Problem
Networks become harder to manage as more devices and services are added. A useful homelab should make it easier to identify devices, notice changes, and understand what is connected without exposing sensitive network information publicly.
Planned / Researching
Network Visibility & Device Inventory Lab
A planned homelab project focused on using UniFi/network visibility, safe device inventory ideas, new-device alerts, and public-safe summaries that may later integrate with Hermes or Telegram.
Goals
- Build a safe device inventory.
- Track known devices.
- Detect new or unexpected devices.
- Summarize network health.
- Explore read-only UniFi OS data access.
- Connect safe summaries to Hermes or Telegram notifications.
- Avoid exposing sensitive network data.
Potential Features
Public-Safe Lab Ideas
Device Inventory
Friendly names, categories, and known/unknown status.
New Device Alerts
Internal alert when an unfamiliar device joins the network.
Network Health Summaries
Plain-language summary of device count, uptime, and important changes.
Wi-Fi / Client Visibility
Learn how connected clients and access points can be monitored safely.
Read-Only API Access
Use least-privilege access where possible and avoid write actions unless reviewed.
Telegram / Hermes Integration
Send safe internal summaries or alerts without publishing sensitive details.
Current Focus
- Define public-safe device inventory schema.
- Explore read-only network visibility.
- Plan new-device alert workflow.
- Avoid exposing MAC addresses, IPs, SSIDs, hostnames, or topology details.
Privacy Note
Any public version of this project should avoid showing MAC addresses, IP addresses, hostnames, SSIDs, client names, device fingerprints, and internal topology details.