Dustin Casto

Dustin Casto is a home networking enthusiast that enjoys sharing his experience with others. He is the author of the Home Network Guy website.

Posted by this author

Manually Install Intel X553 Driver in Linux for Intel Atom C3000 Series CPUs

Dustin Casto
July 24, 2024
Servers
SFP

When taking a look at the TC300-TTG sent to me by Tometek, I encountered a number of issues using …

Build a Compact, Standalone Plex Media Server and Media Player

Ever consider building a standalone Plex Media Server and be able to play media on the same system? …

Virtualize OPNsense on Proxmox as Your Primary Router

Dustin Casto
April 18, 2024
(Updated: April 19, 2024)
Servers
OPNsense ,Proxmox ,Protectli ,Grandstream ,ZimaBoard ,TinyPilot

When deciding to virtualize OPNsense on Proxmox, you may have a lot of questions on how to go about …

Protectli VP6650 2.5/10G Network Appliance

Protectli offers various mini-PCs with 2 to 6 network interfaces that support 1G or 2.5G Ethernet. …

EnGenius ECP106 PDU

After trying out some of the EnGenius wireless APs and switches, EnGenius sent me their ECP106 PDU …

Set Up a Caddy Reverse Proxy with Let's Encrypt and CrowdSec Using OPNsense LAPI

Ever since setting up CrowdSec in OPNsense, I have had the desire to set up a CrowdSec bouncer on my …

Set Up a Management VLAN for OPNsense, a Network Switch, and a Wireless Access Point

Dustin Casto
March 1, 2024
(Updated: October 29, 2024)
Networks
OPNsense ,TP-Link ,Grandstream

In my previous guides which mention the purpose and importance of a management network/VLAN, I used …

EnGenius ECS1112FP and EXT1105P Switches

Dustin Casto
February 24, 2024
Switches
EnGenius

When EnGenius sent me two wireless access points to review, they promised to send me some switches …

EnGenius ECW130 and ECW220 Wireless Access Points

Dustin Casto
February 22, 2024
Wireless
EnGenius

EnGenius has two main product lines each aimed toward the midsize business/enterprise or the small …

Grandstream GWN7806/GWN7806P Managed Network Switches

Dustin Casto
February 2, 2024
Switches
Grandstream

For the last several years, I have been using 3 TP-Link managed switches in my server rack: the …

ZimaBoard 832 Fanless Mini-PC

A few years ago, I saw Kickstarter project that seemed interesting: the ZimaBoard. I kept the …

How to Implement a Captive Portal in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
December 13, 2023
Routers
OPNsense

Captive portals are generally used to allow users temporary access to a network. The most common use …

Beginner's Guide to Set Up a Home Network Using OPNsense

Dustin Casto
November 1, 2023
(Updated: October 1, 2024)
Networks
OPNsense ,TP-Link ,UniFi ,Protectli ,IPv6 ,DNS

My most popular guide at the time of this writing is how to set up a full network using OPNsense. In …

How to Configure VLANs on a UniFi Switch

Dustin Casto
October 10, 2023
Switches
UniFi ,VLAN

I had the opportunity to help with a small network deployment, which included a Ubiquiti UniFi …

Install Pi-hole on Proxmox and Use OPNsense Unbound DNS as Upstream DNS

Dustin Casto
September 15, 2023
Routers
OPNsense ,DNS ,Pi-hole

Several years ago I wrote some guides on setting up Pi-hole using Portainer on a Raspberry Pi. Since …

Protectli 4G LTE Modem

Dustin Casto
September 7, 2023
Modems
Protectli

Nearly a year ago at the time of this writing, I received the Protectli 4G LTE modem along with the …

YuanLey 2.5 GbE / 10G SFP+ Unmanaged Network Switch

Dustin Casto
August 19, 2023
Switches
Yuanley

At the time of this writing, I have been working to build out a lab network to help me more easily …

Replace the OPNsense Web UI Self-Signed Certificate with a Let's Encrypt Certificate

Dustin Casto
August 9, 2023
(Updated: October 1, 2024)
Routers
OPNsense ,Cloudflare

When you install OPNsense, it will generate a self-signed certificate for the web interface. While a …

Confused about the DNS Configuration in OPNsense?

