImmichRun Immich on the old PC with Docker Compose. One phone uploading on house Wi-Fi, then disk headroom and a backup. House network only. Browse the house photos with PhotoPrismThe lighter photo path. Point PhotoPrism at the folder you already copy photos into and browse it on the house network. Lab planOptional private checklist. Username and a passkey. No email. Export anytime. Keep a lab plan with a passkey, not an emailOptional Lab plan on plan.labthrift.com. Username and a passkey. No email. Add a second passkey. Lose every passkey and the plan is gone. SSH from a phoneType commands on the old PC from an iPhone or Android on house Wi-Fi. Password login first. Don't open SSH to the internet. SSH from awayReach the old PC from a coffee shop or cellular without opening port 22. Tailscale on the computer and on your laptop. Free personal plan is enough. Open the house share from awayOpen the house folder from a coffee shop or cellular without forwarding SMB. Tailscale on the computer and on your laptop or phone. Free personal plan is enough. When Tailscale won't connectSSH to the Tailscale address fails, or the laptop never shows Connected. Check both ends online on the same account, the 100.x address, captive portal, then house SSH — before you forward port 22. Give the computer a fixed address when the router won'tNest or an ISP gateway won't reserve DHCP. Set one stable number on Ubuntu Server so SSH and Pi-hole keep the same address after a reboot. You don't need a new router.

Faster network

A cable first. A new switch is later.

