Plan, inspect and generate

Home Server Tools

Working calculators and local analyzers for power, storage, networking, media, virtualization and containers. Every result includes its assumptions and limitations.

Live tool

Home Server Power Cost

Estimate daily, monthly, and annual energy cost from real power draw.

Open tool
Live tool

RAID & ZFS Capacity

Compare usable capacity, efficiency, and disk-failure tolerance.

Open tool
Live tool

Network Transfer Time

Estimate backup and file-copy time with protocol overhead included.

Open tool
Local analyzer

SMART & NVMe Health Explainer

Paste a smartctl or nvme-cli report and turn key health fields into a readable local summary.

Open tool
Local analyzer

iperf3 Result Analyzer

Read JSON or text output, compare both directions, and calculate link efficiency.

Open tool
Live tool

Media Storage Calculator

Estimate library size from video bitrate, runtime, overhead and backup copies.

Open tool
Live tool

Proxmox VM Storage Planner

Plan live VM data, growth, snapshots, reserves and backup capacity without confusing allocated and used space.

Open tool
Local generator

Docker Compose Starter Generator

Generate a conservative starter stack for Nginx, PostgreSQL and Redis with health checks and persistent volumes.

Open tool
Live tool

Wake-on-LAN Troubleshooter

Symptom-first WoL diagnostic with S5/S3 reliability scoring for dual-NIC Windows mini PCs.

Open tool
Live tool

Jellyfin QSV Transcode Calculator

Estimate how many simultaneous Intel Quick Sync transcode streams an EQi12 (Core i3-1215U) keeps real time, from measured QSV throughput.

Open tool
Live tool

Backup Retention & Window Planner

Size the capacity a retention policy really needs and check whether the nightly job finishes inside your window.

Open tool
Live tool

NAS vs Mini PC Cost Comparator

Compare multi-year running cost for a mini PC, NAS, desktop and tower server from measured idle and load watts.

Open tool

Choose by job

Use the tool, then read the evidence.

The tools are designed as entry points into measured guides, not isolated calculators. Each result should point to a setup, test method, or troubleshooting path.

Workflow

Buying drives or building a pool

Start with RAID & ZFS Capacity, then use the Proxmox planner or media calculator depending on the workload.

Start here
Workflow

Checking a slow transfer

Use Network Transfer Time for planning and iperf3 Result Analyzer when you need standardized network evidence.

Start here
Workflow

Preparing a small Windows home server

Estimate power cost, generate a conservative Compose starter and compare the result with the EQi12 build guide.

Start here
Workflow

Validating storage health

Paste SMART or NVMe output locally, then connect the result to sustained USB or SSD evidence before trusting a backup path.

Start here
Workflow

A mini PC will not wake from sleep

Start with the Wake-on-LAN Troubleshooter, then read the state-specific fix and the Realtek BIOS/driver setup.

Start here
Workflow

Planning a Jellyfin mini PC server

Use the Jellyfin QSV Transcode Calculator for a real-time stream estimate, then read the measured EQi12 QSV lab and the Windows QSV setup.

Start here
Workflow

Designing a backup schedule

Size the dataset with the media calculator, plan retention and window time, then confirm each storage path against the measured USB and network rates.

Start here
Workflow

Choosing between a NAS and a mini PC

Compare multi-year power and hardware cost, then read the measured power lab and the mini PC buying guide before deciding.

Start here