What does this skill do?

The Homelab Network Design Skill provides a structured methodology for designing and implementing networks in homelab or advanced home environments, ensuring scalability, stability, and security from day one. It separates device roles, plans IP addressing in logical subnets, and configures essential services such as DHCP and local DNS using the reserved domain home.arpa.

Building a New Network from Scratch
Plan a new home network by replacing the ISP's basic router configuration with a scalable architecture.
Segmentation by subnet
Divide your network into /24 subnets by purpose: clients, IoT, servers, guests, and management—ready for future VLANs.
DHCP Reservations and Local DNS
Assign static IP addresses to servers and services accessible via SSH, and resolve names using home.arpa without DNS leaks.
Troubleshooting
Identify and resolve anti-patterns such as undocumented double NAT, unstable Wi-Fi, or changing server addresses.

Usage examples

🌐 Scalable IP Plan
Design an IP plan for my homelab with five separate subnets for clients, IoT, servers, guests, and management.
🔌 Separation of roles
Help me define the roles of the gateway, switch, and access points for my advanced home network.
🏷️ Local DNS with home.arpa
Configure local DNS names for my NAS, Pi-hole, gateway, and switch using the home.arpa domain.
🔧 Double NAT Diagnosis
I have double NAT and my Wi-Fi keeps dropping out. Help me troubleshoot this and design an architecture that avoids these issues.

Features

Device Role Methodology Physically separate the gateway, switch, and access points, with clear responsibilities for NAT, distribution, and Wi-Fi.
IP Planning by Subnet Divide the network into logical /24 subnets with addressing conventions for infrastructure, the DHCP pool, and future reservations.
DHCP and Local DNS Set up static reservations for critical services and use home.arpa for public name resolution without conflicts.
Gateway Selection Guide Compare ISP router options, OPNsense/pfSense, and UniFi based on the level of flexibility and management you need.
Best Practices and Anti-Patterns Avoid common mistakes such as undocumented double NAT, dynamic IP addresses on servers, or using the 192.168.1.0/24 range with VPNs.

Frequently asked questions

No. The skill guides you in selecting gateways, switches, and access points based on your budget, ranging from a basic ISP router to OPNsense/pfSense or UniFi.
Because this is the default range for many ISP routers and often causes conflicts when connecting to VPNs. The skill recommends alternative subnets to avoid collisions.
This domain is reserved for local networks. Using it prevents DNS leaks and conflicts with public domains when resolving names such as nas.home.arpa or gateway.home.arpa.
Yes. It's ideal for redesigning existing configurations, diagnosing problems such as double NAT or unstable Wi-Fi, and laying the groundwork for VLANs, Pi-hole, or VPNs.
Homelab Network Design — Scalable Home Networks with Claude AI

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