Suraj's Homelab

Frigate NVR

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Frigate is an open-source NVR that runs real-time object detection locally — no cloud, no subscription. It processes RTSP camera feeds, labels detected objects (person, car, dog), and records clips on motion events. Far fewer false alerts compared to simple motion-detection tools like MotionEye.

Runs on

🖥️ Lenovo ThinkCentre — Proxmox VM (Ubuntu Server)

Stack

Component	Details
Image	`ghcr.io/blakeblackshear/frigate`
Cameras	Tapo & Imou RTSP feeds
Storage	Recordings on WD Blue 4TB HDD
Backup	Synced to Google Drive via rclone
Database	SQLite

Config highlights

Object detection runs on CPU (no Coral TPU)
Recordings retained and rotated automatically
Accessible over Tailscale when away from home

Joplin Server

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Joplin Server is a self-hosted sync backend for the Joplin note-taking app. Notes sync instantly across all devices — phone, laptop, desktop — without relying on Joplin Cloud or any third-party service.

Runs on

🍓 Raspberry Pi 4B

Stack

Component	Details
Image	`joplin/server:latest`
Database	PostgreSQL 15 (Docker)
Proxy	nginx reverse proxy
Port	`22300`

Config highlights

PostgreSQL data stored on the WD Red SSD for fast access
Daily automated backups via pg_dump at 2 AM, retained for 7 days
Accessible remotely via Tailscale + nginx reverse proxy

Pi-hole

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Pi-hole acts as a DNS sinkhole that blocks ads, trackers, and telemetry domains at the network level. Every device on the LAN gets ad-free browsing without needing browser extensions. Two instances run in parallel for redundancy — if one goes down, DNS still works.

Runs on

🍓 Raspberry Pi 4B + 💻 Old Laptop (one instance each)

Stack

Component	Details
Image	`pihole/pihole:latest`
Instances	2 (primary + secondary)
Port	`53` (DNS), `80` (web UI)

Config highlights

Both instances use the same blocklists for consistency
Router configured with both Pi-hole IPs as DNS servers
Web dashboard available for monitoring query logs and blocked domains
Custom local DNS entries for homelab services (e.g., grafana.home.lan)

Grafana

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Grafana provides a single pane of glass for monitoring the homelab — system resource usage, service uptime, network stats, and custom metrics all visualised through dashboards.

Runs on

🖥️ Lenovo ThinkCentre

Stack

Component	Details
Image	`grafana/grafana:latest`
Data source	Prometheus / InfluxDB
Port	`3000`

Config highlights

Dashboards for CPU, memory, disk, and network across all 3 nodes
Alerts configured for disk space and service downtime
Accessible remotely via Tailscale

Tailscale

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Tailscale creates a secure WireGuard-based mesh VPN across all devices. With subnet routing enabled, any device on the tailnet can reach services on the homelab LAN — even from outside the house.

Runs on

🖥️ All nodes (Pi, Laptop, ThinkCentre)

Stack

Component	Details
Client	Tailscale agent on every node
Protocol	WireGuard
Feature	Subnet routing for LAN access

Config highlights

Subnet routes advertised from the Pi so the entire LAN is reachable
MagicDNS enabled for friendly hostnames
ACLs configured to restrict access to sensitive services
Exit node available for tunnelling all traffic through the homelab

Samba NAS

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Samba NAS exposes file shares from the Pi’s attached drives over the local network using the SMB protocol. Any device on the network — laptop, phone, TV — can mount and access shared folders.

Runs on

🍓 Raspberry Pi 4B

Stack

Component	Details
Service	Samba (SMB)
Drives	WD Red 500GB SSD (fast access) + WD Blue 4TB HDD (bulk storage)
Connection	USB 3.0 to Pi

Config highlights

Separate shares for media, backups, and general files
Read-write access restricted to authenticated users
Used by Jellyfin and Frigate as the backing storage layer

Electricity Monitor

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

A custom app that tracks household electricity consumption over time. It helps visualise usage patterns, estimate monthly costs, and spot anomalies — like a sudden spike from a faulty appliance.

