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Home Network

Abstract

This page is part of the Legacy "digital will". This page explains how to understand and manage our home network.

Purpose

To document the internet service, routers, Wi‑Fi, and smart accessories so control can be transferred or restored.

Audience

  • Primary: Hope
  • Secondary: Anyone helping with network troubleshooting or changes

Prerequisites

  • Access to Bitwarden for router/admin credentials
  • Physical access to modem/router if resets are needed

Emergency actions (if internet is down)

  1. Power-cycle modem and routers in order: modem → primary router → Wi‑Fi APs.
  2. If still down, contact ISP (Spectrum/Charter). Account details are in Bitwarden.
  3. As last resort, factory-reset Wi‑Fi AP and reconfigure using notes below.

Credentials

Router, ISP, and service credentials are stored in Bitwarden. See Appendix A for device specifics.

Our home network supports internet, Wi-Fi, printing/scanning, streaming, and smart accessories (lights, thermostat, Apple devices).

Network diagram

graph TD
    ISP["Spectrum/Charter ISP<br>(modem in shop)"]
    UBIQ["Ubiquiti Router<br>wilde.fiddlers.cloud<br>10.0.1.1<br>(shop - shelves)"]

    ISP --> UBIQ

    subgraph SUBNET1["10.0.1.x - Private Network"]
        SYN_AP["Synology Wireless AP<br>thoreau.fiddlers.cloud<br>10.0.1.2<br>Wi-Fi: Thoreau"]
        NAS["Synology NAS<br>swift.fiddlers.cloud<br>10.0.1.5"]
        RICOH["Ricoh IM C300<br>rowling.fiddlers.cloud<br>10.0.1.120"]
        LINKSYS_GW["Linksys Router (gateway)<br>10.0.1.x"]
    end

    UBIQ --> SYN_AP
    UBIQ --> NAS
    UBIQ --> RICOH
    UBIQ --> LINKSYS_GW

    subgraph SUBNET2["10.0.2.x - Sherlock Holmes Wi-Fi"]
        LINKSYS1["Linksys Router #1<br>10.0.2.1<br>(Evan's office)"]
        LINKSYS2["Linksys Router #2<br>(Ellie/Eloise's room)"]
        HUE["Philips Hue Bridge"]
        DEVICES["IoT devices, phones,<br>laptops, Apple TVs,<br>HomePods, Nest, etc."]
    end

    LINKSYS_GW --> LINKSYS1
    LINKSYS1 --- LINKSYS2
    LINKSYS1 --> HUE
    LINKSYS1 --> DEVICES

    subgraph NAS_SERVICES["NAS Services (swift)"]
        MEDIA["Media Server<br>(Infuse)"]
        DOCS["Fiddler Docs<br>(MkDocs/Docker)"]
        FILES["File Server<br>(SMB shares)"]
        MAYAN["MayanEDMS<br>(Docker)"]
    end

    NAS --> NAS_SERVICES

At a glance

  • ISP: Spectrum/Charter (account details in Bitwarden — search "Spectrum")
  • Modem: ISP-managed, in the shop on the shelves
  • Router: Ubiquiti, in the shop on the shelves
  • Wi-Fi AP: Synology wireless AP in the shop (network: "Thoreau" — private)
  • Wi-Fi routers: Linksys in Evan's office and Ellie/Eloise's room (network: "Sherlock Holmes")
  • NAS: Synology NAS in the shop on the shelves — see Synology NAS
  • Credentials and device details: See Bitwarden and Appendix A

Internet and equipment

All core network equipment is in the shop, on the shelves.

  1. Check modem lights (power, online, downstream, upstream). If off or blinking for >5 minutes, power-cycle.
  2. Power-cycle order if internet is down:
  3. Unplug modem (60 seconds), plug back in
  4. Unplug Ubiquiti router, then plug back in
  5. Unplug Synology wireless AP and Linksys routers, then plug back in
  6. If still down, call Spectrum/Charter support. Account info is in Bitwarden (search "Spectrum").

Wi-Fi networks

There are two Wi-Fi networks in the house:

Network name Hardware Location Purpose
Thoreau Synology wireless AP Shop (shelves) Private network
Sherlock Holmes Linksys routers (x2) Evan's office + Ellie/Eloise's room Main household Wi-Fi

Passwords for both networks are in Bitwarden. If a device cannot connect, forget the network on the device and re-enter the password.

Admin portals (advanced, only if needed)

  • Router admin and Synology Wi‑Fi admin links, usernames, and passwords are in Bitwarden.
  • Only change these if instructed. Record any changes in Bitwarden secure notes.

Smart accessories

There are five types of accessories: Apple TVs, Apple HomePods, Thermostat, Philips Hue lights, and NanoLeaf lights. All smart home devices are managed through the "Statler" home in Apple HomeKit (accessible via the Home app on any Apple device signed into the family iCloud).

HomeKit ownership

Evan's Apple ID owns the "Statler" home, but Hope's account is an admin. Hope can manage all devices, invite members, and control accessories without needing Evan's Apple ID. If full ownership transfer is needed, use the Home app: Settings → Home Settings → transfer ownership.

Apple TVs

There are 3 Apple TVs:

Location Notes
Main bedroom Primary TV
Living room Primary TV
Office Secondary

To transfer to Hope's Apple ID: sign out of Evan's Apple ID in Settings, then sign in with Hope's. If that fails, factory-reset and set up fresh with Hope's Apple ID.

HomePods

There are 9 HomePods:

Location Count
Living room 2
Kitchen 2
Main bedroom 2
Kids' rooms 1 each (3 total)

HomePods are managed through the Home app. To transfer ownership:

  1. Try assigning devices to Hope's Apple ID using the Home app.
  2. If that fails, factory-reset the HomePod (hold the top, wait for spinning light, keep holding until it beeps).
  3. Set it up again signed into Hope's Apple ID.

Philips Hue lights

  • Managed through the Philips Hue app and also controllable via Apple HomeKit ("Statler" home).
  • Account credentials are in Bitwarden (search "Hue" or "Philips").
  • A Hue bridge is connected to the network. All individual smart lights in the house are discoverable and controllable through the Hue app — no need to document each light individually.
  • If lights stop responding: power-cycle the Hue bridge, then re-check the Hue app.

NanoLeaf lights

  • Account name: fiddler_family (credentials in Bitwarden).
  • If lights don’t respond, power‑cycle the light controller and re‑link via the app.

Nest thermostat

  • Uses a Google account: fiddlerfamily724@gmail.com (credentials in Bitwarden).
  • Also controllable via Apple HomeKit ("Statler" home).
  • If the app shows offline, check Wi-Fi and batteries (if applicable), then re-add the thermostat in the app.

Equipment inventory

For full device details (hostnames, IP addresses, locations, admin links, credentials), see Appendix A - Network Device Info.

For Synology NAS details (services, subsystems, and failure recovery), see Synology NAS.

Transfer vs. cancel

  • Do not cancel internet or Wi‑Fi services until a transfer plan is in place.
  • Subscriptions that are not critical (streaming, etc.) can be paused or canceled—see Subscriptions.

Troubleshooting playbook

  1. Internet slow or down: follow power‑cycle order, then call ISP.
  2. One device cannot connect: forget/rejoin Wi‑Fi, check password, move closer to router.
  3. Printer/scanner issues: verify it’s powered and on Wi‑Fi; use the web UI (see Appendix A) to check status.
  4. Smart devices offline: check Wi‑Fi, reboot device, re‑link in the app.