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Welcome to the GriswoldLabs Blog

By Charles
meta homelab

Welcome to the GriswoldLabs blog! This is where I’ll document projects, share what I’ve learned, and keep track of progress across all the different systems running in my home lab.

What to Expect

This blog will cover:

  • Project Updates - Progress on Home Assistant automations, ESP32 devices, and infrastructure improvements
  • How-To Guides - Step-by-step instructions for things I’ve figured out
  • Lessons Learned - Things that broke and how I fixed them
  • Architecture Decisions - Why I chose certain technologies over others

The Setup

The homelab runs on a Dell R7525 server with Unraid, hosting everything from media streaming to AI inference. Key components include:

  • Home Assistant for smart home automation
  • Multiple Claude Code workers for AI-assisted development
  • Ollama for local LLM inference
  • UniFi network gear with proper VLAN segmentation

Why Document?

Writing things down helps me:

  1. Remember what I did and why
  2. Share knowledge with others
  3. Avoid making the same mistakes twice
  4. Track progress over time

Let’s see where this goes.

Resources

Some of the core tools and hardware running the homelab:

  • Unraid OS — The server OS behind everything. Manages storage, Docker containers, and VMs on the Dell R7525.
  • UniFi Network Equipment — Switches, access points, and cameras for a properly segmented home network.