Runs on

💻 Old Laptop

Stack

Component	Details
App	Custom-built
Runtime	Docker

Config highlights

Tracks daily and monthly consumption trends
Estimates electricity bill based on per-unit rates
Historical data stored for long-term comparisons

FUP Monitor

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Most broadband plans in India come with a Fair Usage Policy — once you cross the FUP limit, speeds get throttled. This app monitors daily upload and download data usage and sends notifications when consumption is approaching the limit, so there are no surprises.

Runs on

💻 Old Laptop

Stack

Component	Details
App	Custom-built
Runtime	Docker

Config highlights

Tracks daily download and upload data
Configurable FUP threshold and alert percentage
Sends notifications before the limit is hit
Helps plan heavy downloads (OS ISOs, media) around the billing cycle

Jellyfin

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Jellyfin is a free, open-source media server — think Plex but without the accounts, telemetry, or paywalled features. It organises and streams movies, TV shows, and music to any device with a web browser or the Jellyfin app.

Runs on

🖥️ Lenovo ThinkCentre

Stack

Component	Details
Image	`jellyfin/jellyfin:latest`
Storage	Media library on WD Blue 4TB HDD (via Samba)
Port	`8096`

Config highlights

Hardware transcoding for smooth playback across devices
Media library mounted from the Samba NAS share
Accessible over Tailscale for streaming on the go
Metadata fetched automatically from TMDb and OMDb

Linkwarden

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Linkwarden is a self-hosted bookmark manager that saves links into collections and automatically archives the web pages — so even if the original page goes down, the content is still accessible. Great for research, read-later workflows, and keeping bookmarks organised across browsers.

Runs on

🖥️ Lenovo ThinkCentre

Stack

Component	Details
Image	`ghcr.io/linkwarden/linkwarden:latest`
Database	PostgreSQL
Port	`3000`

Config highlights

Automatic page archiving with screenshots and full-text snapshots
Collections and tags for organising bookmarks
Browser extension for quick saving from Chrome/Firefox
Accessible remotely via Tailscale

Omnitools

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

Omnitools is a self-hosted collection of everyday utility tools — things like unit converters, text formatters, encoders/decoders, hash generators, and more. Having it locally means no ads, no tracking, and it works even without internet.

Runs on

💻 Old Laptop

Stack

Component	Details
Image	Omnitools (Docker)
Port	`8080`

Config highlights

Fully offline — no external API calls
Lightweight, runs happily on minimal resources
Accessible to all devices on the LAN

Wishlist Manager

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it does

A custom app for managing wishlists. Add items you want to buy, track their prices over time, and mark them as purchased when you finally pull the trigger. Helps avoid impulse buys by letting you see price trends before deciding.

Runs on

💻 Old Laptop

Stack

Component	Details
App	Custom-built
Runtime	Docker

Config highlights

Create multiple wishlists (tech, home, gifts, etc.)
Track price history for each item over time
Mark items as purchased to keep the list clean
Helps time purchases around sales and price drops

How I Manage Power Interruptions in My Homelab

Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Power cuts are a fact of life

If you run a homelab in India, power interruptions aren’t a question of if — they’re a question of when. Gurgaon gets frequent short outages (a few seconds to a few minutes to a few hours), plus occasional longer cuts during storms or maintenance windows.

My goal was simple: keep the homelab and network running through every outage, no matter how brief. Servers should never see a power blip. The gaming PC gets its own dedicated protection because it draws too much for the main inverter.

Homelab Network Architecture — VLANs, OpenWrt, and a Managed Switch

Sat, 23 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The problem

When the homelab was just a Raspberry Pi, everything sat on the same flat network — my gaming PC, phones, TV, and all the homelab services. That’s fine until you start running things like Frigate NVR, Pi-hole DNS, and a dozen Docker containers. One misconfigured service and suddenly your gaming session is lagging because Jellyfin is saturating the network with a transcode.

