About // practical dad lab
Hi, I’m Josh.
DadChecks.tech is where I write about the smart-home, server, gaming and family-tech projects I’m working on — especially the ones that have to survive real life at home.
My basic rule is simple: tech is only good when it survives real family life. Spouse acceptance, kid-safe settings, boring reliability, clear setup notes and honest trade-offs matter just as much as specs.
Smart home
Home Assistant notes, sensors, automations and practical household reliability checks.
Security & CCTV
Camera and NVR setups with privacy, storage and maintenance trade-offs included.
Servers & backups
Proxmox, storage, Docker and boring-in-a-good-way backup thinking.
The promise
No fake hands-on claims. No artificial urgency. No “best ever” hype because a product has a shiny box. If I have not tested something, I mark it as researched only. If I use affiliate links later, I will disclose them clearly.