A cable beats Wi-Fi for the old PCOnce it is doing real work, plug it into the router with a cable. Skip if it is already on a cable. Put the old PC on house Wi-FiUbuntu Server on an old laptop often has no cable nearby. Join house Wi-Fi so SSH and Pi-hole can work. Skip this if ethernet already works. When the house Wi-Fi password changedYou (or the ISP) changed the Wi-Fi passphrase. The old PC on radio is offline — SSH hangs, ads are back. Update the saved password on the computer. Skip a new mesh kit tonight. Keep Wi-Fi off after a rebootAfter the cable works, stop Wi-Fi from coming back so it keeps one address. When the old PC has two house addressesSSH works on one number, Pi-hole or the reservation on another — Wi-Fi and the cable both live. Keep one link. You don't need a new router. See its address on the house networkYou need its number before you reserve DHCP or SSH from another room. Check that it can reach the house routerBefore you blame the switch or buy a new cable, ping the router from the computer. Check that it can reach the internetBefore you blame the computer or buy a mesh kit, ping a number past the house router. See the cable speedBefore you buy a faster switch, check whether the computer is already at gigabit, or stuck at 100. See its hardware addressBefore you reserve its number, write down the sticker-like address the router uses to recognize it. Keep it on the same numberSSH and Pi-hole keep working after a reboot when the router always gives the computer the same address. Give the computer a fixed address when the router won'tNest or an ISP gateway won't reserve DHCP. Set one stable number on Ubuntu Server so SSH and Pi-hole keep the same address after a reboot. You don't need a new router. When you forgot the computer's login passwordSSH and the keyboard both reject the password. Boot recovery or the installer USB, remount the disk, set a new one. Skip wiping the whole PC if the files are fine. Change the login passwordOnce SSH from the couch works, set a password you chose. Do this before you leave the install password sitting around. See if it still has old login accountsBefore you leave a Marketplace box on the house network, look at who else can still log in. You don't need extra login software for this. See if your login can use admin commandsBefore you change passwords or turn on the firewall, check that your login can use sudo. You don't need extra login software. When SSH says the computer looks differentAfter you reinstall, SSH can refuse because your laptop still remembers the old ID. Clear that memory. You don't need a new router. Log in with a key, not the password every timeAfter password SSH works for a while, put a key on your laptop so the computer trusts that laptop. Keep the password as a backup at first. See which laptop keys it already trustsBefore you turn off password login, look at which laptop keys can already get in. Remove leftovers from an old Marketplace box. You don't need a YubiKey for this. Give it a short name on your laptopAfter SSH works, put a short name in your laptop SSH config so you type a short name instead of the long address. You don't need a new router. Put a key on a second computer firstBefore you turn off password login, give a second laptop its own key so you are not locked out if the first one dies. You don't need a YubiKey. Unlock your key once per laptop sessionAfter the key has a passphrase, load it once with ssh-add so you are not typing that passphrase on every SSH login. You don't need a YubiKey. Copy a file to it from your laptopAfter SSH works, use scp to move one file without a USB stick. A short hostname makes the typing shorter. You don't need a NAS for this. Edit a file from the couchAfter SSH works, open a file with nano, change a line, and save. The keys at the bottom of the screen are the whole trick. You don't need a new editor. Reuse a command you already typedAfter SSH works, flip back through commands with the Up arrow or history. You don't need a notebook for the same long line twice. See what's in a folderAfter SSH works, list the folder you are sitting in with ls. You don't need a file manager app for this. Move into a folderAfter SSH works, change folders with cd. You don't need a file manager app for this. See which folder you are inAfter SSH works, print the full path with pwd so you know where ls and nano will land. You don't need a file manager app for this. Make a folderAfter SSH works, make a folder with mkdir so copies and edits have a place to land. You don't need a NAS for this. Copy a file without leaving the computerAfter SSH works, copy a file with cp so you can edit a spare without wrecking the original. You don't need a NAS for this. Rename or move a fileAfter SSH works, rename or move a file with mv so the name matches the job. The old name is gone. You don't need a NAS for this. Delete a file carefullyAfter SSH works, delete one file with rm -i. Ask first. Skip rm -rf. You don't need a NAS for this. Read a file without opening the editorAfter SSH works, print a file with cat so you can read it without opening nano. Short files only. You don't need a file viewer app for this. Read a file one screen at a timeAfter SSH works, open a file with less so a long file does not flood the window. Space turns the page. q leaves. You don't need a file viewer app for this. Find a word in a fileAfter SSH works, search a file with grep so you see only the matching lines. You don't need a file viewer app for this. Find a file by nameAfter SSH works, search the computer for a file by name with find so you don't have to open every folder. You don't need a file manager app for this. See the end of a fileAfter SSH works, print the last lines of a file with tail so a long file does not flood the window. You don't need a log viewer app for this. See how long a file isAfter SSH works, count lines with wc so you know if a dump will flood the window. You don't need a file manager app for this. See what kind of file this isAfter SSH works, ask what kind of file this is with file before you dump it. You don't need a file viewer app for this. See the start of a fileAfter SSH works, print the first lines of a file with head so a long file does not flood the window. You don't need a file viewer app for this. See whether two files are the sameAfter SSH works, compare two files with diff so you can tell if the spare still matches. You don't need a file viewer app for this. Make an empty fileAfter SSH works, make an empty file with touch so nano and copies have a file to land on. You don't need a file manager app for this. Put a short line into a fileAfter SSH works, put one short line into a file with echo so you don't need to open nano. You don't need a file manager app for this. Make a file runnableAfter SSH works, change file permissions with chmod so a practice script can run. You don't need a permissions GUI for this. Make a shortcutAfter SSH works, make a shortcut with ln -s so a second name points at the same file. You don't need a file manager app for this. See where a command livesAfter SSH works, ask where a command lives with command -v so you know if nano or python is installed before you chase a missing package. You don't need a software store for this. Ask a command what it doesAfter SSH works, ask a command what it does with --help so you can read the short cheat sheet without leaving the window. Optional man for the longer page. You don't need a software store for this. Send output into another command with a pipeAfter SSH works, send output into another command with | so a long dump does not flood the window. You don't need a file manager app for this. Save output to a fileAfter SSH works, save command output to a file with > so you can read it later. You don't need a file