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Core Lab Joe

Core Lab Joe

Dad, IT guy, Self-Hosting Evangelist! https://www.reddit.com/r/corelabtech/

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A macro shot in a dark server room shows an Ethernet cable plugged into a NIC, featuring a "Digital Fortress" maintenance log overlay with an OPNsense upgrade progress bar at 88% complete.

Upgrading to OPNsense 26.1

The jump to OPNsense 26.1 changes how DHCP and DNS interact. Learn how to navigate Kea migration, fix subnet mask mismatches, and resolve Android Wi-Fi errors.

A three-part composite showing an old Dell PC, a modern white cube server, and a professional rack-mounted server with glowing green lights on a wooden desk against a bookshelf. — From humble beginnings to enterprise power: a side-by-side evolution of home server hardware, featuring a dusty Optiplex, a sleek Node 804, and a racked PowerEdge with green LED accents.

Plex Media Server

Best Plex Server Hardware (2026): Budget Builds to Enterprise NAS Guide

Building a Plex server in 2026? Learn how to choose the best hardware for 4K transcoding, from scavenged Intel QuickSync builds to high-end enterprise ZFS rigs.

Conceptual network command center. Left display: OPNsense 1.5Gbps throughput and low latency. Right display: AdGuard Home stats and active IDS/IPS shield for threat detection. — Total network control, visualized. See your OPNsense throughput, AdGuard Home stats, and real-time IDS/IPS alerts in a sleek, futuristic interface.

Advanced OPNsense Networking: Cloudflare Bypass, DNS/NTP Hijacking & SQM

Learn advanced OPNsense routing techniques including Cloudflare proxy bypass, DNS/NTP interception, and SQM bufferbloat fixes for high-performance homelab networks.

Futuristic cyberpunk tower server with side panel removed, revealing a glowing quantum-style CPU core on the motherboard and a bright display reading “Updates Applied.” — Cyberpunk-inspired homelab server with an exposed side panel and glowing quantum CPU core displaying “Updates Applied,” symbolizing Core Lab’s Q1 homelab upgrades and modernization.

Core Lab Q1 Update: Homelab SIEM, CG-NAT Bypassing & Modernization!

Core Lab Q1 update: new homelab SIEM stack, CG-NAT Plex bypass, networking guide overhaul, hardware updates, and upcoming firewall & NAS build guides.

Grafana dashboard showing a global threat map of cyberattacks and a top 5 attackers bar gauge parsed from OPNsense firewall and NGINX Docker logs. — 🌍 Active Intelligence: A real-time global threat map and "Attacker Leaderboard" generated from OPNsense firewall blocks and NGINX access logs using the Grafana-Loki-Promtail (GLP) stack.

Building a Homelab Mini-SIEM with Grafana, Loki, and Promtail

Stop guessing and start visualizing. Turn siloed OPNsense and NGINX logs into a real-time threat map with the lightweight GLP stack. Includes GeoIP and Discord alerts.

Cyberpunk illustration of a home Plex server securely tunneling to a cloud VPS, bypassing ISP CG-NAT with an encrypted connection. — Secure Plex access over CG-NAT: a home server tunnels through a cloud VPS, bypassing ISP restrictions with encrypted networking.

Plex Media Server

How to Access Plex and Jellyfin Behind CGNAT: A 2026 Guide

Stop Plex Relay throttling! Learn how to bypass CG-NAT using a VPS relay with WireGuard or Headscale (Tailscale). Secure, full-bitrate remote access without port forwarding.

Screenshot of the Jellywatch website showing their icon/mascot (A cartoonish single eyed purple jellyfish!) & brief introduction. — Meet JellyWatch, the Jellyfin mobile management experience we've been waiting for!

JellyWatch Review: The Ultimate Jellyfin Admin Dashboard for Android

Always wanted a mobile native app to manage Jellyfin? Discover JellyWatch - an Android app with "Arr" integration, real-time stats, and a killer "Watch Pass" feature.

Screenshot of the Seerr dashboard after a successful migration from Overseerr or Jellyseerr, showing the 'Discover' page with movies and TV shows. — It’s alive! Here is the new, unified Seerr interface after a successful migration. Your media, requests, and users are all still here.

Hello Seerr: A Guide to Migrating from Overseerr & Jellyseerr

Switching from Overseerr or Jellyseerr to Seerr? Here is a step-by-step guide to migrating your Docker container, fixing UID 1000 permissions, and keeping your data intact.

Cyberpunk-themed hacker graphic with neon high-contrast visuals representing secure, encrypted media streaming and advanced digital privacy techniques. — Unlocking the 2026 Trinity strategy to outsmart ISP blocks.

Updates from Core Lab!

A featured series on protecting your identity as a Canadian, plus lab updates on the Dirty Snow build and the latest threat landscape roundup.

Smartphone screen showing an Instagram "Incorrect Password" error, while a background monitor displays a "Login from Moscow, Russia" security alert on a world map. — The moment of panic: Locked out of your own account while a stranger logs in from halfway across the world.

Personal Security

Part 3: The Domino Effect - What To Do When Your Email & Socials Get Hacked

Locked out of Facebook or Gmail? Don't panic. Follow this NIST-based cyber response guide to kick attackers out, secure your SIN, and reclaim your digital identity.

A smartphone screen displaying an Unregistered SIM error message next to a ticking clock, symbolizing a Canadian SIM swapping attack in progress. — Frustrated, no service, sim-swapped!

Personal Security

Part 2: The 8-Minute Nightmare - What To Do When You Are Sim Swapped in Canada

At 5:45 PM, the spam calls started. By 6:00 PM, the phone was dead and the bank accounts breached. If you see 'No Service,' you have minutes to act. Here is the definitive Canadian battle plan to stop a SIM Swap, lock down your credit, and stop the bleeding.

A conceptual digital illustration showing a leaking data pipeline flowing into a dark web marketplace, representing Canadian identity theft and corporate data breaches. — A visual representation of data leaking through a pipe or a digital "trail."

Personal Security

Part 1: The Data Pipeline - Where Your Identity Leaks

Stop thinking of identity theft as a "hack." Learn how corporate negligence and data aggregation fuel the Canadian black market, and why your info is at risk.