Best fit
- Planning a new home network or redesigning an ISP-router-only setup.
- Choosing gateway, switch, and access point roles.
- Designing IP ranges, DHCP scopes, static reservations, and DNS.
affaan-m/ECC
homelab-network-setup
Practical home and homelab network planning for gateways, switches, access points, IP ranges, DHCP reservations, DNS, cabling, and common beginner mistakes.
83Collecting
See how to use itView GitHub source
npx skills add https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC --skill "skills/homelab-network-setup"Automated source guide
Source checked Jul 28, 2026·Refresh due Oct 26, 2026
Reorganized from the pinned upstream SKILL.md
Turn homelab-network-setup's source instructions into a guide you can follow
According to the pinned SKILL.md from affaan-m/ECC: Use this skill to design a home or small-lab network that can grow without needing a full rebuild.
npx skills add https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC --skill "skills/homelab-network-setup"Bring this context
- Planning a new home network or redesigning an ISP-router-only setup.
- Choosing gateway, switch, and access point roles.
- Designing IP ranges, DHCP scopes, static reservations, and DNS.
Expected outputs
- Set DHCP reservations for NAS, Pi, and any SSH hosts.
- Move local names to home.arpa.
- Disable duplicate DHCP servers on secondary routers or APs.
Key source sections
Read homelab-network-setup through these 5 source sections
Sections are extracted automatically from the pinned SKILL.md and link back to the source.
When to Use
Planning a new home network or redesigning an ISP-router-only setup.
Planning a new home network or redesigning an ISP-router-only setup.Choosing gateway, switch, and access point roles.Designing IP ranges, DHCP scopes, static reservations, and DNS.
How It Works
Start by separating device roles:
Start by separating device roles:Pick a gateway that matches the operator, not just the feature checklist:
IP Plan
Avoid the most common default, 192.168.1.0/24, when you expect to use VPNs. It often conflicts with hotels, offices, and ISP routers.
Avoid the most common default, 192.168.1.0/24, when you expect to use VPNs. It often conflicts with hotels, offices, and ISP routers.Use home.arpa for local names. It is reserved for home networks and avoids the leakage/conflict problems of ad hoc names like home.lan.
DHCP And DNS
Use DHCP reservations for anything you SSH into, bookmark, monitor, or expose
Use DHCP reservations for anything you SSH into, bookmark, monitor, or exposeHand out the gateway as DNS until a local resolver is intentionally deployed.If using Pi-hole or another DNS filter, give it a reservation first, then point
Cabling And Wi-Fi
Prefer wired AP backhaul over mesh when you can run Ethernet.
Prefer wired AP backhaul over mesh when you can run Ethernet.Use a PoE switch for APs and cameras if the budget allows it.Label both ends of each cable and keep a simple port map.
SkillSignal prompt templates
Provide the task, context, and acceptance criteria
These prompts were written by SkillSignal from the source structure; they are not upstream text.
Task-start prompt
Confirm source fit, inputs, and outputs before acting.
Use homelab-network-setup to help me with: [specific task]. Context: [files, data, or background]. Constraints: [environment, scope, and prohibited actions]. Before acting, check the pinned SKILL.md and explain which sections apply, what inputs are still missing, and what you will deliver.
Source-guided execution
Make the Agent explicitly follow the key extracted sections.
Apply the pinned homelab-network-setup source to [task]. Pay particular attention to these source sections: “When to Use”, “How It Works”, “IP Plan”, “DHCP And DNS”, “Cabling And Wi-Fi”. Preserve the important decision at each step. Mark facts not covered by the source as “needs confirmation” instead of inventing them. Then verify the result against my acceptance criteria: [criteria].
Result-review prompt
Check omissions, permissions, and source drift before delivery.
Review the current homelab-network-setup result: (1) does it satisfy the original task; (2) were any applicable steps or limits in the pinned SKILL.md missed; (3) did it perform any unauthorized file, command, network, or data action; and (4) which conclusions remain unverified? List issues first, then fix only what the source or user authorization supports.
Output checklist
Verify each item before delivery
The task matches the purpose documented in the SKILL.md.
The source section “When to Use” has been checked.
The source section “How It Works” has been checked.
The source section “IP Plan” has been checked.