manager app for this. Watch and save output at once with teeAfter SSH works, watch command output and save it at the same time with tee. You don't need a file manager app for this. Put lines in order with sortAfter SSH works, put lines in order with sort so a mixed list is easier to scan. You don't need a file manager app for this. Drop duplicate lines with uniqAfter SSH works, drop duplicate lines with uniq so a mixed list shows each line once. You don't need a file manager app for this. Pull one column with cutAfter SSH works, pull one column with cut so a mixed line is easier to scan. You don't need a file manager app for this. Change characters with trAfter SSH works, change characters with tr so a mixed line is easier to clean. You don't need a file manager app for this. Join columns side by side with pasteAfter SSH works, join columns side by side with paste so two lists become one line each. You don't need a file manager app for this. Number lines with nlAfter SSH works, number lines with nl so a long file is easier to point at. You don't need a file manager app for this. Wrap long lines with foldAfter SSH works, wrap long lines with fold so they don't run off the window. You don't need a file manager app for this. Download a file onto the computerAfter SSH works, pull one file from a web address with curl so the computer has the file without a USB stick. You don't need a browser on it for this. Check a file fingerprint with sha256sumAfter SSH works, check a file with sha256sum so you know the file you pulled still matches the fingerprint you expected. You don't need a download manager for this. See file size, date, and permissions with statAfter SSH works, look at one file with stat so you can see its size, last-change date, and permissions without opening it. You don't need a file manager app for this. Pack files into one archive with tarAfter SSH works, pack files into one archive with tar so you can copy one file instead of a folder. You don't need a zip app for this. Shrink one file with gzipAfter SSH works, shrink one file with gzip so a copy is smaller. You don't need a zip app for this. Run one command per line with xargsAfter SSH works, run one command once per line with xargs so a list drives many short jobs. You don't need a scripting app for this. Encode a file so you can paste itAfter SSH works, turn a file into pasteable text with base64 so you can copy small text without a USB stick. You don't need a zip app for this. Split a file into smaller piecesAfter SSH works (and after encode/paste when useful), split one file into smaller pieces with split so a paste or copy fits size limits. You don't need a zip app for this. Sync files so only changes copyAfter SSH works, sync files with rsync so a copy only moves what changed. You don't need a NAS sync app for this. Browse folders then copy one fileAfter SSH works, browse folders with sftp so you can pick a file and copy it. You don't need FileZilla or a NAS for this. Unpack a zip you already haveAfter SSH works, unpack a zip with unzip so files come out of a zip. You don't need a zip desktop app for this. See folders as a treeAfter SSH works, show nested folders with tree so you can see what is inside without clicking around. You don't need a file manager app for this. See how big one folder isAfter SSH works, check how big one folder is with du so you know before you copy or delete. You don't need a file manager app for this. Make sizes readable with numfmtAfter du or disk-space (or any big byte count), use numfmt so a huge number becomes something like 1.4G that a first-timer can read. You don't need extra system software beyond coreutils. Pack files into a zip a laptop can openAfter SSH works, pack files into a zip with zip so a Windows laptop can open them. You don't need a zip desktop app for this. See change without typing againAfter SSH works, re-run a command every few seconds with watch so size (or clock) updates by itself. You don't need a monitoring app for this. Stop a command after a few secondsAfter SSH works, stop a command after a few seconds with timeout so it does not hang. You don't need a monitoring app for this. See how long a command tookAfter SSH works, see how long a command took with time so you know if it was a few seconds. You don't need a monitoring app for this. See what time the computer thinks it isAfter SSH works, see what time the computer thinks it is with date so logs and backups make sense. You don't need a clock app for this. See month on a calendarAfter SSH works, see month on a calendar with cal so dates make sense on a grid. You don't need a calendar app for this. See login nameAfter SSH works, see login name with whoami so home and sudo make sense. You don't need extra login software for this. See user number and groupsAfter whoami, see user number and groups with id so home numbers and sudo groups make sense. You don't need extra login software for this. See kernel name and architectureAfter id, see kernel name and architecture with uname so driver notes and 64-bit vs 32-bit make sense. You don't need extra system software for this. See HOME and PATHAfter uname, see HOME and PATH with printenv so login environment makes sense. You don't need extra system software for this. See language and regionAfter printenv, see language and region with locale so dates, number format, and character set (UTF-8) make sense. You don't need extra system software for this. See terminal nameAfter locale, see terminal name with tty so SSH session vs keyboard session makes sense. You don't need extra system software for this. Clear the windowAfter tty, clear the window with clear so old output stops cluttering the session. You don't need extra system software for this. See window sizeAfter clear, see window size with stty size so rows and columns make sense. You don't need extra system software for this. Fix a garbled terminalAfter stty, fix a garbled terminal with reset so prompt and typing make sense again. You don't need extra system software for this. See terminal columns and colorsAfter reset, see terminal columns (and colors) with tput so window width and color support make sense. You don't need extra system software for this. Print a number listAfter tput, print a number list with seq so practice lines (and clear drills) make sense. You don't need extra system software for this. Repeat a line until you stopAfter seq, repeat a line with yes so practice floods (and clear drills) make sense. You don't need extra system software for this. Mix linesAfter yes, mix lines with shuf so practice lists (and seq drills) are not always in order. You don't need extra system software for this. Reverse linesAfter shuf, reverse lines with tac so practice lists (and seq drills) can be last-first. You don't need extra system software for this. Reflow paragraphsAfter rev, reflow paragraphs with fmt so practice notes (and echo drills) wrap to a readable width. You don't need extra system software for this. Turn tabs into spaces with expandAfter fmt, turn tabs into spaces with expand so practice notes (and echo drills) line up without tab stops jumping. You don't need extra system software for this. Turn spaces into tabs with unexpandAfter expand, turn spaces into tabs with unexpand so practice notes (and echo drills) can go back to tabs after expand. You don't need extra system software for this. Line lists up in columnsAfter unexpand, line lists up in columns with column so practice notes (and echo drills) sit in columns that line up. You don't need extra system software for this. Match files on a shared fieldAfter column, match files on a shared field with join so practice lists (and echo drills) can line up on a shared key. You don't need extra system software for this. Compare sorted listsAfter join, compare