FAQ
Straight answers. The questions we get asked most, answered the way we would answer them on the phone.
Getting started
- Do I need to be technical?
- No. If you can use a phone app, you can use what we install. We set everything up, walk you through it, and leave written notes. If something is confusing at any point, give us a call.
- How do I get started?
- Call or email. We will talk about what you are using, what you are paying, what you want, and go from there.
- Do you come to me?
- Yes. We work in Your Town and everything within about an hour of it. Repairs are handed off by arrangement.
- What does it cost?
- It depends on the job. To give you a feel for it, the What we do page has a low and a high example for a home server, a doorbell and camera setup, and a website, hosting, and a small app. You get a written quote before we start, and we stick to the number. A setup is a one-time cost for hardware and labor. Ongoing support is optional and separate. See the low and high examples
Self-hosting
- What do these apps actually do?
- Each one is explained in plain words on the apps page: what it does, what it replaces, what it needs, and what it does not do. Most have a live copy you can click through before you decide. Read about the apps
- Can Jellyfin really replace Netflix?
- For most of what a house actually watches, yes. Kids movies, the shows you rewatch, the classics, and the back catalog are cheap on disc: a dollar or two at thrift stores, yard sales, and library sales. Rip them once and they are on every TV and phone you own, anywhere, with no ads and nothing disappearing when a licensing deal ends. New releases still show up on the streaming apps first, so most houses keep one subscription and drop the rest. Read about Jellyfin
- Can I still get to my stuff when I am away from home?
- Yes. We set up a private tunnel (Tailscale or WireGuard) so your devices can reach your server from anywhere, the same as if you were on the couch. Nothing gets opened to the public internet.
- What happens when my internet goes out?
- Everything inside the house keeps working. Cameras keep recording, locks keep working, your files are still there. Remote access comes back when the internet does. What happened to cloud gadgets when Amazon went down
- What happens if the server dies?
- You restore from the backup. We set up backups on day one: a second drive in the house and, if you want it, an encrypted copy somewhere else. Hardware fails eventually.
- What hardware do you use?
- We can discuss your hardware needs. Usually a refurbished small business desktop or a mini PC, a couple of hard drives, and for security, we prefer wired cameras instead of wireless and a local recorder. We prefer parts you can buy anywhere, so nothing depends on us.
- Can you use hardware I already have?
- Almost certainly. An old desktop, laptop, or sometimes even a smartphone can be a fine starting point for a home server.
- Is this software any good?
- It is the same kind of software that runs in big companies, packaged for home use. Immich, Nextcloud, and Home Assistant each have large communities and full-time developers behind them. We only install things we would run ourselves.
- Is this software any good?
- It is good software. Large companies often use free and open-source software as the backbone for their own software. Immich, Nextcloud, and Home Assistant each have large communities and full-time developers behind them. We only install things we would run ourselves.
- Is this software any good?
- Yes. Self hosted software doesnt mean amateur software. This is the same kind of software that runs inside Google, Netflix, and Apple, packaged for home use instead of a data center. Immich, Nextcloud, and Home Assistant each have large communities and full-time developers behind them. The bigger advantage is that no company can take it away from you. When a smart home company discontinues a product, the app stops working and the hardware becomes a paperweight. That cannot happen here. We only install things we run ourselves. The products that got switched off
Security
- What about the Ring, Nest, or other cloud cameras I already have?
- Some can be made to record locally, some cannot. We will check and tell you which is which. Often the simplest path is wired cameras that cost about what a year of the cloud plan does. What happened to Nest Secure owners
- Will my phone still get alerts?
- Yes. Door bell alert, people, car and pet motion alerts, door open alerts, smoke alarm alerts, all of it. They come from your own system instead of from a company server.
- Who can see my footage?
- You, and whoever you give access to. That is the whole list. It is stored on the device and/or a recorder on location, not on a company cloud. What happened when footage lived on a company cloud
Repairs
- Is it worth fixing, or should I just buy a new one?
- We look before we quote, and we will say so if replacing makes more sense. A lot of dead machines need a drive, a battery, or a cleaning.
- Can you get my data off a dead computer or phone?
- Usually. We will be straight about the odds before we start.
- Can my old computer become a home server?
- Very often, yes. A desktop from the last ten years with a solid state drive added is plenty for photos, files, and backups. It is one of our favorite jobs.
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