The fix: VLANs. Separate the homelab into its own isolated network segment, with controlled routing between them.

Homelab Power Consumption — What Does It Actually Cost to Run?

Sat, 23 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The question everyone asks

“Doesn’t running all that 24/7 cost a fortune in electricity?”

Short answer: no. The whole homelab costs roughly the same as running a ceiling fan. Here’s the actual breakdown.

Measuring power draw

I measured each device at the wall using a kill-a-watt style power meter. Here are the idle and typical load numbers:

Device	Idle	Typical load	Max draw	Notes
Raspberry Pi 4B (2GB)	~5W	~7W	~9W	Includes SATA SSD via USB + cooling fan
Old Laptop (8GB)	~9W	~12W	~18W	Very efficient — barely sips power
Lenovo ThinkCentre (64GB)	~20W	~35W	~65W	Biggest consumer, does the heavy lifting
TP-Link TL-SG108E Switch	~4W	~4W	~5W	Constant draw, no variation
OpenWrt Router	~5W	~5W	~7W	Routing + firewall + DHCP
WD Blue 4TB HDD	~5W	~8W	~10W	Drops to <1W when spun down
Total	~48W	~71W	~114W

Most of the time the homelab sits around 48–71W — the ThinkCentre is the biggest consumer, but its modern CPU is surprisingly efficient at idle. The old laptop is remarkably frugal at just 9–12W.

Setting Up Frigate NVR with RTSP Cameras

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What is Frigate?

Frigate is an open-source NVR built around real-time object detection. It runs locally — no cloud, no subscription, no monthly fees. Point it at any RTSP camera feed and it’ll detect objects (person, car, dog, cat) in real-time, record clips on motion events, and let you review everything through a clean web UI.

Why Frigate over something like MotionEye?

MotionEye is fine for basic motion detection, but it triggers on everything — a curtain moving, shadows shifting, rain. Frigate gives you actual object labels, which means far fewer false alerts. You get a notification that says “person detected at the front door” instead of 300 motion clips of nothing.

Setting Up Joplin Server on Raspberry Pi

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Why self-host Joplin?

Joplin Cloud costs money, and I don’t love my notes sitting on someone else’s server. The Pi was already running 24/7 anyway, so spinning up a sync server was a natural fit. Total cost: ₹0/month.

The alternatives I considered:

Option	Why I skipped it
Joplin Cloud	Paid, data on third-party servers
Nextcloud sync	Too heavy for a 2GB Pi just for notes
Dropbox/OneDrive	Works but sync conflicts are painful
Self-hosted Joplin Server	✅ Free, fast, full control

Stack

Joplin Server — the official sync backend (Docker)
PostgreSQL 15 — note storage and metadata (Docker)
nginx — reverse proxy with SSL termination
Bash script — automated daily pg_dump backups
Tailscale — remote access from anywhere

Prerequisites

Raspberry Pi 4B running headless Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)
Docker and Docker Compose installed
A domain or local hostname for nginx (e.g., joplin.home.lan)

Step 1 — Docker Compose setup

Create a working directory:

Suraj's Homelab

Frigate NVR

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Joplin Server

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Pi-hole

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Grafana

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Tailscale

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Samba NAS

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Electricity Monitor

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

FUP Monitor

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Jellyfin

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Linkwarden

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Omnitools

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

Wishlist Manager

What it does

Runs on

Stack

Config highlights

Links

How I Manage Power Interruptions in My Homelab

Power cuts are a fact of life

Homelab Network Architecture — VLANs, OpenWrt, and a Managed Switch

The problem

Homelab Power Consumption — What Does It Actually Cost to Run?

The question everyone asks

Measuring power draw