sorted lists with comm so practice lists (and echo drills) show what is only in list 1, only in list 2, or in both. You don't need extra system software for this. See whether two files match byte for byteAfter comm, compare files byte for byte with cmp so practice copies (and echo drills) show whether two files match exactly. You don't need extra system software for this. See full pathAfter cmp, see full path with realpath so practice files (and ln drills) show where names actually live. You don't need extra system software for this. See the last name with basenameAfter realpath, print last name with basename so practice files (and realpath drills) show file name without folder path. You don't need extra system software for this. See the folder path with dirnameAfter basename, print folder path with dirname so practice files (and basename drills) show folder path without last name. You don't need extra system software for this. See the shortcut target with readlinkAfter dirname, print shortcut target with readlink so practice shortcuts (and ln drills) show path the shortcut points at. You don't need extra system software for this. Make a temporary practice file with mktempAfter readlink, make a temporary practice file with mktemp so practice names (and echo/printf drills) get a unique name in /tmp (or home) without guessing a name. You don't need extra system software for this. Print words exactly with printfAfter mktemp, print words exactly with printf so practice files (and mktemp drills) get text without extra line echo always adds. You don't need extra system software for this. Finish disk writesAfter printf, finish disk writes with sync so practice files (and USB/backup copies) are really on the disk before you unplug or power off. You don't need extra system software for this. Peek at file bytesAfter sync (or after writing a practice file), peek with od so you see the characters and bytes that are actually on disk. You don't need extra system software beyond coreutils. Empty or shrink a practice file with truncateAfter od (or after writing a practice file), use truncate so you empty or shrink the file without deleting its name. You don't need extra system software beyond coreutils. See printable text with stringsAfter od (or after writing a practice file), use strings so you see readable text without dumping every byte. You don't need extra system software beyond binutils. Reverse charactersAfter tac, reverse characters on each line with rev so practice words (and echo drills) can be last-letter-first. You don't need extra system software for this. Turn off password login once the key worksAfter the laptop key login is boring, tell SSH to stop accepting the password. The key is how you get in. A keyboard on the computer is the backup now. See which doors the computer left openBefore you turn on the firewall, ask which ports are already listening. Turn on a simple firewall without locking yourself outAfter SSH from the couch works, allow OpenSSH, then turn on ufw. The computer stays reachable. Surprise inbound ports don't. Slow down password guesses on SSHAfter the firewall is on and key login is boring, you can let the computer briefly refuse an address that keeps guessing the password. Skip this on day one. Don't forward port 22. See who logged into the computer recentlyBefore you buy a camera or a monitoring box, peek at the computer login history with last. See who is on the computer right nowBefore you buy a camera or a monitoring box, ask who is logged into the computer right now with who. See if anyone guessed the passwordBefore you buy a camera or extra login software, peek at failed logins with lastb. Let the computer apply weekly fixes without youAfter the weekly two-command habit is boring, you can let the computer apply those same fixes by itself. Skip this until that habit is boring. Don't let it reboot on its own. After a reboot, check the computer still does its jobsThe computer came back up. Confirm SSH, house ad block, and the file share still work before you buy anything. Make sure house jobs start after every rebootBefore you buy a monitoring box, check that Pi-hole and the house share are set to start when the computer boots. When something broke, look at the logSSH works, but a house job doesn't. Read the program's recent log before you buy a monitoring box. See if the computer still has free memoryThe computer feels slow. Check free memory before you buy a new mini PC. See what is keeping the computer busyThe computer feels slow. Check which program is using the CPU before you buy a new mini PC. See if any house jobs failed to startAfter a reboot, check failed units before you blame the network or buy a new box. A faster switch for a first home labIf file copies crawl, start with a small silent switch that has eight faster ports. Eight quiet faster ports when file copies crawl: TP-Link TL-SG108S-M2Eight quiet faster ports when file copies crawl. Buy the S-M2, not the older SG108-M2. Quiet faster closet ports plus a real 10G cage: TRENDnet TEG-S562Quiet faster closet ports plus a real 10G cage, without VLANs or eight copper ports. Five quiet faster ports for one NAS and one PC: TP-Link TL-SG105S-M2Five quiet faster ports for one NAS and one PC. Skip the eight-port box until you count more plugs. 8-port vs 5-port 2.5G switch for a closet labCount the real endpoints and add two. Buy the extra 10G cage only if one copy already fills the faster house portStay on a quiet faster-port switch until one file copy fills 2.5G. Pick today's cheaper quiet box with four faster ports and two 10G cages: TEG-S562 vs QSW-2104-2STwo quiet unmanaged boxes with four faster ports and two 10G cages. Pick by today's price. Two Wi-Fi APs plus a faster NAS without a rack PoE heater: TP-Link TL-SG105PP-M2Two Wi-Fi APs plus a faster NAS without a rack PoE heater. Managed vs unmanaged 2.5G: when VLANs are worth the taxUnmanaged unless you already know you need VLANs. Quiet managed eight faster ports when you actually need VLANs: TP-Link SG3210X-M2Quiet managed eight faster ports when you actually need VLANs. Skip it if unmanaged still fits. Quiet managed eight faster ports and two 10G cages when you need VLANs: SG3210X-M2 vs TEG-3102WSPick a quiet managed switch with eight faster ports and two 10G cages when you actually need VLANs. Quiet switch that powers two house APs and talks faster to a file box: TP-Link SG2210XMP-M2A quiet switch that can power two house APs and still talk faster to a file box. Power house APs from a quiet desk switch, not a loud rack heater: SG2210XMP-M2 vs SG3210XHP-M2Power house APs from a quiet desk switch. Skip the louder rack HP version for a closet that stays closed. Two quiet five-port faster boxes; pick by today's price: TL-SG105S-M2 vs TEG-S350Two quiet five-port faster boxes. Specs are twins. Pick by today's price. Metal 8-port that costs more than the shipped TP-Link default: Netgear MS308 vs TL-SG108S-M2A metal 8-port that costs more than the shipped TP-Link default. MS305 vs TL-SG105S-M2: five quiet 2.5G portsFive quiet faster ports. Prefer the TP-Link unless the Netgear is clearly cheaper the day you buy. QSW-1105-5T vs TL-SG105S-M2: same five ports, usually more moneySame five faster ports as the $35–39 TP-Link. Skip the QNAP unless the price is close. QSW-1108-8T-R2 vs TL-SG108S-M2: same eight ports, usually more moneyEight quiet faster ports. Skip the QNAP tax unless you already live in QNAP and the price is close. Four faster ports and two 10G cages when you already live in QNAP: QNAP QSW-2104-2SFour faster ports and two 10G cages when you already own a QNAP. Learn RouterOS and VLANs when you want that work: MikroTik CRS310-8G+2S+INLearn RouterOS and VLANs when you want that work. Skip it if you want silent unmanaged switching.

