#home-lab
26 episodes
#2791: How to Pick a Marker That Actually Stays On
Why do “permanent” markers fail on plastic? The answer is polymer chemistry, not bad luck.
#2751: Moving Like a Pro: Tips from Roadies and Diplomats
What touring roadies and Foreign Service officers can teach you about packing up your home network and toddler's toys.
#2608: Building a House with KNX: Smart Home Infrastructure That Lasts
Can you wire your house like a hotel? Here's what KNX costs, how it works, and how to connect it to Home Assistant.
#2599: Home 3D Printing in 2025: Keycaps, Cables & Real Costs
What $200 buys you for printing keycaps, cable housings, and small parts at home — with real material and environmental math.
#2597: Voice Control for Renters: $25 Per Room, No Wall Damage
Distributed voice control on a budget with wake words, centralized processing, and zero wall damage — perfect for rentals.
#2537: Why Your Home Battery Feels Smaller Every Year
Your battery isn't degrading as fast as you think—software, temperature, and inverter limits are the real thieves.
#2365: Building a Custom Home Alarm Panel with ESP32
Discover how to build a tactile, local-control alarm panel for Home Assistant using ESP32, Omron buttons, and Zigbee sensors.
#2299: Self-Hosting Media: Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby Explained
Dive into the world of self-hosted media managers: Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby. Why do millions choose to run their own servers?
#2220: Podcasts Across Rooms Without Home Assistant
Daniel's multi-room audio setup keeps breaking. We explore whether Snapcast, Volumio, and Mopidy can deliver reliable podcast playback across Raspb...
#2099: One Pi, Two Screens: The Isolation Playbook
Stop your dashboard and Kodi from fighting over the same screen. Here’s how to split one Pi into two reliable workspaces.
#1989: Your Cloud Photos Vanish If You Miss a $5 Bill
Is your data safe in the cloud, or is it one missed payment away from oblivion?
#1924: Build Your Own App Store for Linux and Android
Stop manually copying files. Learn how to host your own authenticated repositories for .deb and APK files using simple static web servers.
#1900: Why Physical Media Is Back (And Streaming Still Sucks)
Streaming 4K is a lie. Here’s why your Blu-ray player is still essential.
#1874: The Locking Cable Revolution: Fixing Your Flimsy Home Office
Tired of monitor cables and Ethernet plugs falling out? Discover the industrial-grade connectors that never slip, from SDI to etherCON.
#1847: The Home Lab Blackout: Fixing Servers From a Beach
Your server is down and you're miles away. Learn the three simple checks that keep your home lab alive and how to get back in when the front door i...
#1695: Why Your Raspberry Pi Can’t Stream Netflix in 4K
Netflix streams 4K on your Fire Stick but only 480p on a Raspberry Pi. Here’s the hidden hardware tax blocking your media center.
#1656: Self-Hosted GPS Tracker Access via VPS Relay
Learn how to securely expose home servers to the internet using a VPS relay, avoiding risky port forwarding.
#1654: Home Lab Security: Locking Down Your Smart Home
Learn how to prevent a single compromised container from taking over your entire home network and smart devices.
#721: The Quest for Perfect Time: Atomic Clocks and DIY Servers
Discover the hidden infrastructure of precise timekeeping, from atomic radio signals to building your own DIY Stratum 1 time server.
#641: Tiny Gear, Big IDs: Professional Marking for Tech Assets
Discover how to label tiny tech gear and cables professionally using asthma-safe, low-odor methods for a perfect home inventory system.
#609: Surviving the Rampocalypse: Pro Tech on a Budget
Learn how to beat rising RAM prices by sourcing professional data center hardware from the secondary market.
#566: DIY Cables: From Ethernet Mastery to USB-C Dangers
Is DIY cable making the ultimate tech flex or a recipe for disaster? Corn and Herman break down the physics of home networking.
#562: The BIFL PC: Building for Industrial-Grade Durability
Can a PC be "Buy It For Life"? Herman and Corn explore how to source industrial-grade components for a build that stands the test of time.
#561: Build Once, Fix Forever: The Ultimate DIY Toolkit Guide
Stop ruining screws with cheap bits. Corn and Herman break down the essential high-quality tools for tech repair and home DIY projects.
#560: The Home Lab Survival Guide: Essential Tools for 2026
Stop building on the floor and ditch the zip ties. Herman and Corn break down the essential gear for a pain-free home server build in 2026.
#166: Ditching the Tank: Lightweight Linux Router Alternatives
Is OPNsense overkill for your home? Herman and Corn explore lightweight Linux alternatives for a faster, simpler, and more reliable network.