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Homelab Use Cases

NetBird helps homelabbers securely access their home infrastructure from anywhere and connect multiple home networks together.

Common Scenarios

  • Remote NAS Access: Access your Synology, QNAP, or TrueNAS from anywhere
  • Home Automation: Reach Home Assistant, smart home devices, and IoT systems remotely
  • Media Servers: Stream from Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby while traveling
  • Family Network Sharing: Connect your home network with family members' networks
  • Self-hosted Services: Access Pi-hole, Nextcloud, and other self-hosted applications

Getting Started

For connecting entire home networks (accessing devices that don't have NetBird installed), see the Site-to-Site Connectivity Guide.

Guides

NetBird on MikroTik Router

Run NetBird directly on your MikroTik router for whole-network connectivity

Access Home Devices

Set up VPN-to-Site access to reach home network devices from anywhere

Connect Home Networks

Link multiple home networks together using Site-to-Site routing

For most homelabbers, we recommend:

  1. Install NetBird on your devices - Laptop, phone, and any servers you access directly
  2. Set up a routing peer - Use a Raspberry Pi, NAS with Docker, or dedicated device
  3. Configure network access - Use Networks (simpler) or Network Routes (more flexible)
ScenarioRecommended Feature
Access home devices from laptop/phoneNetworks
Connect two home networksNetwork Routes
Run NetBird on routerMikroTik Guide