Dustin Casto
July 27, 2023
(Updated: August 19, 2024)
Routers
OPNsense ,DNS

There are a number of places in OPNsense where you may configure various DNS options. Some of the …

Remote Control a PC or Server with the TinyPilot Voyager 2a

Nearly two years ago, I had the opportunity to review the TinyPilot Voyager after I was approached …

Build a Raspberry Pi Touchscreen Music Player with Bluetooth Speaker Using MoOde Audio Player

Have you ever wanted to build a small, compact music player using a Raspberry Pi? I did some …

Enable Mellanox ConnectX-3 SFP+ 10G Interfaces in OpenWRT

Dustin Casto
June 14, 2023
Routers
OpenWRT

After I had finished my review of the Gowin R86S-U4, I was sent a question on how to enable the 10G …

Set up a Local Hugo Development Environment and CI/CD on GitLab for Hugo Modules

Dustin Casto
June 14, 2023
Website
Hugo

The Hugo theme I am using at the time of this writing had several updates which I wanted to …

Gowin Solution R86S-U4 2.5/10G Mini-PC

In a previous review, I took a look at the R86S-P2 and the R86S-B3 models by Gowin Solution (see …

A Detailed Comparison between OPNsense 23.1 and pfSense CE 2.6

Over the last several years I have seen many users who are deciding to use OPNsense or pfSense as …

Protectli VP2420 2.5G Network Appliance

Around the time I reviewed the Protectli VP2410, I was hoping to review their 4 port Vault Pro model …

How to Flash the Coreboot Firmware on the Protectli VP2420

When the Protectli VP2420 was initially released, the coreboot firmware for the VP2420 was not quite …

Protectli Accessories

Dustin Casto
February 15, 2023
Modems
Protectli

Protectli is best known for their Vault firewall appliances, but they also make a variety of …

Set Up a Fully Functioning Home Network Using OPNsense

Dustin Casto
February 13, 2023
(Updated: October 1, 2024)
Networks
OPNsense ,TP-Link ,UniFi ,Protectli ,IPv6 ,DNS ,Cloudflare

Since the publication of this guide, I have written a new guide which is aimed more towards …

Gowin Solution R86S-P2 and R86S-B3 2.5G Mini-PC

Dustin Casto
January 6, 2023
Routers
OPNsense ,Gowin

In July 2022, I was contacted by Gowin Solution (also see their international website) to review …

How to Install and Configure OPNsense on the Gowin R86S

Dustin Casto
January 6, 2023
Routers
OPNsense ,Gowin

If you decide to purchase a Gowin R86S mini-PC, you may wish to install OPNsense so you can use it …

Migrate OPNsense to New Hardware using the Configuration Importer during Installation

Dustin Casto
November 18, 2022
(Updated: August 11, 2023)
Routers
OPNsense ,Zenarmor

If you have you an existing bare metal OPNsense installation and you wish to migrate to new …

Unbound DNS Override Aliases in OPNsense

Unbound DNS provides the ability to create DNS overrides, which allows you to manually configure the …

Protectli VP2410 Network Appliance

Dustin Casto
October 12, 2022
(Updated: February 15, 2023)
Routers
OPNsense ,Protectli ,Coreboot ,Netboot

After writing for this site for several years, I have recently been approached by a couple of …

How to Install and Configure OPNsense

Dustin Casto
September 21, 2022
Routers
OPNsense

While much of the content on this site focuses on more advanced home networking topics, I thought it …

How to Create a LAGG with VLAN Tagging on Proxmox Server using a L2 Switch and OPNsense

When I first decided to migrate from my Ubuntu server to Proxmox, I added a 4 port 1 Gbps NIC …

12 Ways to Secure Access to OPNsense and Your Home Network

Dustin Casto
June 30, 2022
(Updated: October 1, 2024)
Security
OPNsense

When you have decided as a home user to make the switch from a consumer grade router to a more …

How to Enable Multi-Factor Authentication in OPNsense

Enabling multi-factor authentication for your accounts is a good security practice to follow and the …

