This week’s goal
Work out what I already had before buying anything else.
This sounds sensible. It also sounds like the exact thing you say right before opening eBay and convincing yourself a second mini PC is “basically infrastructure”.
What I actually did
I made a basic inventory:
- one low-power machine that can stay on
- one router that is already doing enough emotional labour
- one switch
- a pile of Ethernet cables with no obvious origin story
- storage that is fine, but not yet organised
The useful discovery was that I did not need more equipment yet. I needed fewer assumptions.
I also chose wired Ethernet for the server. Wi-Fi would probably work until the exact moment I tried to show someone something, at which point it would turn into performance art.
What broke, or nearly did
I spent too long deciding whether the network needed tidying before anything else.
It did not.
One known-good cable into the router was enough for now. The glamorous world of structured cabling can wait until I have earned it.
What I’m keeping
- Wired server connection
- Simple notes about what plugs into what
- No new hardware purchases this week
That last one deserves recognition. Growth mindset, but with a basket timeout.
SmallGrid takeaway
Before upgrading, count what you already own. There is a good chance the missing piece is not hardware. It is a plan.