Small computers

Old gear first. A tiny new PC is later.

Start with what you already haveDon't buy anything yet. Old laptop first, or a retired OptiPlex from Marketplace. What OS to put on itDebian or Ubuntu Server if you can dedicate the old PC. Leave Windows if you still use the laptop. See which OS it is already runningBefore you reinstall or buy a tiny computer, check which OS the computer already has. See how many workers the computer already hasBefore you buy a tiny computer, check how many workers the computer already has. See how much memory the computer already hasBefore you buy a tiny computer, check how much memory the computer already has. See if the computer can run a pretend computerBefore you buy a tiny computer for Proxmox, check whether the computer already has the CPU feature for VMs. See what computer you already haveBefore you buy a tiny computer, check what model you already have. See how big the computer disk already isBefore you buy a tiny computer or a NAS, check how big the computer disk already is. See if the computer already has extra memory on diskBefore you buy a tiny computer, check whether the computer already has overflow memory on the disk. A tiny computer you can leave onQuiet, about the size of a book. Buy 16 GB of memory. N100 or N150, whichever is on sale. Dual gigabit living-room mini, not the 2.5G listing: Beelink EQ13A dual gigabit living-room mini. Don't confuse it with EQ14 2.5G listings. Buy EQ12 if you wanted two faster ports. Read the network ports before you buy this N150 mini: Beelink EQ14The same EQ14 name is sold with gigabit or faster 2.5G ports. Confirm which ports you are actually buying. Fanless four-port closet firewall you can warrant: Protectli VP2430eA fanless four-port closet firewall or router box with US support and coreboot. Not a living-room HDMI toy. Quiet N150 with a 10G cage when MS-01 is gone: Protectli VP2440eA small quiet box with a 10G fiber-style cage you can actually buy, when the Minisforum MS-01 is gone. Skip if you don't have a 10G job yet. Skip the palm box whose 12 GB cannot grow: AOOSTAR N1 ProSkip the tiny living-room box whose memory cannot grow. Soldered RAM means memory you cannot add later. 12 GB is the trap. Buy one you can upgrade, or wait. Match CPU, ports, and RAM before you click Buy on AmazonBefore you click Buy on Amazon, match the real CPU, the real network ports, and whether memory can be upgraded. Title slugs lie. Skip a listing that only wins on the title. Living-room mini PC with one faster port: GMKtec G3 PlusA living-room mini PC with one faster house ethernet port. Not the router. Skip 8 GB. No live 16 GB listing on fetch. Skip the old thin-laptop chip listing that claims it beats N150: GMKtec G3 ProSkip the listing that claims it beats an N150. That chip is an old thin-laptop part. Buy a current N150 box instead. Skip the sold-out soldered 12 GB cube: GMKtec G5Skip this sold-out 12 GB cube. One slow network port and soldered RAM, which means memory you cannot add later. Wait for a current N150 living-room box. Pick the cheap living-room palm box; confirm the LAN: Mini S12 Pro vs Mini S13Pick a small living-room box. Confirm the network ports on the exact Amazon listing. Buy whichever is cheaper once the ports match. Skip the soldered LPDDR5 listing; wait for upgradable RAM: Beelink Mini S13Skip the 12 GB soldered listing. Soldered RAM means memory you cannot add later. Wait for the version where you can add RAM, or pick another box. Quiet dual-faster-port mini still sold new: Beelink EQ12A quiet mini with two faster house ethernet ports for home services you leave on. Still sold new. Not EQ14, not a four-port firewall. Quiet two-disk media box, not a four-port firewall: Beelink ME ProA mini PC that can hold two disks when you want a quiet media or backup box, not a four-port firewall. Soldered RAM and pre-order risk are the skip reasons. Cheap four-port Amazon barebone; treat the listing as hostile: CWWKA cheap four-port Amazon barebone for a house firewall. Same port count as Protectli, worse firmware and support. Often ships with no RAM. Treat the listing as hostile. Pay for US support or gamble on Amazon: Protectli vs CWWKFour faster ports for a house firewall. Pay extra for US support and coreboot, or gamble on the cheaper Amazon barebone. Living-room dual-port mini vs closet four-port applianceA living-room box with one or two network ports versus a closet four-port appliance. A USB faster-port dongle is usually a worse idea than buying the appliance once. Buy RAM you can add later; skip soldered 12 GB cubesBuy enough memory you can actually add later. Soldered RAM means memory you cannot add later. Skip 12 GB cubes. 16 GB is the floor for a mini PC. Transcode checklist under Proxmox, not stream-count theaterA kernel and driver checklist for transcode on a mini PC under Proxmox. Not a stream-count contest. Quick Sync in a container. I won't invent stream counts. Bedroom-shelf quiet versus closet door-shut heatPick a quiet box for a bedroom shelf or a closet with the door shut. Extra network ports usually mean more heat when idle. Published maker ranges only.

File storage

A folder on the old PC first. A NAS is later.