How to Install and Configure CrowdSec on OPNsense

Dustin Casto
April 26, 2022
(Updated: August 21, 2022)
Security
OPNsense ,CrowdSec

CrowdSec is an open source Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) which crowd sources various types of …

Build a Compact Raspberry Pi Zero Powered Music Player

In my children’s bedrooms, we use old iPhones to play quiet music at bedtime and at nap time. …

Use Static Routing to Second OPNsense Router with NAT Disabled for a Homelab

Dustin Casto
March 14, 2022
Routers
OPNsense

Originally I wanted to write about how to use a second OPNsense router two different ways: with NAT …

How to Use an OPNsense Router Behind another Router

Dustin Casto
January 19, 2022
(Updated: October 11, 2022)
Routers
OPNsense

There may be instances where you may wish to run an OPNsense router behind another router. For …

OPNsense Hardware Recommendations (2024)

Dustin Casto
December 17, 2021
(Updated: April 5, 2024)
Routers
OPNsense ,Protectli ,Qotom ,Coreboot

Occasionally I have been asked for hardware recommendations for OPNsense and the question appears on …

How to Access Your Modem's Web Interface with OPNsense

Dustin Casto
November 15, 2021
Modems
OPNsense

Modems have a web-based interface which allows you to view information about the status of your …

Linux Network Commands "Cheat Sheet"

Dustin Casto
October 22, 2021
(Updated: August 23, 2022)
Servers
Cheat sheet

When you are upgrading your home network and/or building a homelab, you will likely need to …

Deploy Nginx Proxy Manager in a DMZ with OPNsense

Dustin Casto
October 15, 2021
Servers
Proxmox ,Reverse Proxy ,OPNsense ,Cloudflare

The topic of reverse proxies can be difficult or confusing to understand when you are new to the …

How to Configure OPNsense for a Directly Connected PC or Server

Dustin Casto
September 22, 2021
Routers
OPNsense ,Qotom

One of the most common ways to set up a home network with OPNsense is to use the following …

How to Create a VLAN Only Interface in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
September 10, 2021
Routers
OPNsense

I was recently assigned a laptop to use for work so I wanted to create a new VLAN only for my work …

Remote Control a PC or Server with the TinyPilot Voyager

Remote administration tools such as Remote Desktop, VNC, etc. are great for controlling systems …

How to Mirror a Local GitLab Repository to a Remote GitLab Repository

Dustin Casto
June 10, 2021
Servers
GitLab

I have long considered self-hosting my own Git server to use for personal projects, but I never took …

How to Configure WAN and NAT Port Forward Rules in OPNsense

Understanding how to forward ports and create firewall rules for the WAN interface of your router is …

Write Better Firewall Rules in OPNsense using Aliases

Dustin Casto
May 28, 2021
(Updated: May 10, 2022)
Firewalls
OPNsense

When you first learned to write firewall rules in OPNsense, you may have simply used the pre-defined …

How to Run OPNsense in a Proxmox Virtual Machine for Evaluation Purposes

Have you wanted to take a look at OPNsense without installing it to a dedicated machine and/or …

Configure Plex Media Server to Allow Offline Access

Dustin Casto
April 28, 2021
(Updated: March 15, 2022)
Servers
Plex

I have been running Plex Media Server for quite a few years and enjoy self hosting all of my …

Backup Your Data to Backblaze B2 with Duplicacy from a Proxmox LXC Container

After I migrated my home server to use Proxmox, I began searching for a new offsite, cloud backup …

Raspberry Pi Powered Outdoor Speaker Instability

Last Summer I built an airplay enabled outdoor speaker using a Raspberry Pi. It worked pretty well, …

How to Configure DNS over TLS (DoT) Using Unbound DNS in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
April 13, 2021
(Updated: March 7, 2024)
Routers
DNS ,OPNsense ,Cloudflare

Previously, I wrote about how to configure DNS over HTTPS using DNSCrypt-Proxy. Since Unbound DNS in …

How to Redirect Unencrypted DNS Requests to Your Local DNS Resolver in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
January 25, 2021
(Updated: April 21, 2021)
Routers
OPNsense ,DNS ,Pi-hole