The source section “DHCP And DNS” has been checked.
Inputs, constraints, and acceptance criteria are explicit.
Unverified facts, compatibility, and outcome claims are clearly marked.
Any file, command, network, or data action has been reviewed.
Choose a different workflow
When another Skill is the better fit
ab-testing
When the user wants to plan, design, or implement an A/B test or experiment, or build a growth experimentation program. Also use when the user mentions "A/B test," "split test," "experiment," "test this change," "variant copy," "multivariate test," "hypothesis," "should I test this," "which version is better," "test two versions," "statistical significance," "how long should I run this test," "growth experiments," "experiment velocity," "experiment backlog," "ICE score," "experimentation program
A separate implementation from coreyhaines31/marketingskills; compare its source, maintenance signals, and permission requirements.
Open source detailchurn-prevention
When the user wants to reduce churn, build cancellation flows, set up save offers, recover failed payments, or implement retention strategies. Also use when the user mentions 'churn,' 'cancel flow,' 'offboarding,' 'save offer,' 'dunning,' 'failed payment recovery,' 'win-back,' 'retention,' 'exit survey,' 'pause subscription,' 'involuntary churn,' 'people keep canceling,' 'churn rate is too high,' 'how do I keep users,' or 'customers are leaving.' Use this whenever someone is losing subscribers o
A separate implementation from coreyhaines31/marketingskills; compare its source, maintenance signals, and permission requirements.
Open source detaildesign-intelligence
Grounded design brief from the adopted corpus — style, WCAG-checked color tokens, typography, layout pattern, anti-patterns. Use on ui-design-brief or any which-style/palette/font/chart decision.
A separate implementation from event4u-app/agent-config; compare its source, maintenance signals, and permission requirements.
Open source detailFAQ
What does homelab-network-setup do?
Use this skill to design a home or small-lab network that can grow without needing a full rebuild.
How do I start using homelab-network-setup?
The catalog detected this source-specific install command: npx skills add https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC --skill "skills/homelab-network-setup". Inspect the command and pinned source before running it.
Which Agent platforms does it declare?
No dedicated Agent platform is declared in the pinned source record.
Repository stars
234,327
Repository forks
35,711
Quality
83/100
Source repository last pushed
Quality breakdown
Based on traceable docs and repository signals; stars are not treated as quality.
Documentation27/30
Specificity19/25
Maintenance20/20
Trust signals17/25
Compare before choosing
Related Agent Skills and source variants
These links are selected from shared tasks, functions, stacks, platforms, and same-name variants. Compare the source owner, documentation, permissions, and maintenance signals.
ab-testing by coreyhaines31
When the user wants to plan, design, or implement an A/B test or experiment, or build a growth experimentation program. Also use when the user mentions "A/B test," "split test," "experiment," "test this change," "variant copy," "multivariate test," "hypothesis," "should I test this," "which version is better," "test two versions," "statistical significance," "how long should I run this test," "growth experiments," "experiment velocity," "experiment backlog," "ICE score," "experimentation program
churn-prevention by coreyhaines31
When the user wants to reduce churn, build cancellation flows, set up save offers, recover failed payments, or implement retention strategies. Also use when the user mentions 'churn,' 'cancel flow,' 'offboarding,' 'save offer,' 'dunning,' 'failed payment recovery,' 'win-back,' 'retention,' 'exit survey,' 'pause subscription,' 'involuntary churn,' 'people keep canceling,' 'churn rate is too high,' 'how do I keep users,' or 'customers are leaving.' Use this whenever someone is losing subscribers o
design-intelligence by event4u-app
Grounded design brief from the adopted corpus — style, WCAG-checked color tokens, typography, layout pattern, anti-patterns. Use on ui-design-brief or any which-style/palette/font/chart decision.
design-system-capture by event4u-app
Write and maintain DESIGN.md + PRODUCT.md — captures visual decisions and interaction patterns so design tasks stay consistent across sessions without re-scanning past work.
existing-ui-audit by event4u-app
Use BEFORE writing or editing any non-trivial UI — inventories components, design tokens, shadcn primitives, and reusable patterns into state.ui_audit. Hard gate for the ui directive set.
