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Momelabs, Raspberry Pi, Home Assistant, and Syncthing
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Open Hardware/Modding
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HowTo Geek ☛ 3 homelab projects to try this weekend (November 21 - 23)
Are you looking for the next rabbit hole to fall down in your homelab? I’m always looking for something new to do with one of my servers or Raspberry Pi’s, so here are three projects to try out this weekend, including gaming, graphs, and git.
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HowTo Geek ☛ 3 Raspberry Pi projects to try this weekend (November 21 - 23)
As we head into the weekend, it’s time for another round of fun Raspberry Pi projects to do before heading back to work on Monday. This weekend, I’m thinking it’s time to set up some robust alternative services for when the web goes down again.
From hosting your own photo backup server and removing reliance on Google or Apple, to having a backup VPN set up, and even hosting your own AI, here are three Raspberry Pi projects to try this weekend.
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HowTo Geek ☛ Repurpose an old computer as a Home Assistant server today (you’ve got nothing to lose)
When I first installed Home Assistant on a whim to see what all the fuss was about, I had no idea how important the platform would become in my home. I’ve since spent a fair bit of time and money fleshing out my setup, but without that first step, I’d still be none the wiser.
Setting up a Home Assistant server is the perfect way to repurpose an old computer and unlock a world of smart home possibilities.
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XDA ☛ I made a multi-boot USB drive for almost any OS, new or old
Whether it's for tech troubleshooting or reinstalling your system if the worst happens, having a bootable USB drive with plenty of disc imagesis essential for getting your PC back in action. Most modern guides will tell you to use Ventoy, which isn't a bad option at all but does limit your scope somewhat. But what if I told you that there's a continually maintained USB installer tool that feels retro while being incredibly future-looking and packed with other handy features?
That tool is Easy2Boot, and don't let the janky UI put you off because you will want to learn what it can do. My only suggestion is to get a large USB drive to use with it, since you will want to fit as many ISO files on it as possible.
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Free, Libre, and Open Source Software
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HowTo Geek ☛ I ditched Google Drive and OneDrive for this free open-source syncing app
If you spend any amount of time in a Windows environment, you know the routine: every new update brings a few helpful tweaks, a few head-scratchers, and at least one new way for OneDrive to wedge itself deeper into your workflow. I love Windows, truly, but OneDrive has always been one of the many parts of it that I tolerate rather than enjoy or use. It tries to sync things I never asked it to, moves files around in ways I don’t expect, and sometimes acts like it knows better than I do about what should actually live on my own PC. After a while, the whole thing started feeling less like a convenience and more like a negotiation.
That pushed me to look for something that could sync my files without bringing a cloud service into the picture. I wanted a tool that felt simple, predictable, and firmly under my control. That’s when I landed on Syncthing, a free and open-source app that quietly keeps all my devices in sync without subscriptions, storage limits, or the usual corporate nudging. It’s become one of those utilities I install on all of my machines, whether they be Windows, Mac, or Linux. It just does the job it’s supposed to do and stays out of my way.
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