When I first set up my home network using my OPNsense router and was learning firewall rules, I took …

Backup Your Data to Backblaze B2 with Duplicati from a Proxmox LXC Container

For a number of years, I have used Crashplan as my offsite backup. I found the price and features …

Allow Push Notifications from Amcrest NVR in an Isolated Network to the Amcrest View Pro iOS App

As I have mentioned in my how-to on creating an isolated network, I have several Amcrest IP cameras …

Inadvertently Caused the Amcrest Doorbell Video Stream to have a Green Tint when Using an Amcrest NVR

Dustin Casto
June 23, 2020
Amcrest

I recently bought the Amcrest video doorbell (affiliate link) since I like my other Amcrest IP …

Build Apple AirPlay Powered Outdoor Speakers Using a Raspberry Pi

When my family is spending time in our backyard especially when weather is nice, there have several …

How to Create a Basic DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) Network in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
May 8, 2020
(Updated: December 9, 2021)
Firewalls
DMZ ,OPNsense ,VLAN

A DMZ (demilitarized zone) is a segmented part of a network that is used to host all publicly …

How to Install Ubuntu MATE 20.04 LTS (64-bit) on the Raspberry Pi 4

Dustin Casto
April 29, 2020
(Updated: July 9, 2020)
Single board computers
Raspberry Pi

When I decided to do a fun project with my old Raspberry Pi 3B+, I purchased the 4GB model of …

Wire "All the Things" to Improve Wireless Performance

Dustin Casto
April 7, 2020
Wireless
UniFi

When searching online, you will find many ways to improve wireless performance. One suggestion that …

Create Self-Expiring Emails in Gmail

Dustin Casto
March 19, 2020
Website
Email

Getting flooded with unwanted emails is an issue that everyone faces. Hitting the unsubscribe button …

How to Connect to Your Home Network via WireGuard VPN Server in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
March 13, 2020
(Updated: July 7, 2024)
Servers
OPNsense ,VPN ,WireGuard

WireGuard is a modern designed VPN that uses the latest cryptography for stronger security, is very …

How to Configure Dynamic DNS in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
March 4, 2020
(Updated: October 2, 2023)
Routers
OPNsense ,DNS ,Cloudflare

If you have any software/services hosted on your home network that you wish to access remotely, you …

How to Configure DHCP When Using VLANs in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
February 28, 2020
Routers
OPNsense ,DHCP

When you are new to creating VLANs on your network, you may wonder about the necessary steps in …

Disable Logging into OPNsense as the Root User

Dustin Casto
February 20, 2020
(Updated: March 7, 2024)
Routers
OPNsense

After installing OPNsense, the default login is the root user. Logging in as the root user is …

Inadvertently Opened SSH Remote Access

Dustin Casto
February 18, 2020
Firewalls
OPNsense

In my network, I created an alias for all of the ports I have open on my server so that I can create …

A Feature Comparison of the OPNsense Plugin Zenarmor (formerly Sensei) by Sunny Valley Networks

Dustin Casto
February 17, 2020
(Updated: May 10, 2021)
Security
OPNsense ,Sensei ,Zenarmor

Sunny Valley Networks is a company that has partnered with Deciso, the creators of OPNsense, to …

OPNsense Firewall Rule "Cheat Sheet"

Dustin Casto
February 7, 2020
(Updated: August 20, 2021)
Firewalls
Cheat sheet ,OPNsense

When looking up information on how to write firewall rules in OPNsense, you may be looking for …

Accessing Your Home Network with Your Own OpenVPN Server on OPNsense

Dustin Casto
January 26, 2020
Servers
OpenVPN ,OPNsense ,VPN

A VPN server can provide an encrypted connection to your home network. It is a great way to remotely …

How to Protect Against the Cable Haunt Vulnerability Using OPNsense

Dustin Casto
January 22, 2020
(Updated: February 3, 2020)
Modems
OPNsense

Cable Haunt is a recent vulnerability that has been found in over 200 million cable modems in Europe …

Using SSH and VPN to Access Your Home Network

Dustin Casto
December 27, 2019
(Updated: June 21, 2022)
Security
SSH ,VPN

There are two common ways of accessing your home network remotely and securely: a SSH server or VPN …

