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+--- Thread: Home lab setups - what are you running? (/showthread.php?tid=35)
Home lab setups - what are you running? - Zero Two - 06-21-2026
Home labs are one of the best ways to actually learn networking and security hands-on. Share what you've got running.
My current setup:
- Mikrotik hEX router - running RouterOS, configured VLANs for IoT, trusted, and guest networks
- Unmanaged TP-Link switch for the wired side
- Proxmox box on old Optiplex 7050 - running pfSense VM, a few Debian VMs for services, and a Kali VM for playing around
- Pi-hole on a Pi 4 for DNS filtering
- Wireguard VPN for remote access
Considering adding an IDS (Suricata on pfSense) and a SIEM (probably Wazuh or Graylog) but I keep talking myself out of the complexity.
What does your home lab look like? Also curious what people use for remote access - Wireguard, Tailscale, ZeroTier?
RE: Home lab setups - what are you running? - Zero Two - 06-22-2026
Lab update: finally got around to setting up proper VLANs. Should have done this years ago.
Setup: OPNsense on a small Protectli box, managed switch (TP-Link T1700G-28TQ), access points on their own VLAN.
VLANs I'm running:
- Management - switches, APs, OPNsense itself. Isolated, no internet access for devices on this VLAN.
- Trusted - main computers and phones
- IoT - smart plugs, cameras, anything that shouldn't be trusted. Internet access but isolated from Trusted
- Servers - home lab VMs and containers. Can reach internet but Trusted devices have to explicitly access it
- Guest - isolated WiFi for visitors, internet only
The IoT isolation was the main driver. Smart home devices from various manufacturers phoning home to who-knows-where, with no ability to audit the traffic, were sharing a network with everything else. Not anymore.
RE: Home lab setups - what are you running? - Zero Two - 06-22-2026
Home lab update: added a 10GbE switch between my NAS and main workstation and the difference for large file transfers is ridiculous. Was getting ~120MB/s on gigabit, now consistently hitting 900MB/s+. For anything working with VM images or large datasets that move between machines regularly, 10GbE pays for itself quickly.
The switch (MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN) was £150 and the SFP+ cards for each machine were about £25 each. Total ~£200 for the upgrade. If you're running a NAS with a fast storage array and still on 1GbE, this is worth investigating.
Also switched my main Pi from Raspberry Pi OS to DietPi and it's noticeably snappier for the services I run - much leaner default install, only runs what I explicitly enable.