I wrote up some tips when using Mikrotik in the home lab as they can be a bear to understand: MikroTik Switch Tips That Actually Matter in a Home Lab #homelab #homeserver #networking https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2026/01/mikrotik-switch-tips-that-actually-matter-in-a-home-lab/

Hi, I am very happy to be part of this community. By trade, I am a software developer working in Level 2 industry automation. At home, I take care of the small network, as my family rents apartments during summer. 4–5 PCs are running 24/7 in my basement where I host my 2 software solutions for private use, NAS and VMware server where I run VMs on which I develop/maintain software for my automation job. I am always looking to improve my hardware and software, especially now as I took the photographer route and attending the school for graphic design. Usually I build my rigs from second hard hardware, mostly purchased from ebay.com. The image shows my small x270 with web front end of my production software - custom built for my tourism. In the center is my VM server (xfce ubuntu linux) acting - for now - as a photo editing rig (accessed via RDP) and on the right side is my (native ubuntu linux) asp.net core development PC (accessed via RDP). By the end of next week, I am expecting parts for my graphics and printing workstation to arrive. -o- I have a lot of plans for my home setup. I want to move all my machines to debian (12), now I have only 2 machines running it. There is a mikrotik router on my network and I would like to have a bit more control of the network traffic. In rare occasions, tourists come and start torrenting - throttling the network. I want to have dedicated DNS server, build software RAID 1 fields (now I use rsync scripts in cron). And more.

A LOT has changed in 2025. Amazing to think back through it all and see what has been added, and changes overall. Check out my post here: A Look Back at My 2025 Home Lab and What Changed Along the Way https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2026/01/a-look-back-at-my-2025-home-lab-and-what-changed-along-the-way/