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Every major free DNS service has a hidden second mode
You can get more protection with the change of a single digit.
Your console's NAT label is lying to you — here's what it actually means
Here's what you need to know.
The DNS speed test everyone uses is measuring the wrong thing
Don't stop using it though.
5 network services worth self-hosting before a media server
Plex and Jellyfin could wait until I understood what the rest of my network was doing
Your speed test is hiding what actually makes your internet feel slow
Speed tests are good at the big number, but there are other numbers behind the scenes.
DHCP hands out far more than IP addresses, and I never knew
One packet capture revealed DNS settings, routes, lease timers, domain names, and several networking fossils.
Alternate DNS is one of the most misleading labels in networking
That backup DNS address isn't always doing what you think.
[HomeLab #1] I finally built the home server I’d been avoiding, and it changed everything
I finally understood the homelab obsession after building one myself.
I tested every popular internet-speed trick — they're all fake except one
When all else fails, this is what you do.
I ran my own speed test server and discovered what Ookla doesn't show you
Ookla isn't lying, but it's not the whole picture.
Your Wi-Fi extender is making things worse, not better
That old Wi-Fi extender isn't doing it wrong; it just isn't right.
I changed my router's Wi-Fi channel, and suddenly Netflix stopped buffering
No wonder it wasn't working properly.
I changed one digit in my DNS, and it started blocking malware for free
Turns out, your favorite DNS service might be able to more than you think.
I tested my DNS with 3 different tools, and got 3 different results — here's what's really going on
DNS testing is wonderful, but it can be a confusing mess.
I switched to network-level DNS filtering and freed up 2GB of RAM across all my devices
It takes a minute to configure, but it delivers savings across all your devices.
I replaced Tailscale with a different kind of tool, and it works much better
I was running a private network to open one page.
The last piece I added to my home DNS stack turned out to be the most important
It's an upgrade worth making, but it comes down to your privacy concerns.
I thought passkeys were a Big Tech thing until I added them to my homelab
A tiny identity server called Pocket ID meant I was no longer giving the keys to my homelab to big tech.
I took DHCP away from my router, and my home network finally made sense
My router still routed. I just moved the address book somewhere I could actually read it
My entire home server now fits in one text file
It's easy to transfer and works like a charm.