// nerddad.net
Free tools and straight-talk reviews for home WiFi, networking, smart home, and home lab gear — built by a 30-year IT veteran. No fluff, just what works.
Find Your WiFi Setup// tools
Enter your home size, floors, device count, and how you use your network. Get specific product recommendations at budget, mid-range, and premium price points.
Find My WiFi Setup →Select your existing smart home devices and find which platform — Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit, SmartThings — covers everything without replacing what you own.
Coming Soon →Tell me your goals, budget, and experience level. Get a specific hardware build — NAS, server, networking gear — with total cost and Amazon links for each component.
Coming Soon →// articles
For most families, one answer covers it. Here's which mesh system to buy, which to skip, and why the budget pick beats most premium options.
Read Article →Run three speed tests before spending a dollar. The numbers will tell you whether the issue is your router, your ISP, or your home's layout.
Read Article →The honest answer for most households is no — but there's one router where the upgrade makes sense. Here's the breakdown.
Read Article →// top picks
The mesh system I'd put in every large home without hesitation. WiFi 6E, dead-simple setup, and genuinely reliable. The one I actually use.
Full Review →The right NAS for most families getting started with home storage. Good software, solid hardware, and Synology's OS is genuinely easy to use.
Coming Soon →The home network security box a network engineer would actually run. Real intrusion detection, ad blocking, VPN server, and parental controls in one device.
Coming Soon →// about nerddad
I've spent 30 years in IT — deep in infrastructure, networking, and every home tech problem a family can throw at you. I built this site because my wife kept asking me what router to buy and I kept saying "it depends" — so now I've built the tools to actually answer that question.
No VC funding. No tracking pixels. No upsell flow. Just honest picks from someone who sets up networks for a living. I earn affiliate commissions when you buy through my links, and I'm upfront about that.
More About This Site →