Hey There! Thank you for checking out the guide, I really hope it helps you! There are going to be lots of links to eBay and Amazon sellers, I do not make a single nickel from affiliate links to these vendors.
Please make use of the contact form or these options
Please use the Contact form or use these options:
- PING on the TCM Security and HackSmarter Discords
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-campbell-a63255264
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A note on the “why” of the guide…I’ve been a paid moderator (Among one of many duties, I’m paid to be on the TCM Help Desk haha) of the TCM Security Discord server for some time now and I see lots of newbie home lab builder’s asking questions that required more meaty answers than most of the posts really ever got into. Since I had just began the journey myself during the COVID times, I sat down and started compiling this guide. It’ll be a forever work in progress because that’s how tech works and I want this to be a living document kind of thing.
The guide will for sure be very link heavy, I did include some photos of my dogs opening the latest home lab build, those are at the end if you prefer to start with puppers being excited over mail.
So, before we power up, we have to do some considerations. Here we GO!
This guide is always free info, I don’t make money off the links provided if you buy something. It makes offering the info feel disingenuous if I make something off of this site other than through buyingmeacoffeeLINKGOHEREDUMBMAN
Anything can be a home lab! Don’t get too caught up in completionist syndrome or trying to make the costliest rig of all time. A home lab can be what I started with, a couple of raspberry pi’s. I should have spent my money on better gear to start with but my mistakes can be your gain. I’d lean away from Raspberry Pi and other SBC’s (Single Board Computers). I’d say that looking towards whatever you have on hand is more cost effective in the beginning. After I brought my own network down several times during prime streaming hours, the family decided I should get more dedicated machines.
I would be mistaken if I didn’t mention you can do a lot with virtualization with today’s equipment. Most everything made within the last 10 years or longer will have virtualization built-in but verify before you make a large purchase. I can recommend
If you want to start with Raspberry Pi’s to get a little taste of Linux, start with the kit from pishop.us, it will cost you $120 USD before any taxes or shipping. The usual note about Raspberry Pi’s being overpriced for underperforming comes in true. Shift to something like an Intel NUC or a small form factor like the Lenovo M710s. After you get tired of those, consider something like a Dell or HP Server. I was lucky enough to find a local marketplace seller that happened to be giving away their home lab. I ended up with 2 Dell R720’s and 1 Dell R610, plus some handy Cisco switches.