computers
In our home initially we had a single desktop pc with hostname homepc running Windows 7. OS was upgraded to Windows 10. Later this pc was converted to dualboot between a Linux distribution Linux Mint and windows around 2019.
Around 2020, bought a used desktop named onepc, for Aniruth from Ariyankuppam and also installed Linux Mint along with Windows 10, but it developed a number of hardware issues. Ended up buying an used Lenova E41-25 notebook with windows10, which was also migrated to Linux Mint . Both memory and HDD were upgraded to 8GB and SSD. As of Mar'26, this is running only windows 11.
A second desktop, homepc2 was bought in 2023 as the first one was nearly 10 years old. Also installed Linux Mint .
Both the desktops were migrated to Arch by early 2024. While learning to use arduino in mid-2024, i bought a pi 2W Zero. At that time i considered using Alpine Linux for it instead of using Raspberry Pi OS the official OS, but did not go ahead due to lack of knowledge.
All Linux Mint computers are using Cinnamon as desktop environment. The snapshot feature of BTRFS filesystem is being used with Snapper or Timeshift for recovery and btrbk for backup.
I tried dwm and found it useful due to the tiling window management. Finally migrated from dwm to swaywm . In end Jul'24, installed Alpine Linux along with Arch in homepc2.
In the routers at home a Netgear R6220 and TP-Link TL-WR841N/ND v11, an alternate OS i.e Openwrt is being run for additional features.
pi is running pihole on a diskless↗ Alpine Linux installation since Nov'2025.
To ensure that all the devices are in sync tools like syncthing , rsync were tested. Currently using rsync due to its light weight nature.
We also had a kindle that was bought in 2013-14 and has become unusable since 2023 due to dead battery.
An Nokia E71 from 2009 was replaced in 2016 by Lenova Vibe K5. Due to support issues, used a custom firware on the Vibe K5 instead of official android . Finally the device died in 2022 and was replaced by Note6Pro .
Active devices
Information about active devices are listed below
Desktop
| Hostname | homepc | homepc2 |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | XP->W10 + Mint->Arch->Mint | Mint->Arch->Alpine |
| CPU Type | G2010 @ 2.80GHz | G6405 @ 4.10GHz |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte H61M-S1 | Asus PRIME H510M-E |
| Memory | 4GB Kingston DDR3 SDRAM | 8GB Crucial DDR4 SDRAM |
| Graphics | Intel(R) HD Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 610 |
| Hard Drives | ST3250318AS -> SSD SA400S37240G | Nvme CT500P3SSD8 + ST3250318AS |
| Power supply | Antec NSK 4480B + Basiq BP300P | Antec VP450P Plus |
| Date | Aug'2013 - | May'2023 - |
Mobiles
- Note6Pro - 28 May 2022
- MOTOROLA e32 (Eco Black, 64 GB) - 19 Jul 2023
- Samsung Galaxy F06 5G Lit Violet, 128 GB - 8 May 2025
Notebook
- Lenova E41-25
- Lenova Thinkpad T480
Networking devices
- Netgear R6220 - 23 Jan 2023
- TP-Link TL-WR841N/ND v11 300Mbps Wireless N Router - 6 Oct 2016
Other devices
- Google Chromecast 2 Media Streaming Device -6 Oct 2016
- Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W - 24 Jun 2024
Repairable
- kindle - Battery unavailable
- OnePlus 7T (Glacier Blue, 8GB RAM, Fluid AMOLED Display, 128GB) - 6 May 2020 - Screen dead
Obsolete devices
- Nokia E71
- Lenovo Vibe K5 (Gold, 2GB RAM, 16GB ) - 29 Jun 2016
- TP-LINK TL-MR3220 3G/4G Wireless N Router - 3 Apr 2013
© Prabu Anand K 2020-2026