1 - Start Here
Read This First
Hey [wife's name],
If you're reading this, something has probably happened to me, or I'm not around to answer questions. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I tried to make it as easy as possible.
This site is everything I know about how our house, network, and systems work. You don't need to understand any of it — you just need to know where to look when something breaks, or who to call.
How to use this site
This site is called BookStack. It's organized into books (the tiles on the main page), and each book has pages inside it. Click a book to open it, then click pages on the left side to read them.
Your login is:
- URL: http://10.100.100.99:3000 (only works at home on our wifi)
- Username: [her username]
- Password: [where it's stored — e.g. "in the password manager under BookStack" or "written on the card in the safe"]
If this site won't load at all, see "If this site is down" at the bottom of this page.
Color coding — what matters and what doesn't
Throughout this site, things are marked one of three ways:
🔴 Crucial — Needed for basic things to work. Internet, wifi, power to the server. If something crucial breaks, real things stop working and it needs to be fixed or worked around.
🟡 Nice to have — Makes life easier but isn't required. Example: the motion sensor that turns on a hallway light. If it breaks, you can still flip the switch. Don't stress about these.
⚪ Unnecessary — Stuff I run for fun or convenience. Speedtests, Tailscale, Cloudflared, etc. If these break or you turn them off, nothing important changes. You have permission to ignore or shut down anything in this category.
The most important thing to understand: if you're overwhelmed, you only have to keep the 🔴 Crucial stuff working. Everything else can wait or be turned off entirely.
Where to start when something is wrong
- Is it the internet? → Go to the Network Info book
- Is it a specific service (cameras, document server, etc.)? → Go to the Computers / Servers book
- Is it a smart home thing (lights, sensors, automations)? → Go to the Smart Home book. Most lights also work from the wall switch — try that first.
- Is it the pool? → Pool book
- Is it a vehicle? → Vehicles book
- You're not sure what it is? → See "People Who Can Help" below
People who can help
You don't have to figure any of this out alone. Here are people who can help:
- [Name] — [phone] — knows our network and servers, can troubleshoot remotely
- [Name] — [phone] — local, can come over in person if needed
- ISP — [Provider name] — [support number] — account is under [name], account number [location]
- [Pool company] — [phone] — for pool issues
- [Mechanic / dealer] — [phone] — for the vehicles
It is completely okay to pay someone to make a problem go away. If something is stressing you out and you don't want to deal with it, call a pro. Don't feel like you have to honor my DIY tendencies.
What you can safely turn off
If you're done managing all of this and want to simplify, here's what can be unplugged or cancelled without breaking anything important:
- [List of unnecessary services/devices to be filled in]
- [Subscription services that can be cancelled]
What you should not turn off without a plan:
- The Unraid server in [location] — it runs [list]
- The network gear in [location] — without it, no internet or wifi
- [Anything else crucial]
See the "Safe to Turn Off" page for the full breakdown.
Important physical locations
- Server / Unraid box: [location]
- Network gear (router, switches, wifi): [location]
- Breaker for the server area: [panel location, breaker number]
- Backup drives: [location]
- Written passwords / recovery codes: [location — safe, fireproof box, etc.]
- This site's backup (PDF / printout): [location]
If this site is down
If you can't load this site, it probably means the Unraid server is off or the network is down. In that case:
- A printed copy of this book is in [location]
- A PDF of the whole site is on [USB drive in safe / cloud storage / etc.]
- Call [name] — they can help get the server back up, or tell you what to do without it
Whatever's happening, I love you. Take your time. Nothing on this site is so urgent it can't wait a few days.
— Steve
Start Here
Homepage with links to all services. This link will only work at home
Clicking on the name will open the services webpage.
Color Coding
This document will use the following color coding:
Crucial devices that are needed to make things work. What things it is needed for will be listed. Example are internet, networking, wifi, etc.
Nice to have are devices/apps that make life easier/ nicer, but are not a crucial core service. If these go away then there may be some things that stop working, but things like lights, internet, etc will continue. An example is a motion sensor that turns on a light.
Unnecessary are devices/apps that are not necessary at all. These can go away and nothing will stop working. Examples are Speedtests, Tailscale, Cloudflared.
If a crucial or nice to have service goes down, I will try to give things to check as well as options to bypass the failed service.