Repurpose an Old PC | Home Lab Server Guide | Docker, SSH, Self-Hosting

The complete home lab setup guide — written from a real two-server setup, not a documentation page.

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WHAT'S INSIDE (120+ pages)
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→ Hardware selection guide — Pi vs NUC vs mini PC, what actually matters
→ OS setup — Ubuntu Server, first 10 commands, SSH key auth
→ Docker & Portainer — containers without the complexity
→ Cloudflare Tunnels — remote access with zero open ports
→ Self-hosted services — Vaultwarden, AdGuard, Immich, Uptime Kuma, ntfy
→ SSH hardening — keys, Fail2Ban, UFW firewall
→ MCP / AI tool integration — control your server from Claude
→ Power outage recovery — the thing nobody else covers
→ Notes From the Field — real mistakes, real fixes

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NEW TO HOME ASSISTANT?
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Before buying this guide, check out the free companion guide:
benchnotes.net/ha — "10 Things to Do First in Home Assistant"

It covers HA setup, dashboards, automations, and remote access. Free, no email required. This Vol. 1 guide picks up where that leaves off — building the server infrastructure that runs alongside HA.

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FROM BENCH NOTES
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Built from a real setup. Not demos. Not documentation rewrites.
benchnotes.net | HomeLabGuides on Etsy