IPv6 Explained: Multicast and MLD
IPv6 eliminates broadcast and replaces it entirely with multicast. Here's how IPv6 multicast addressing works, what MLD does, and why switches need to handle it correctly for NDP to function.
6 min
ipv6
Networking
24 pages
IPv6 Explained: Transition Mechanisms
Not every network can go full dual-stack overnight. DS-Lite, NAT64, and 464XLAT are the mechanisms ISPs and operators use to keep IPv4 working while moving to IPv6.
5 min
ipv6
Traefik Essentials: TCP and UDP Routing
Traefik isn't just for HTTP — it can route raw TCP and UDP traffic too. This guide covers how to expose non-HTTP services like databases, game servers, and DNS through Traefik.
5 min
traefik
IPv6 Explained: Prefix Delegation, Routing & First-Hop Security
ISPs delegate an entire prefix block to your router — not a single address. Here's how DHCPv6-PD works, how routing and firewalling work without NAT, and how RA Guard, DHCPv6 Guard, and ND Inspection lock down the link layer against rogue RAs and neighbor-cache attacks.
12 min
ipv6
IPv6 Explained: SLAAC and Neighbor Discovery
IPv6 replaces ARP with NDP and lets devices configure addresses without a server. Here's how Neighbor Discovery, SLAAC, and DHCPv6 work together.
10 min
ipv6
IPv6 Explained: Addressing
IPv6 replaces 32-bit addresses with 128-bit ones — but the change goes deeper than size. Here's how IPv6 addresses are structured, what the different types mean, and how subnetting works.
7 min
ipv6
Encrypted DNS: DoH, DoT, and DoQ Explained
Unencrypted DNS leaks every domain you visit to your ISP and any on-path observer. Here's how DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS, and DNS-over-QUIC fix that — and how they differ.
6 min
dns
XGS-PON Explained
XGS-PON is the 10-gigabit symmetric fiber standard behind most new FTTH deployments. This post covers the full stack — physical architecture, wavelength multiplexing, upstream TDMA, PLOAM registration, GEM port encapsulation, T-CONT QoS, and dynamic bandwidth allocation.
7 min
fiber
pon
isp
WiFi Explained: Transmit Power, Channel Width, and Channel Selection
Three settings that most people leave on auto — and shouldn't. Here's what transmit power, channel width, and channel selection actually do, and how they interact.
7 min
wifi
wifi7
WiFi Explained: Roaming and Client Management
Sticky clients, band steering, and why 802.11k/r/v are the right tools. How APs guide clients between radios and access points — and what to do when the defaults cause problems.
11 min
wifi
wifi7
WiFi Explained: WPA3, SAE, and PMF
WPA3 fixes real weaknesses in WPA2 — but not the ones most people think. Here's what SAE, Protected Management Frames, and OWE actually do under the hood.
7 min
wifi
WiFi Explained: How Devices Share the Air — Airtime, Spectrum & Multi-Link Operation
WiFi is a shared medium — every device on a channel competes for the same airtime. Here's how CSMA/CA and EDCA manage that contention, how OFDMA in WiFi 6 changes the model, how WiFi 7 pushes further with Multi-RU and Preamble Puncturing, and how Multi-Link Operation lets a WiFi 7 client use several bands as one logical link.
17 min
wifi
wifi7
Traefik Essentials: Middlewares & Securing the Dashboard
Protect your homelab services with IPAllowList, BasicAuth, and security headers, then use the same middlewares to lock down the Traefik dashboard and query its API from the terminal.
7 min
traefik
Build Your Own Cloudflare DDNS Updater
Keep your Cloudflare DNS records in sync with your dynamic home IP using a Cloudflare Worker — no third-party DDNS service required.
3 min
cloudflare-workers
WireGuard VPN Server on MikroTik
Configure a WireGuard VPN server on a MikroTik router to enable secure, encrypted remote access to your homelab network from any device.
4 min
mikrotik
wireguard
vpn
Monitoring GL.iNet with Grafana
Monitor your GL.iNet OpenWRT router with Prometheus node metrics and Grafana Alloy to forward syslog events to Loki for full observability.
4 min
gl-inet
prometheus
loki
alloy
grafana
openwrt
Traefik Essentials: Monitoring with Grafana, Prometheus & Loki
Monitor your Traefik reverse proxy with Prometheus metrics, Loki access logs, and Grafana dashboards for full request-level observability.
3 min
traefik
prometheus
grafana
loki
Unifi Syslog with Alloy and Loki
Forward UniFi syslog events to Loki using Grafana Alloy for centralized log collection and analysis in your homelab observability stack.
7 min
loki
alloy
unifi
Remote Packet Capture with Wireshark
Capture network packets remotely using Wireshark over SSH — no local install needed on the target host, ideal for homelab troubleshooting.
1 min
docker
Setting Up Your Travel Router
Configure your travel router for secure, reliable internet on the go — covering VPN setup, Wi-Fi settings, and network isolation for public networks.
4 min
gl-inet
openwrt
Setting Up a VyOS Router
Set up a VyOS router for your home network with full control over firewall rules, VLANs, and routing — enterprise-grade networking, open-source.
13 min
vyos
Monitoring Tailscale Clients with Prometheus
Monitor Tailscale client traffic and connection metrics using Prometheus to gain real-time visibility into your secure overlay network.
4 min
prometheus
tailscale
grafana
Setting Up a MikroTik Router
Configure a MikroTik router from scratch for your homelab — covering initial setup, VLANs, firewall rules, and DHCP for a secure network.
7 min
mikrotik
Traefik Essentials: Installing Traefik (Docker & Bare Metal)
Install Traefik as a reverse proxy — via Docker Compose or directly on bare metal — with automatic Let's Encrypt SSL through the Cloudflare DNS challenge.
7 min
traefik
cloudflare