Journal

Weekly Field
Notes.

This is the home for all Lycsweb blog posts. We publish one practical, implementation-focused article every week for each solution area we offer.

Publishing Plan

One Post Per Week, Per Solution.

01

Build Logs

Custom PC architecture decisions, benchmarks, and reliability notes.

02

Playbooks

Practical network, smart home, and private cloud deployment guides.

03

Reviews

Technical teardowns, ROI analysis, and long-term maintenance insights.

case study

One Server, Every Room Singing

How we built a centralized multi-room karaoke platform for a private KTV venue, with song requests from guest phones.

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case study

The Month the Cloud Bills Stopped

Replacing storage subscriptions with a private cloud: local server, segmented network, zero open ports.

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case study

Solar Math Without the Salesman

Why we built our own solar calculators and run the numbers live, in front of clients, with nothing to sell.

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home lab

Unraid: The Friendliest First Server

The easiest, most forgiving way to start a home lab: mix any drives, grow one disk at a time, apps in a few clicks.

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serious storage

TrueNAS: When the Data Actually Matters

High-reliability, high-performance storage for creators, video archiving, and large systems that cannot afford silent loss.

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local ai

AI That Never Phones Home

Running capable AI models on your own hardware: private by default, no subscriptions, works offline.

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Custom Builds

How We Spec Quiet, High-Performance Workstations

A behind-the-scenes breakdown of airflow mapping, PSU headroom, and thermal priorities for creator and AI rigs.

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Modular Networking

Designing UniFi Networks That Can Evolve for 5+ Years

How to choose switch tiers, access point density, and VLAN strategy without overbuying.

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Smart Home

Private Home Assistant Setups That Stay Reliable

What to self-host, what to isolate, and how to keep automations stable when internet goes down.

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Private Cloud

Choosing Between Proxmox, Unraid, and TrueNAS in 2026

A decision framework based on workload type, budget, and tolerance for operational complexity.

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Solar ROI

Battery + EV Sizing Without Guesswork

How to model household demand, charging windows, and utility rates to avoid under- or over-sizing.

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Technical Reviews

Fast Technical Audits for Teams Under Time Pressure

A repeatable review format to surface risks, blind spots, and highest-ROI technical actions quickly.

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