Read This First

# Read This First

HeyJenny,

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.

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

1. **Is it the internet?** → Go to the **Network Info** book
2. **Is it a specific service** (cameras, document server, etc.)? → Go to the **Computers / Servers** book
3. **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.
4. **Is it the pool?** → **Pool** book
5. **Is it a vehicle?** → **Vehicles** book
6. **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:

1. A printed copy of this book is in [location]
2. A PDF of the whole site is on [USB drive in safe / cloud storage / etc.]
3. Call [name] — they can help get the server back up, or tell you what to do without it

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Whatever's happening, I love you. Take your time. Nothing on this site is so urgent it can't wait a few days.

— Steve