View original Skill.mdThis page is parsed directly from the repository SKILL.md without editorial rewriting. Collected: Jul 28, 2026 · about 3 min
Homelab Network Setup
Use this skill to design a home or small-lab network that can grow without needing a full rebuild.
When to Use
- Planning a new home network or redesigning an ISP-router-only setup.
- Choosing gateway, switch, and access point roles.
- Designing IP ranges, DHCP scopes, static reservations, and DNS.
- Preparing for future VLANs, Pi-hole, NAS, lab servers, or VPN access.
- Troubleshooting a new network that has double NAT, unstable Wi-Fi, or changing server addresses.
How It Works
Start by separating device roles:
Internet
|
Modem or ONT
|
Gateway or router NAT, firewall, DHCP, DNS, inter-VLAN routing
|
Managed switch wired clients, AP uplinks, optional VLAN trunks
|
Access points Wi-Fi only; ideally wired backhaul
Servers and NAS stable addresses, DNS names, monitoring
Clients and IoT DHCP pools, isolated later if VLANs are available
Pick a gateway that matches the operator, not just the feature checklist:
| Option | Best fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ISP router | Basic internet only | Limited control and often poor VLAN support |
| UniFi gateway | Managed home network | Good UI, ecosystem lock-in |
| OPNsense or pfSense | Flexible homelab | Strong VLAN, firewall, VPN, and DNS control |
| MikroTik | Advanced network users | Powerful, but easy to misconfigure |
| Linux router | Tinkerers | Document rollback before using as primary gateway |
IP Plan
Avoid the most common default, 192.168.1.0/24, when you expect to use VPNs.
It often conflicts with hotels, offices, and ISP routers.
Example small homelab plan:
192.168.10.0/24 trusted clients
192.168.20.0/24 IoT and media devices
192.168.30.0/24 servers and NAS
192.168.40.0/24 guest Wi-Fi
192.168.99.0/24 network management
Gateway convention: .1
Infrastructure reservations: .2 through .49
Dynamic DHCP pool: .50 through .240
Spare room: .241 through .254
Use home.arpa for local names. It is reserved for home networks and avoids the
leakage/conflict problems of ad hoc names like home.lan.
nas.home.arpa
pihole.home.arpa
gateway.home.arpa
switch-01.home.arpa
DHCP And DNS
- Use DHCP reservations for anything you SSH into, bookmark, monitor, or expose as a service.
- Hand out the gateway as DNS until a local resolver is intentionally deployed.
- If using Pi-hole or another DNS filter, give it a reservation first, then point DHCP DNS options at that address.
- Keep a small static/reserved range per subnet so replacements do not collide with dynamic leases.
Cabling And Wi-Fi
- Prefer wired AP backhaul over mesh when you can run Ethernet.
- Use a PoE switch for APs and cameras if the budget allows it.
- Label both ends of each cable and keep a simple port map.
- Put the gateway, switch, DNS server, and NAS on UPS power if outages are common.
Examples
Beginner Upgrade
Goal: Keep the ISP router but stabilize a small lab.
- Set DHCP reservations for NAS, Pi, and any SSH hosts.
- Move local names to
home.arpa. - Disable duplicate DHCP servers on secondary routers or APs.
- Wire the main AP instead of relying on wireless backhaul.
VLAN-Ready Plan
Goal: Prepare for future segmentation without enabling it immediately.
- Choose non-overlapping /24 ranges for trusted, IoT, servers, guest, and management.
- Reserve .1 for the gateway and .2-.49 for infrastructure on every subnet.
- Buy a gateway and switch that support VLANs and inter-VLAN firewall rules.
- Document which SSIDs and switch ports will eventually map to each network.
Anti-Patterns
- Double NAT without a reason or documentation.
- Using
192.168.1.0/24when VPN access is planned. - Dynamic addresses for NAS, Pi-hole, Home Assistant, or other service hosts.
- Consumer routers repurposed as APs while their DHCP servers are still enabled.
- Flat networks with cameras, smart plugs, laptops, and servers all sharing the same trust boundary.
See Also
- Skill:
network-interface-health - Skill:
network-config-validation
- Source repo
- affaan-m/ECC
- Skill path
- skills/homelab-network-setup/SKILL.md
- Commit SHA
- 4e973d3eaf92
- Repository license
- MIT
- Data collected