The RTM Essential Stack
Everything on this page is gear I own, hosting I pay for, or software I run in production. No paid placements. No “top 10” lists scraped from Amazon. Just the actual stack behind my homelab, self-hosted infrastructure, and content operation.
If I recommend it, I use it. If I stopped using it, it comes off the page.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. This helps keep ReadTheManual free.
Compute
The machines that run everything. Two Raspberry Pis in production, four mini PCs running Proxmox, and a cloud VPS for the bits that need to be publicly reachable.
Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB)
Runs our newsletter platform and website analytics. Quiet, cheap to run (~3W), and genuinely capable enough for production Docker workloads. I have two — one for services, one becoming a Kubernetes worker node.
Best for: First homelab, Docker host, Pi-hole, monitoring, lightweight services
Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB)
Perfectly adequate for single-purpose workloads like Pi-hole, Uptime Kuma, or a WireGuard endpoint. Save the money if you’re not running multiple containers.
Best for: Dedicated single-service hosts, learning, budget builds
Beelink SER5 / SER6 Mini PC
The workhorse of my homelab. Runs Proxmox with multiple VMs and containers. Fanless enough to live in a cupboard, powerful enough to run 30+ services. Refurbished ones are excellent value.
Best for: Proxmox host, serious homelab, multiple VMs, Docker at scale
Storage
Fast storage for VMs, reliable storage for backups. Don’t run a homelab on SD cards — I learned that the hard way.
Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe
In every mini PC and Pi NVMe HAT in my lab. Fast, reliable, good endurance ratings. The 500GB is plenty for most homelab use; 1TB if you’re running Jellyfin or storing media.
Samsung T7 Portable SSD
USB backup drive. Fast enough for Proxmox Backup Server targets, small enough to throw in a bag for offsite rotation. I keep two — one on-site, one at a different location.
SanDisk Extreme microSD
For initial Pi boot before moving to NVMe/USB. The Extreme range has better write endurance than the Ultra. Don’t buy cheap SD cards for anything that writes logs.
Networking
The backbone. Clean cabling and a managed switch make troubleshooting infinitely easier.
PoE Switch (8-Port Managed)
Powers my Raspberry Pis over Ethernet — one cable for power and data. PoE eliminates the USB power supply mess. A managed switch also gives you VLANs for proper network segmentation.
Cudy LT300 4G Travel Router
Connects my allotment IoT stack to the internet over 4G. £1.35/month SIM, Netbird VPN mesh back to the home network. Tiny, reliable, solar-friendly power draw.
Short Ethernet Patch Cables
0.25m and 0.5m cables keep the rack tidy. Buy a multipack of colours — colour-coding by VLAN or purpose saves hours of tracing cables later.
Security
Physical security keys and monitoring. If you’re self-hosting, you’re the security team.
YubiKey Security Key NFC
Phishing-resistant MFA. Plugs into USB-A or taps over NFC. I use one for SSH, cloud admin portals, and password manager access. Buy two — register both, keep one as backup.
Why not just an authenticator app? A YubiKey can’t be phished. An attacker can trick you into entering a TOTP code on a fake login page. They can’t replay a FIDO2 hardware challenge because it’s cryptographically bound to the legitimate domain.
YubiKey Security Key on Amazon →
See also: Why Hardware Keys Matter: The Intune Bulk Wipe Article
Hosting & VPS
For the services that need to be publicly reachable — email, VPN endpoints, public-facing apps. Self-host what you can at home, rent what needs to be always-on and publicly routed.
Hetzner Cloud
My VPS provider. Helsinki datacentre. Runs my mail server (Mailcow). Excellent performance per euro, proper European data residency, and they don’t oversell their hardware. Their CAX ARM instances are incredible value for Docker workloads.
Best for: VPS, mail servers, VPN endpoints, public-facing services
See also: Best VPS for Homelabs 2026
Cloudflare (Free Tier)
DNS, DDoS protection, and CDN for all my domains. The free tier is genuinely generous. Cloudflare Tunnels replaced my need for opening ports on the home router.
Best for: DNS management, CDN, DDoS protection, tunnels to self-hosted services
IoT & Sensors
The allotment monitoring stack. Solar-powered, 4G-connected, running on a Pi with ESPHome sensors reporting to Home Assistant and Grafana.
ESP32-CAM Modules
Dirt cheap camera modules (~£5 each) running ESPHome firmware. Stream to Home Assistant, record timelapse footage, or use for security monitoring. I have them on the chicken coop and allotment polytunnel.
Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensors
Connected to ESP32 boards, reporting soil moisture to Grafana dashboards. Capacitive (not resistive) — they don’t corrode in the soil. The allotment has better monitoring than some production environments.
30W Solar Panel + Charge Controller
Powers the allotment Pi and router off-grid. Comes with charge controller and cables — plug and play. Total cost for energy independence that runs the monitoring stack year-round.
Filming & Content
What I use to create ReadTheManual content. You don’t need expensive gear — an iPhone and a £25 mic gets you started.
DJI Mic Mini
Wireless clip-on mic for location filming. Tiny, reliable, excellent noise cancellation. Essential for datacentre visits, allotment builds, anywhere with background noise. This is what I actually use on location.
TONOR TC310+ USB Condenser Mic
Desk mic with boom arm for voiceovers, screen recordings, and streaming. RGB if you care about that sort of thing, but more importantly: it sounds great, the boom arm is included, and it works out of the box on PC/Mac. This is my actual desk mic.
Merch
Because if you’re going to wear a t-shirt while rebuilding your homelab at 2am, it might as well be honest about your situation.
RTFM Apparel
IT culture merch for people who’ve been in the trenches. “It’s Always DNS”, “RTFM”, and more. Designed by someone who’s lived it.
The Full Build Guides
This page tells you what to buy. These guides tell you what to do with it:
This page is updated regularly. Last reviewed: March 2026. If a product I recommended stops being good, it comes off the page.