Privacy

TL;DR Nextcloud running on my homelab gives me full control of my files, no subscription, no tracking, and actual open-source software. The tradeoff: you manage backups, updates, and troubleshooting. After 8 months, the math works out to roughly /month in electricity vs 5/month for 200GB on Google One — and I actually own my data. The Problem With Google Drive Let me be clear: Google Drive works. For most people, it’s the right answer. The sync Just Works, the mobile apps are solid, and collaborative editing via Google Docs is genuinely convenient. ...

TL;DR AdGuard Home turns any homelab server into a network-wide ad and tracker blocker that works across every device on your LAN — no per-device configuration needed. One Docker container, roughly 15W of power, blocks 15-20% of DNS queries before they leave your network. This guide covers the full setup: Docker Compose, blocklists that catch more than the defaults, encrypted DNS configuration, and per-device filtering rules. Why DNS-Level Blocking Most ad blockers work per-device. Browser extension on your laptop, app on your phone, maybe a system-level app. Every new device or browser needs its own setup. And none of this touches the smart TV telemetry, IoT device phoning home, or gaming consoles sending data to unknown servers. ...

TL;DR Summary The Santander Network is a homelab setup running multiple AI agents, self-hosted services, and privacy-focused infrastructure. This post covers why I started, what I learned from early mistakes, and what’s currently running. It’s not a perfect guide—it’s real infrastructure with real failures and real solutions. What is the Santander Network? For years, I relied on cloud services for everything—Google Drive for files, Notion for notes, third-party AI APIs for automation. The bills added up. The privacy concerns grew. The dependency on services I didn’t control became unbearable. ...

TL;DR Summary Most privacy tools either don’t work or are so inconvenient you won’t use them. These do both: they actually protect your privacy AND are practical for daily use. This covers my complete privacy stack—private search (SearXNG), encrypted email (Proton + Tuta), DNS filtering (AdGuard Home), private messaging (Signal), and secure browsing (Brave + uBlock). No tinfoil hat required. Private Search: SearXNG Google tracks everything. SearXNG is an open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results without tracking you. ...