My old phones replaced three smart devices in my Home Assistant setup
…Recorder tool. In my setup, that’s a Frigate server running on a mini-PC. If I connect my smartphone to the same network as my Frigate system, this setup works really…
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I tested dual-boot, WSL2, and VMs to run Linux apps on Windows, and only one was worth keeping
…But even if some services are far easier to access on VMs and dual-boot systems, WSL2 is hands-down the best tool for tinkering with anything Linux-related on a Windows…
I finally stopped forcing local LLMs and switched back to cloud AI
Mahnoor Faisal May 26, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT Mahnoor Faisal is a tech journalist covering AI and productivity tools with bylines at XDA , SlashGear , MakeUseOf , Laptop Mag , and Android Police . She…
LM Studio's frontend was slowing me down, so I switched to this instead
…LM Studio See at LM Studio What I found was even better Although it did take a little more setup time vLLM is an open-source, high-throughput LLM tool for inference…
This self-hosted presentation tool does everything Canva does, and it costs nothing
…again It's an all-kill design tool Setting up Presenton It’s simple but takes a minute Presenton runs in Docker, which means setup is basically one command in your terminal…
I paired a GPU with a Coral TPU, and it ended up handling my home security system far better than I expected
…Sign in to your XDA account When I first started putting together my home security setup, I assumed I’d eventually have to choose between making it smarter or keeping it efficient…
My DIY router has been my DNS, VPN, and ad-blocker for a year, and I'd never use an ISP router again
…In fact, it has been a long time since I built my current OPNsense setup, and it has yet to disappoint even once. Heck, even if you leave the extra security benefits…
6 Docker containers I always use on any new home lab workstation
…These are the fixed foundational containers that always get the green light on my setup. Related I use these 5 nifty tools to manage my self-hosted services, and I don't…
I turned my Raspberry Pi into a portable NAS that runs off a power bank, and now I carry terabytes everywhere
…My theory is that OMV’s packages automatically remove the wireless tools, as I'd used the same setup (minus OpenMediaVault) for my portable RPi Linux server the other day. Anyway, solving…
This tiny Docker container monitors my entire network and alerts me before things break
…For me, the goal of a great home lab or network setup isn’t just to have the most tools; it’s to have the most peace of mind. Thanks to Uptime…