This week’s goal
Improve local service access without breaking normal internet access.
Networking has a special talent for making small changes feel harmless right up until nothing loads and everyone looks at you.
What I actually did
I tested DNS changes on one device first.
That meant:
- no router-wide change immediately
- one laptop as the test subject
- checking normal browsing
- checking local service names
- writing down the rollback
This was slower than clicking around in the router, but much less likely to turn me into household technical support at an inconvenient moment.
What broke, or nearly did
I mistyped one local name and spent too long blaming DNS.
It was not DNS. It was me. Again. Tradition is important.
What I’m keeping
- Test network changes on one device first
- Keep router changes boring
- Write down the old setting
- Do not make network changes when people are actively using the internet
That last rule should probably be carved into the server case.
SmallGrid takeaway
A homelab should not make the rest of the house worse. Test network changes quietly, prove they work, then decide whether they deserve to become the default.