How to Configure DNS over HTTPS (DoH) Using DNSCrypt-Proxy in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
December 24, 2019
Routers
DNS ,OPNsense ,Cloudflare

Historically, DNS is a service that was designed to be unencrypted. Whenever a device from your …

How to Restore the Plain Text Editor when Upgrading to Nextcloud 17

Dustin Casto
December 17, 2019
Website
Nextcloud

When I upgraded to Nextcloud 17 from Nextcloud 16, I noticed that they transitioned to a fancier, …

How to Configure Split DNS in OPNsense using Unbound DNS

Dustin Casto
December 12, 2019
Routers
OPNsense ,DNS

On my home network, I host a few public facing services that my family and I make use of when away …

Configuring a New Interface on a TP-Link Switch

Dustin Casto
December 5, 2019
Switches
VLAN ,TP-Link

After I set up VLANs on my home network, I quickly noticed that I could not access the web …

How to Configure VLANs on TP-Link Switch for UniFi Access Points with VLAN per SSID

Dustin Casto
November 5, 2019
Wireless
TP-Link ,UniFi ,VLAN

When I initially created VLANs on my UniFi wireless access points, I was still new to VLANs in …

Inadvertently Blocked Access to Cable Modem Web Interface

Dustin Casto
September 5, 2019
Modems
VLAN

A few months ago, I switched to using my own cable modem instead of using the ISP provided …

Use a Custom Domain Name on Your Local Network Using OPNsense

Dustin Casto
September 4, 2019
Routers
DNS ,OPNsense

One nice thing about utilizing more advanced router features is that you can do neat things such as …

Enabling Rocket Loader on Cloudflare Interfered with the Nextcloud web login page

When setting up Cloudflare for this website, I decided to try it out on some sites that I had setup …

Enabling IPv6 Broke Functionality to My IP Security Cameras

After the long journey of learning more about IPv6 and how to enable it on my home network (see my …

How to Configure IPv6 in Your Home Network with ISP such as Comcast Xfinity

Dustin Casto
August 17, 2019
(Updated: May 16, 2022)
Routers
OPNsense ,IPv6

IPv6 was drafted in the mid-1990s when it was realized that IPv4 addresses would quickly be …

How to Configure Firewall Rules in OPNsense

If you are new to firewalls like I was when I decided to build my own router/firewall, it can take …

Advantage of Using Single Purpose Network Devices

Dustin Casto
April 23, 2019
Networks
UniFi

It is not uncommon for many home networks to utilize an all-in-one network device provided by the …

How to Configure LAGG/LACP and VLANs using SFP Ports on Two TP-Link Switches

Dustin Casto
March 16, 2019
(Updated: April 5, 2024)
Switches
LAG ,LACP ,VLAN ,SFP ,TP-Link

In this guide, I will be demonstrating how to set up a LAGG using LACP. The two TP-Link switches …

Install the UniFi Controller Application on a Raspberry Pi with Docker

Dustin Casto
March 4, 2019
(Updated: March 6, 2019)
Single board computers
UniFi ,Raspberry Pi ,Docker

Those who use or own Ubiquiti UniFi products mostly are familiar with the UniFi Controller. It is …

How to Update Pi-hole from Portainer

Dustin Casto
February 23, 2019
(Updated: August 4, 2019)
Single board computers
Pi-hole ,Portainer

Now that you have Pi-hole and Portainer setup within Docker (perhaps on a Raspberry Pi (affiliate …

Defense in Depth for Home Networks

Dustin Casto
January 23, 2019
Security

The concept of defense in depth is nothing new. Militaries use this strategy to slow down the …

Restricting Ports too much with Port Isolation on Network Switch

Dustin Casto
January 15, 2019
Switches
TP-Link

For security reasons, I decided to put my IoT devices on their own network using VLANs. I also had a …

Streaming Live TV on Plex Media Server Issues with OPNsense Intrusion Detection Blocking Enabled

Dustin Casto
January 2, 2019
(Updated: January 7, 2019)
Security
OPNsense ,Plex

On my home network, I host the Plex Media Server software on my server and make use of its Live TV …

