Nathan Reynolds

I’ve spent the last three months running eight different KVM-over-IP devices in my homelab, and the difference between models with built-in Tailscale and ones that require manual VPN setup is night and day. A KVM over IP with built-in Tailscale gives you browser-based remote BIOS access, full keyboard and mouse control over the network, and … Read more

I’ve spent the last three months running a homelab with sixteen different machines, and nothing changed my workflow like a remote KVM with ATX power control. When a server locks up at 2 AM and I can’t reach the physical power button, that little ATX header tap is the difference between a five-minute fix and … Read more

I tested eight remote access KVM devices over three months to settle the Sipeed NanoKVM vs GL.iNet Comet debate once and for all. After burning through firmware updates, BIOS screens, and more HDMI cables than I want to admit, I have a clear answer for homelab users who need out-of-band access without leaving the couch. … Read more

When my Proxmox cluster booted into a kernel panic at 2 AM, I learned the hard way why a best IP-KVM for Proxmox server rack setup isn’t optional. Without out-of-band management, you’re either driving to the data center or praying your SSH daemon survived whatever broke the host. An IP-KVM captures the HDMI output of … Read more

I plugged a PiKVM into my PlayStation 5 last year and almost threw it across the room. The lag was so bad I could not tell whether the controller input registered, and the 1080p stream looked like a watercolor painting. That is when I started digging into what actually works for KVM-over-IP for 4K console … Read more

A good HBA card can turn a TrueNAS build from a six-drive experiment into a proper storage server. The best HBA card for a TrueNAS build is not always the fastest card on the shelf; it is the one that presents every disk directly to ZFS, fits your PCIe slot, and stays cool under a … Read more

If your Unraid server has more drives than the motherboard can handle, the best IT-Mode HBA for Unraid gives Unraid direct control of every disk without hiding storage behind a hardware RAID layer. I put eight pre-flashed and ready-to-flash options through a practical comparison focused on drive support, cable choices, cooling, and everyday NAS fit. … Read more

Building a large storage server means running out of motherboard SATA ports fast. Once you hit 8 drives, you need a best 16-port SAS HBA for a large storage server to keep scaling. These cards slide into a PCIe slot and give you 16 dedicated SAS or SATA channels, opening the door to JBOD shelves, … Read more

I remember the first time I tried to plug four drives into my LSI 9207-8i and nothing showed up. The cable looked fine, the HBA was working, the drives spun up, and the system refused to see a single disk. That wasted Saturday taught me something I now tell everyone: the SFF-8643 breakout cable you … Read more

Running out of drive bays on your TrueNAS server is a common problem for home lab enthusiasts and small business users alike. When you have filled all internal slots and need more storage capacity, a DAS (Direct Attached Storage) enclosure becomes essential. The best DAS enclosure for expanding a TrueNAS pool gives you extra drive … Read more