Work / U04

CasaOSHome Lab

An old laptop turned into the home server: DNS filtering for the home network, network storage, Hermes and a game server, all on one box.

Role
Built and run it
Type
Personal project
When
April 2026 – present
Stack
CasaOS · AdGuard · NAS

How it works

Motion mock-up with made-up devices and domains. The query log shows the two rules at work: blocked categories, and devices that aren't on the approved list getting refused.
  1. 01An idle laptop. An old machine doing nothing becomes the home server.
  2. 02Its apps come up. DNS filtering, a NAS, Hermes and a game server, all on one box.
  3. 03The rules go on. Adult and gambling domains blocked, and only approved devices get answers.
  4. 04Every query is checked. Each lookup is allowed, blocked or refused right there on the box.

01Problem

An old laptop doing nothing, and a home network with no filtering.

02My role

I set it up and I run it: the server, the services on it and the filtering rules.

03Approach

  1. Reuse the hardware.The old laptop became a home server running CasaOS, which handles each service as its own app.
  2. Filter at DNS, for everyone.AdGuard blocks adult and gambling domains for the home network, without installing anything on each device.
  3. Approved devices only.AdGuard only answers DNS requests from devices I've approved, so an unknown device can't use the resolver.
  4. One box, several jobs.The same server holds network storage (NAS), runs Hermes, and hosts a game server.

04Result

One reused laptop serves DNS filtering, storage, Hermes and a game server for the home network.