Home tech, explained like a patient friend would.
Step-by-step guides for the family member who ends up as the household “IT person.” Better Wi-Fi, fewer ads, safe remote help for parents, and storage for a lifetime of photos. No jargon, no hype.
Start with a guide
How to set up mesh Wi-Fi (and where to put the nodes)
A step-by-step mesh Wi-Fi setup: avoiding double NAT, placing satellites in the right spots, wired backhaul, and fixing slow rooms.
Read the guide →Pi-hole basics: block ads and trackers on every device at home
What Pi-hole does and doesn't do, what hardware you need, how to install it, point your network at it, and keep it from breaking the internet.
Read the guide →Tailscale for families: remote help, home files and safer public Wi-Fi
How a family can use Tailscale to help relatives remotely, reach a home NAS from anywhere, and use home internet on public Wi-Fi, without opening router ports.
Read the guide →How to pick a NAS for family photos and backups (without overbuying)
A plain-English guide to choosing a home NAS: capacity math, 2-bay vs 4-bay, RAID vs backup, which drives to use, and the specs that actually matter.
Read the guide →Smart-home starter guide: where to begin without regret
How to start a smart home sensibly: pick a platform, understand Matter and Thread, choose the first five devices, and avoid privacy and reliability traps.
Read the guide →
New: Grok Bot how-to guides (unofficial)
Want an AI assistant to handle some household admin, like sorting receipts, comparing gifts or drafting replies to an insurer? Our short, unofficial guides cover setting up a small team of Grok Bot assistants safely. Browse the Grok Bot how-to guides, or start with what Grok Bot is.
Unofficial: not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by xAI / SpaceXAI or Cursor.
How we write these guides
- Plain steps first. Every guide starts with what you need and the order to do things in.
- Honest about limits. We say what a tool can’t do, and when the simple option is good enough.
- No fake reviews. We never claim to have tested something we haven’t. Recommendations are based on specifications, manufacturer documentation and widely reported owner experience, and we say so.
- Clearly marked links. Some links may earn us a commission. They’re disclosed at the top of the page, and they don’t change what we recommend. Details.