A $25 smart plug became my home lab's most reliable emergency fix
…Be it a high-end router , switches with enough power-over-Ethernet ports, or CAT 6 networking around the home, you're looking at thousands of dollars just in networking gear. And…
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Home Assistant freed me from the smart home brand wars, and now I buy whatever works
…Sign in to your XDA account Smart home gear used to feel less like buying useful devices and more like choosing sides. Every brand wanted me inside its own app, account system…
I spent $50 on a managed switch and fixed problems my $200 router couldn't
…Most home networks just aren't geared up for the job. Routers just aren't designed for the job. More people are picking up network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures, mini PCs, consoles…
6 tiny ‘set and forget’ Docker containers I refuse to work without
…I use it to monitor specific TCP ports for my database containers, ping my networking gear, and even track DNS records to make sure nothing has been hijacked. By mounting the Docker…
Used enterprise workstations are the home lab upgrade everyone overlooks
…A new AM5 build with a Ryzen 7 7700X, a decent B650 board and a case will run you $900 before you've added storage, networking or memory, which is the most…
Your expensive headphones sound worse than they should, and the fix has nothing to do with them
Wesley Karanja Apr 20, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Wesley has been passionate about technology from a young age, passion that led him to pursue a Bsc in Computer networking. His curiosity…
Your house can have Ethernet everywhere, and here's how I did it without drilling a single hole
…Related I upgraded my home network to prosumer gear - here’s what I learned This has been an educational experience. Wi-Fi is pretty good, too Wired connections are a little overrated…
Your NAS permissions are probably a mess, and a single flat share fixes it
…Sign in to your XDA account Network-attached storage (NAS) becomes the central part of most home labs and smart homes. Even if you're not running stacks of used enterprise gear…
The gaming mode on your router is a marketing lie — here’s what actually lowers your ping
…Sign in to your XDA account Networking marketing is notorious for slapping gaming branding and RGB lights on products to justify a 50% price markup. Let's say you just bought a…
Sonos users are vibe-coding their own apps, and I tested the best 3
…gear you already love. Why people are building their own Sonos apps Aiming for local-first support A Sonos speaker acts as a server, exposing the UPnP media service to the network…