Install Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi with Docker and Portainer

Dustin Casto
December 28, 2018
(Updated: February 21, 2020)
Single board computers
Pi-hole ,Docker ,Portainer ,Raspberry Pi

Pi-hole is open source software which provides ad blocking (and more) for your entire home network. …

Enabling All DoS Defend Options on TP-Link Switch without Testing

Dustin Casto
November 5, 2018
Switches
TP-Link

In the interest of increasing security and reliability of my home network against malicious attacks, …

How to Configure VLANs in OPNsense

Dustin Casto
October 29, 2018
(Updated: February 8, 2019)
Routers
OPNsense ,VLAN ,DHCP

For the uninitiated, VLANs are Virtual Local Area Networks. Think of them as logically separate …

Need an Offline Local Network for a Home Lab or IP Video Cameras?

Dustin Casto
October 29, 2018
(Updated: January 28, 2020)
Firewalls
OPNsense ,VLAN ,Amcrest

Having an offline local network with no Internet access can be useful for a number of reasons. A few …

Enabling Guest Control in UniFi Controller Blocked Access to Local Network Services by Default

Dustin Casto
October 25, 2018
(Updated: October 26, 2018)
Wireless
UniFi

For my guest wireless network, I like the idea of all of the network devices on the guest network to …

How to Use Pi-hole DNS with VLANs

Dustin Casto
October 24, 2018
(Updated: October 26, 2018)
Firewalls
OPNsense ,Pi-hole ,DNS ,VLAN

Setting up the Pi-hole DNS service is relatively straightforward on your home network. When you have …

Harden Your Home Network Against Network Intrusions

Dustin Casto
October 23, 2018
(Updated: August 25, 2021)
Security
OPNsense ,Suricata

The Internet is full of malicious actors looking to take advantage of insecure networks and devices. …

Restrict Network Device Communication

Dustin Casto
October 17, 2018
(Updated: July 1, 2019)
Switches
TP-Link

Network port isolation is one way you can restrict communication between network devices. You can …

Inadvertently Pushed a Hugo Theme as a Git Submodule

Dustin Casto
October 13, 2018
Website
Hugo ,GitLab

I generated this website using the static site generator Hugo, and I am hosting it on GitLab. …

Mesh Routers Versus Multiple Wireless Access Points

Dustin Casto
October 11, 2018
(Updated: December 11, 2019)
Wireless
UniFi

Consumer Routers Most everyone should be familiar with the standard consumer-grade wireless router. …

Segment Your Wireless Networks Using VLANs

Dustin Casto
October 10, 2018
(Updated: October 26, 2018)
Wireless
UniFi ,VLAN

One great feature of enterprise ready wireless access points is VLAN support. This feature allows …

How to Configure VLANs on a TP-Link Managed Switch

Dustin Casto
October 4, 2018
(Updated: July 1, 2019)
Switches
TP-Link ,VLAN

I purchased the budget friendly TP-Link T2600G-28TS L2 managed switch (affiliate link) for my home …

Configure the IP Address on a TP-Link Managed Switch

Dustin Casto
September 28, 2018
(Updated: March 1, 2019)
Switches
TP-Link

In this how-to, I will using the TP-Link T2600G-28TS L2 managed switch (affiliate link) and the …

Network-Wide DNS Blocking of Advertising, Telemetry, and Malicious Domains using Pi-hole and OPNsense

Dustin Casto
September 20, 2018
(Updated: July 1, 2019)
Routers
OPNsense ,Pi-hole ,DNS

In my home network I wanted to set up a dedicated Pi-hole installation so that I could have …

Incorrectly Executing Gatsby Development Server

Dustin Casto
September 14, 2018
(Updated: October 25, 2018)
Website

When I was setting up a development environment for creating the this website using the static …

Router on a Stick

Dustin Casto
September 14, 2018
(Updated: October 26, 2018)
Routers
VLAN

A “router on a stick” (aka “one-armed router”) is a network configuration in …

Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)

Dustin Casto
September 14, 2018
(Updated: October 26, 2018)
Networks
VLAN

As you may have correctly assumed by the acronym, a Virtual Local Area Network is a network that is …