A file shareA folder on the old PC that the house can open from a laptop or a phone. You don't need a NAS for this. Open the house share from a phoneThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from an iPhone or Android on house Wi-Fi. You don't need a NAS app for this. Open the house share from awayOpen the house folder from a coffee shop or cellular without forwarding SMB. Tailscale on the computer and on your laptop or phone. Free personal plan is enough. Save phone photos to the house shareCopy camera-roll photos from an iPhone or Android onto the house folder on the old PC. House Wi-Fi only. You don't need a NAS app or iCloud for this. Open the house share from a laptopThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder on the house network. You don't need a NAS for this. Map the house share as a driveGive Windows a letter (Z:) or keep Finder's Locations entry so the house folder on the old PC opens every time. You don't need a NAS. Open the house share from a ChromebookThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from a Chromebook Files app on house Wi-Fi. You don't need a NAS app for this. Open the house share from a Linux laptopThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from Ubuntu or Fedora Files (or KDE Dolphin) on the house network. You don't need a NAS for this. Back up a Mac to the house share with Time MachinePoint Time Machine at a Samba folder on the old PC. Separate share from photos. Cap the size. You don't need a Time Capsule or a NAS for this. When Time Machine won't back up to the house shareFinder can open the share, or it used to, but Time Machine fails, stalls, or says the disk disappeared. Check the computer, the fruit lines, free space, then the Mac. You don't need a Time Capsule. Back up a Windows PC to the house share with File HistoryPoint Windows File History at a Samba folder on the old PC. Separate share from photos. You don't need a NAS for this. When File History won't back up to the house shareFile Explorer can open the share, or it used to, but File History fails, stalls, or says the drive disappeared. Check the computer, credentials, free space, then Windows. You don't need a NAS. Put the house folder on a USB diskMove the house share onto a USB disk that stays plugged into the old PC so photos don't fill the system drive. You don't need a NAS for this. Add another person to the house shareGive a partner or roommate their own login for the house folder on the old PC. Same share path. Separate Samba password. You don't need a NAS. Add a second house shareMake another Samba folder on the old PC: documents next to photos, or a quiet place for laptop backups. Same computer. You don't need a NAS. Remove someone from the house shareTake a partner or roommate off the house folder on the old PC. Drop them from Samba, then from valid users. Optional: delete the Linux login. You don't need a NAS. See who is using the house shareCheck which logins and devices are connected to the Samba folder on the old PC. smbstatus. You don't need a NAS. Set or change the house-share passwordFinder and File Explorer ask for a share password that is not always the login. Samba keeps its own copy. Set it once. Change it when you forget. When the house share won't openFinder, File Explorer, or the phone can't open the house folder. Check the computer is on, confirm the address, then match the error (path not found, login failed, can't write, disk full). You don't need a NAS. When you can open the house share but can't writeThe house folder opens, but copy, save, or phone upload fails. Check disk room, Samba read only, then folder ownership. You don't need a NAS. When the house share is slowThe folder opens and copies work, but photos crawl. Check Wi-Fi vs a cable, link speed, disk room, then the laptop. You don't need a 10G switch. Forget the saved house-share loginWindows, Mac, or a phone still uses the old Samba password after you changed it. Clear Credential Manager, Keychain, or the phone bookmark, then open again. You don't need a NAS. When the house backup won't runrsync failed, the USB is missing, or the second copy never landed. Check the stick, the mount, the source path, then match the error (no space, permission, connection). You don't need a NAS. When the backup USB is fullrsync says no space, or df shows the stick is packed. Confirm the mount, free room or use a bigger stick, or copy to another old PC. You don't need a NAS. When the computer's disk is fullPhotos won't copy, the share says no space, or df shows the system disk packed. Confirm it is the computer (not the backup stick), free room or move the house folder. You don't need a NAS. See if the old disk is dyingSMART reports whether the drive still looks healthy. Install smartmontools, list the disk, run a quick health check before you trust photos on a Marketplace PC. You don't need a NAS. When the old disk is dyingSMART says FAILED, the disk clicks, or dmesg shows I/O errors. Copy the house folder off first, then plan a drive swap. You don't need a NAS tonight. When the disk went read-onlyapt fails, the share won't take photos, or mount shows ro after a power blip. Confirm read-only, copy off what you can, then remount or fsck. You don't need a NAS tonight. When the house share disappeared, check the computerThe computer is awake, but Finder or File Explorer cannot see the folder. Check that Samba is still running before you buy a NAS. Restart Pi-hole or the house shareAds vanished or Finder lost the folder, but the computer is still on. Restart the one service that died. You don't need a full reboot or a new mini PC. See if the computer still has roomAfter the house folder is working, check that the computer is not filling up. Photos stop copying when the disk is full. You don't need a NAS for this look. See disks and USB sticks on the computerAfter SSH works (and before you blame a missing USB backup), list disks and USB sticks with lsblk so you see names like sda and sdb without opening a disk app. See which folders are already attachedAfter you can list disks with lsblk (and before you blame a missing USB backup), use findmnt to see which folders are already attached (mounted) so you know what is live as / or a USB path. Read disk labels and UUIDsAfter you can list disks with lsblk and see which folders are attached with findmnt, use blkid to read labels, UUIDs, and filesystem types on disk slices so you can tell which stick or slice is which. See stable disk names by UUIDAfter blkid shows labels and UUIDs, use ls on /dev/disk/by-uuid (and optional by-label) so you see the fixed paths Linux already made — names that don't move when sdb becomes sdc. See stable disk names by hardware idAfter by-uuid shows filesystem UUID paths, use ls on /dev/disk/by-id (and optional by-path) so you see hardware-style fixed names — ata-…, usb-…, nvme-… — that don't move when sdb becomes sdc. Peek at disk details with udevadmAfter by-id shows hardware-style fixed names, use udevadm info (look-only) on a disk path so you see the properties udev already knows — without mounting or rewriting anything. Peek at partition tables with fdiskAfter udevadm shows disk properties, use fdisk -l (look-only) so you see the partition table layout — sizes and slice names — without creating, deleting, or rewriting anything. Peek at partition layout with partedAfter fdisk -l shows the partition table, use parted -l (look-only) so you see a second layout printout — sizes and filesystem hints — without creating, resizing, or rewriting anything. Peek at partitions via /proc/partitionsAfter parted -l shows a layout printout, read /proc/partitions (look-only) so you see the kernel’s plain name and size list — without creating, wiping, or mounting anything. When copies fail but free space looks fineBefore you buy a bigger drive or a NAS, check file slots when copies fail but gigabytes still look free. See which folders are eating the diskBefore you buy a bigger drive or a NAS, ask which folders are taking the room. See how big the computer disk already isBefore you buy a tiny computer or a NAS, check how big the computer disk already is. Clear old package downloads when the disk is tightAfter weekly updates, old downloads can sit on the disk. Clear them safely before you buy a bigger drive or a NAS. Clear old logs when the disk is tightBefore you buy a bigger drive or a NAS, see how much room the diary is using, then trim old entries safely. A backup of the house folderA second copy of the house folder, on a USB disk you already have, or on another old computer. You don't need a NAS for this. See if the USB backup disk showed upBefore you trust the weekly copy, confirm the computer can see the USB disk. Format a USB stick for the house backupWipe and format a spare USB stick so the old PC can mount it for the house-folder backup. Ext4 for Linux. This erases the stick. You don't need a NAS. Mount the backup USB automaticallyLeave the backup stick plugged in and mount it at boot by UUID, so weekly rsync finds /mnt/backup without a hand mount. You don't need a NAS. Unplug the backup USB safelyFinish disk writes, unmount /mnt/backup, then yank the stick into a drawer. Fixes target is busy. You don't need a NAS. Check that the backup actually copiedAfter the copy finishes, look on the USB disk and confirm the files are there before you trust it. You don't need a NAS for this look. Restore one file from the USB backupA backup you never copied back is a hope. Pull one file off the USB onto the computer so you know you can get it. You don't need a NAS for this. Put the house folder back from the backupAfter a wipe, a reinstall, or an empty share, copy the house folder from the USB (or second old PC) back onto the computer. You don't need a NAS. When the computer's clock is wrongHTTPS fails, apt says the Release file is not valid yet, or logs look like 2019. Check the clock, turn network time on, set the house zone. You don't need a GPS clock hat. Set the computer clock to your houseLogs, updates, and weekly backups only make sense if the computer uses your local time. timedatectl sets the city zone. It keeps the clock correct over the network. See what the computer already runs on a scheduleBefore you add a weekly backup or buy a monitoring box, list the computer's scheduled jobs. Back up the folder every week without rememberingAfter one manual USB (or second-box) copy works, let the computer run the same rsync on a weekly timer. A phone reminder is still fine if you prefer. A first file box (NAS) for one personA quiet box for photos and backups. Two drives if you want sleep. Quiet overnight backups on DSM without the Plus tax: DS223Quiet overnight backups on DSM without the Plus tax. Skip Plus if that is the whole job. Skip the j. Quiet overnight backups with Synology DSM: DS224+Quiet overnight backups with DSM when Plus extras matter. Skip if sleep backups alone are the job. Four-bay overnight backups on DSM: DS423+Four-bay overnight backups on Synology DSM when two bays are not enough. Still gigabit. Quiet overnight photos on a 2-bay: UGREEN DXP2800Quiet overnight photos on a 2-bay with a faster port, without paying for 10G. Cheap quiet 2-bay without Synology DSM: TerraMaster F2-425Cheap quiet 2-bay with one faster port when you want Intel and don't need Synology DSM. Stay on the cheap quiet 2-bay unless you will use two faster portsSkip the extra $125 unless you will use dual 2.5G or NVMe cache. F2-425 stays the cheap TOS default. Quiet 2-bay on QNAP software: QNAP TS-262AQuiet 2-bay on QNAP software with a faster port and room for fast solid-state cache. Stay on the QNAP 2-bay default unless you will use the extra portSkip the extra $120 unless you use the second 2.5G port, HDMI, or PCIe. TS-262A stays the QTS 2-bay default. Four bays at 2-bay Plus money: TerraMaster F4-425Four bays when you want to start with two disks and add later. Still one faster port. Still no M.2. Asustor AS5402T review: four NVMe slots on a 2-bay NASA 2-bay file box that can run fast solid-state disks if apps need speed. Skip it if you only need two spinning disks for photos. Asustor AS5404T review: 4-bay, dual 2.5GbE, four M.2Four bays when two are not enough, with a faster port than Synology's gigabit Plus boxes. 32 GB 4-bay for Docker or TrueNAS: TerraMaster F4-424 Proi3-N305 and 32 GB. TOS in the box. x86 people actually re-image. DS224+ vs DS423+: 2-bay or 4-bay Synology PlusPick two bays or four when overnight backups on DSM is the job. Four bays cost about $200 more for empty slots, not a faster network. Two identical disks mirror each other: SHR ≈ RAID 1 on two baysTwo identical disks mirror each other; SHR ≈ RAID 1 on two bays. RAID is not backup. Buy hard drives a first file box can rebuild: CMR, not the cheap packed styleBuy hard drives a first file box can rebuild. CMR writes everywhere, skip the cheap packed style. 2.5-inch vs 3.5-inch in a first NAS: HDD bulk vs SATA SSD appsPut big quiet disks in a first file box, not an old laptop drive. Small laptop disks are the wrong size for bulk photos. A small fast SSD is only if apps need speed, not for a photo dump. 2.5G vs 10G on a first NAS: when the NIC is the wasteSkip a 10G port on a first two-drive file box. Two spinning disks cannot fill even the faster 2.5G port. Bedroom overnight box vs closet next to a workstationPick by watts and noise, not by brand. Maker lab numbers only. Stay on the maker OS, or wipe an x86 4-bay for TrueNASStay on the maker OS, or wipe an x86 4-bay for TrueNAS.

