Tag: homelab

KVM/QEMU/libvirt: CLI Workflows

virt-manager is fine, but real homelab automation lives on the command line. virt-install, virsh, cloud-init, provision VMs in seconds, not click-by-click.

BirdNET-Pi for Self-Hosted Bird Identification

Turn a Raspberry Pi and a cheap USB mic into a self-hosted bird ID station using BirdNET-Pi and Cornell ML audio models running entirely locally offline.

Scrypted vs Frigate for Self-Hosted Cameras

Scrypted bridges your IP cameras to HomeKit and Google Home. Frigate adds AI object detection on your own hardware. Here's how to pick, or run both at once.

ESPresense: Room-Level Bluetooth Presence in Home Assistant

Track which room you're in with cheap ESP32 nodes and BLE signal distance, real room-level presence for Home Assistant automations that actually work.

Hetzner vs DigitalOcean vs Vultr

Picking a cheap VPS for home-lab overflow, off-site backups, public endpoints, CGNAT escape. Real tradeoffs, honest picks per scenario.

Plex Meta Manager: Posters, Collections, Sanity

Stop staring at a Plex library that looks like a clearance bin. Kometa (formerly Plex Meta Manager) automates collections, posters, overlays, and bulk ratings.

Jellyseerr Tagging Workflows for Real Libraries

Stop guessing whose request is clogging your 4K library. Jellyseerr tags + Sonarr/Radarr + Maintainerr = real per-user quota control that actually holds up.

Whisparr & Mylar3: Specialty *arr Apps Explained

Sonarr handles TV. Radarr handles movies. But who handles comics and adult content? Meet Mylar3 and Whisparr, the *arr apps nobody talks about, until now.

LazyLibrarian + Readarr: Automating Your Book Library

LazyLibrarian vs Readarr for ebook and audiobook automation in 2026, why Readarr got retired, what to run instead, with real Docker Compose configs.

Immich vs PhotoPrism vs Ente: Self-Hosted Photo Libraries

Google Photos went paid and the alternatives matured fast. Immich, PhotoPrism, and Ente: which self-hosted photo library actually fits your life in 2026?

Unbound vs Technitium vs BIND

Picking a recursive DNS resolver for your home lab, Unbound, Technitium, and BIND9 compared on speed, GUI, DNSSEC, and split-horizon.

HACS: When Custom Integrations Bite You

HACS custom integrations can brick your Home Assistant setup overnight. Here's how to use them safely, recover when they don't, and know when to skip them.