Better Wi-Fi

House ad block first. A new mesh kit is later.

The first useful thingPut a house-wide ad block on the old PC. The rest of the house keeps using the internet as usual. You don't need a Raspberry Pi. Point the house at the ad blockAfter Pi-hole is installed, point the house router at the computer for DNS. Phones and laptops need no app. Sites still load. A lot of ads don't. Point common home routers at Pi-holeWhere to set DNS on TP-Link, ASUS, eero, Netgear, Nest, and ISP gateways so the house asks Pi-hole. Prefer LAN DHCP DNS. You don't need a new router. Flush old DNS on phones and laptopsAfter you point the router at Pi-hole, phones and laptops may still use the old DNS. Renew the Wi-Fi lease or flush the cache so ads drop. You don't need a new router. Keep the computer on the same address on common routersWhere to reserve DHCP on TP-Link, ASUS, eero, Netgear, Nest, and ISP gateways so SSH and Pi-hole keep the same number after a reboot. You don't need a new router. Point a phone or laptop at Pi-hole when the router won'tWhen Nest, Google Wifi, or an ISP gateway will not take custom DNS, set DNS on one phone or laptop so it asks Pi-hole. You don't need a new router for this device. When ads come back, check the ad blockThe computer is awake, but banners are back. Check that Pi-hole is still answering before you buy a mesh kit or blame the router. When one phone still shows adsEveryone else's ads dropped. One phone still shows banners. Check Private DNS, Private Relay, a VPN, then the Wi-Fi lease. You don't need a new router. When one laptop still shows adsEveryone else's ads dropped. One laptop (or one browser) still shows banners. Check Chrome, Edge, or Firefox Secure DNS, Windows encrypted DNS, Mac Private Relay, then a VPN. You don't need a new router. When a site won't load after Pi-holeA bank, streamer, or login page breaks after Pi-hole. Pause blocking for five minutes, then allow the domain you need. You don't need a new router. When browsing feels slow after Pi-holePages hang a few seconds, then load. Ads may still be blocked. Time a DNS lookup, check Pi-hole and its upstream, then prove it with a bypass. You don't need a faster plan tonight. Allow a site in Pi-hole on purposeOne domain the house needs that a block list keeps catching. Add it to the allow list. You don't wipe every list or buy a new router. When the Pi-hole admin page won't openhttp://pi.hole/admin or the computer's address plus /admin won't load. Check house Wi-Fi, the address, then Pi-hole and the web service. You don't need a new router. When the home router page won't open192.168.x.1, routerlogin.net, or the sticker URL won't load. Find the gateway number, use http on house Wi-Fi, then log in. You don't need a new router. When the router password won't workThe gateway login page loads, but sticker, app, or old password fails. Try the right account and maker app before a factory reset. A reset wipes DNS and reservations. See which name server the computer is usingWhen names fail or ads come back, check which DNS the computer asks before you buy a mesh kit. Look up a site name from the computerWhen a website name fails, try resolving it from the computer before you buy a mesh kit. Save a Pi-hole backup before you change thingsExport settings with Teleporter so a reinstall or a bad list does not wipe your allow list and local DNS. You don't need a new Raspberry Pi. Add a local name in Pi-holeGive the old PC a short house name so phones and laptops can open SSH, the share, and the admin page without remembering the number. You don't need a new router. When the house name won't resolvelab.home says unknown host, or SSH and the share still need the IP. Prove which DNS the device uses, check the Pi-hole record, then the reserved address. Skip a new router tonight. Change the Pi-hole admin passwordAfter the house ad block is up, change the admin password the installer printed. That password is not the login. Power two Wi-Fi points from one small switchEnough watts and enough ports. Not a controller religion on day one. Power two house APs from one quiet brick: TP-Link TL-SG1005PFour PoE+ ports, one spare uplink, no fan, no controller. More ports for a fuller closet, still only four PoE: TP-Link TL-SG108PEMore ports for a fuller closet. Still only four PoE+ at 64 W. Same quiet two-AP brick with VLAN menus when you need them: TP-Link TL-SG105PESame quiet two-AP brick with VLAN menus. Skip if you only need power. Two floors, one gigabit house, cheap af power: EAP613Two floors, one gigabit house, cheap af power. In-wall house AP when the cable already comes out of the wall box: EAP615-WallIn-wall house AP when the cable already comes out of the wall box. Two about-$80 APs. Radio and power class differ. The cheap injector can be the trap: EAP613 vs EAP653Two about-$80 APs. Radio and power class differ. Cheap injector can be the trap. Pick the house Wi-Fi software you will actually live with: Omada EAP653 vs UniFi U7 LitePick the house Wi-Fi software you will actually live with. Simple ceiling Wi-Fi 7 for a UniFi house: UniFi U7 LiteSimple ceiling Wi-Fi 7 for a UniFi house. Honest dual-band, no 6 GHz. Skip the $190 Wi-Fi 7 puck until the WAN is faster than the APSkip the extra-money 6 GHz puck until the house internet is faster than gigabit. House Wi-Fi with an app, no license, no controller VM: Aruba Instant On AP21 vs AP22House Wi-Fi with an app, no license, no controller VM. Skip the denser AP25. Quiet house AP that runs its own controller: Grandstream GWN7660Quiet house AP that runs its own controller. Skip if you already picked Omada or UniFi. Ceiling AP you can later flash OpenWrt on: Cudy AP3000Ceiling AP you can later flash OpenWrt on. Stock is fine. Flash is not one-click. Living-room router as an AP when the closet has no PoE yet: Flint 2 (GL-MT6000)Living-room router as an AP when the closet has no PoE yet. Barrel plug, not a splitter. Quiet switch that powers two Lite APs without a loud 24-port heater: 8-port 2.5G PoEQuiet switch that powers two Lite APs without a loud 24-port heater. One injector, two injectors, or a 4-port PoE+ switchOne AP can use a small injector. Two APs is when a tiny PoE switch starts making sense. af, at, bt: match the AP class before you buy the switchMatch the AP power class before you buy the switch. Old 24 V passive bricks will not power a modern house AP like an U7 LiteOld 24 V passive bricks will not power a modern house AP. Skip them. Buy the quiet fanless PoE switch. Don't keep the loud SG2210MP and mod the fanBuy the fanless SKU. Don't mod the fan. Faster Wi-Fi 6 ceiling puck when you already have 2.5G PoE and no Wi-Fi 7 phones: EAP670Faster Wi-Fi 6 when you already have 2.5G PoE and no Wi-Fi 7 phones.

Used or new

Old gear first. Used vs new is later.

Start with what you already haveDon't buy anything yet. Old laptop first, or a retired OptiPlex from Marketplace. When used office gear is a giftStart with gear you already have. Add a cheap used switch later, but skip boxes built for a data-center aisle. The $40 used Catalyst is still 1GA used Catalyst 3560-class 24-port is still a gigabit box. Run a quiet 10G closet lab without a loud used 1U: Minisforum MS-01Run a quiet 10G closet lab without the noise and depth of a used Dell R630. More CPU in a compact 10G closet box, still not a rack server: Minisforum MS-A2More CPU in a compact 10G closet box than the MS-01, with a fan and a higher price. Still not a rack server. Quiet fanless four-port house firewall instead of a loud used 1U: Protectli VP2420eQuiet fanless four-port house firewall instead of a loud used 1U. Skip the dual-Xeon boat anchor. Four quiet desk 10G links without a used Catalyst: MikroTik CRS305Four quiet desk 10G links without bringing a loud used Catalyst into the closet. Connect a 10G NAS and four faster PCs without a used Cisco chassis: QNAP QSW-2104-2SConnect a 10G NAS and four faster PCs without putting a used Cisco chassis in the closet. Buy paper you can call on a closet lot, not SmartNet you cannot transferOn a closet lot you don't get SmartNet. Buy new paper you can actually call. If the PSU wants 208 V, it does not belong in a closetA closet is a 120 V duplex. Buy the brick. 1U is for a rack. A closet gets a pizza box.Used 1U is deep, loud, and wants rails. The closet objects are pizza boxes. New fanless PoE for a UniFi house, not a used 48-port Catalyst: Switch UltraIf the house is already UniFi, buy the Ultra 60W new. Not a used Catalyst PoE. Buy a new or Synology-certified DS224+. Skip random “renewed.”Amazon Renewed is not Synology CPO. New diskless DS224+ is the clean US buy. New 10G in the chassis, not a used Synology: UGREEN DXP4800 PlusNew 10G in the chassis. Don't buy a used DS918+ for 10G. Supported small 4×4, not a used Xeon-D boat anchor: ASUS NUC 14 ProSupported small 4×4 with a name on the firmware, not a used Xeon-D boat anchor. Buy a new 10Gtek DAC and a named X710. Skip “works great” NICs.Buy a new short DAC and a network card that names its chip. Skip random used 10G cards and mystery optics from a drawer. A $339 Beelink N150 vs the yearly cost of a used 1UA small new mini PC often costs less over a year of power than a loud used server. Skip the used 1U if heat and noise matter. This note is only about the power bill, not which chip wins. New USB-C UniFi gateway, not a used USG plus Cloud Key: Cloud Gateway UltraBuilt-in controller. Faster WAN. USB-C. Skip used USG-3P lots. New $49 faster puck, not a used gigabit US-8: UniFi Flex Mini 2.5GUI store $49. Used US-8 and Flex Mini 1G lots are still gigabit. New Wi-Fi 7 gateway, not a used Dream Router: UniFi Express 7UI store $199. Used UDR and original Express lots are still Wi-Fi 6 and 1G. New $109 fanless UniFi PoE, not a used US-8-60W: Lite 8 PoEUI store $109. Used US-8-60W lots are last-gen 1G PoE.

Closet extras

An old PC does not need a shelf yet. Buy this after the path.

You don't need a UPS yetThe computer can sit on a house outlet. A blink of the lights is a reboot. Skip a battery box this weekend. Meet a faster closet switch without swapping the mini PCA $20–$30 adapter is the cheapest way to meet a faster closet switch without buying a new computer. SFP+ DAC cables for a closet 10G hopThe cheapest short cable between two boxes that already have a fiber-style cage. No glass fiber. No tiny optics to mix up. Skip if neither box has that cage yet. Cat6a vs Cat5e in a closet that already does 2.5G2.5GBASE-T is specified to run on existing Cat5e. Don't rip walls. Cheap UPS for a closet that stays on overnightA small battery box so a blink of the lights is not a reboot. Skip a huge rack UPS this weekend. A metal rack power strip that is not a fire hazardUL-listed all-metal 15 A 1U strip with a switch cover. A small boot disk for the old PC, not a place for VMsA small disk so the computer can start. 250–500 GB SATA with a DRAM cache. Don't put guests on the boot disk. HDMI dummy plug for a headless mini PCA $16 HDMI plug so a closet mini PC thinks a monitor is attached. Skip if you already have a screen. Cheap KVM-over-IP for a closet you don't want to sit inReach the old PC screen from the couch when it won't boot. A $100 HDMI+USB box does that. Fanless 60 W brick that is not a mystery barrelMean Well GST60A is a silent, Level VI, UL/TUV desktop adapter. A label maker you will actually use on patch leadsBrother TZe laminated tape on a Bluetooth cube. Hook-and-loop, not zip ties, in a closetA 100-pack of 8-inch hook-and-loop is the whole cable-management budget. New 10G SFP+ NIC vs staying on 2.5G copperDon't buy 10G until a single flow fills 2.5. New card plus a DAC, not an eBay pull. When one copy fills the faster house port: the 10G copper cardThe copper 10G card when the file box talks 10G over a normal ethernet jack. A 1U shelf so the NAS is not sitting on the UPS10-inch vented cantilever. The 7-inch sibling is too short for a DS224+. A 19-inch 12-port Cat6 panel for the StarTech 12UWall drops become numbered ports. A 1U 12-port punch-down on the 19-inch 2-post. 1-foot Cat6 patch leads for the 12-port panelThe panel-to-switch hop is one foot, not the 7-foot router cable. Five colors, one per hop. A USB-to-RJ45 console cable that is not an ethernet dongleGet a prompt on a switch that will not take an IP. Serial over RJ45, FTDI chip. Terminate your own drop on a pass-thru plug: Klein VDV226-110Terminate your own drop on a pass-thru plug. It will not crimp a standard plug. A 110 punch-down tool so the 12-port panel is not a paperweightKlein VDV427-300 is the named 66/110 impact tool. Map a drop before you blame the switch: Klein VDV526-100Map a drop before you blame the switch. One button, remote in the tester.

Skinny wall racks

An old PC does not need a rack. 19-inch is later. 10-inch only if the wall is too narrow.

10-inch mini rack for a closet that is not 19-inchBuy 10-inch only if the wall is the constraint. NavePoint 6U is the named start. Extra depth for a longer skinny switch, still not 19-inch: NavePoint 6U 15.75Extra depth for a longer skinny switch, still not 19-inch. Default remains the shorter 11.8-inch box. Extra depth and a window, still not 19-inch: NavePoint 6U 15.75 glassExtra depth and a window, still not 19-inch. A cheaper glass door is worse air, not a 19-inch switch. Same money as mesh, worse air: NavePoint 6U glassSame money as the mesh door, worse air. Buy glass only if you want to look at LEDs. Perforated stays the default. Three extra U does not make a 19-inch switch hang: NavePoint 9UThree extra U does not make a 19-inch switch hang. If the wall takes 19-inch, buy the StarTech 12U. Extra U and a window, still not 19-inch: NavePoint 9U glassExtra U and a window, still not 19-inch. Glass is worse air for less money. Buy the StarTech 12U if the wall takes 19-inch. Taller and deeper, still not 19-inch: NavePoint 9U 15.75Taller and deeper, still not 19-inch. Extra U plus extra depth is not a 19-inch switch. Taller, deeper, and a window, still not 19-inch: NavePoint 9U 15.75 glassTaller, deeper, and a window, still not 19-inch. A cheaper glass door is not a 19-inch switch. The 10-inch 12-port Cat6 panel for the skinny cabinet: TRENDnet TC-P12C6The 19-inch Cable Matters will not hang here. This 10-inch 12-port is the Cat6 default. Four fewer punches to save a few dollars: TRENDnet TC-P08C6Four fewer punches to save a few dollars. The 12-port stays the 10-inch default. Skip the shielded 10-inch panel for the TRENDnet 12: NavePoint CAT6 STPShielded and Krone-only, about $18 more than the TRENDnet. The punch-down stays the 10-inch default. A blank face for jacks you buy separately: NavePoint keystone panelA blank face for jacks you buy separately. The TRENDnet punch-down stays the Cat6 default. An extra tray for the 6U, not a 19-inch 10-inch-deep: NavePoint 10-inch shelfThe cabinet already ships two. Buy a third only if those two are full. Skip 19-inch trays labeled 10-inch deep. A spare 1U plate, not a 19-inch spacer: NavePoint 10-inch blankThe 6U already ships one. Buy a spare only if the kit plate is already on a hole. Skip 19-inch 1U blanks. 12U open frame vs 10-inch wall cabinetThe 19-inch 12U 2-post is still the default if your gear is 19-inch.