Hardware Shopping Guide

Cost is the real barrier for fresh graduates, so this curriculum is built around cheap, used, real hardware. You do not need a rack, a NAS, or new anything. The entire lab below can be assembled for less than the price of a single certification exam — and using physical gear (not just cloud VMs) is the whole point: it’s how the concepts become tangible.

Tier 1 — The essentials (Modules 2–6)

The server: a used micro PC

The heart of your lab. Look for ex-office “tiny/mini/micro” desktops — they’re quiet, sip power, and are everywhere on the used market.

Model family	What to look for	Rough used price
Lenovo ThinkCentre M-series Tiny	M710q, M720q, M910q	$60–120
Dell OptiPlex Micro	3060/5060/7060 Micro	$60–120
HP EliteDesk / ProDesk Mini	800 G3/G4 Mini	$60–120

Target specs: an Intel i5 (7th gen or newer), 16 GB RAM (so you can run several VMs in Module 4), and any SSD. RAM is the spec that matters most for a virtualization lab — prioritize it. An extra SSD or a cheap 2.5“ HDD is handy for the storage/backup labs.

The router: an OpenWrt-supported device

Your Module 3 network lab. Check the OpenWrt hardware table before buying anything — support is model-specific.

Budget: a used, well-supported home router (many good models under $30).
Recommended: a device with a proper switch and enough flash/RAM for comfortable use (e.g. models with 128MB+ RAM). x86 mini-PCs and dedicated boxes also run OpenWrt if you want more headroom.
Nice to have: a cheap managed switch (TP-Link/Netgear “smart” switches, ~$25) for the VLAN labs — many consumer routers have limited VLAN support.

The essentials kit

A Raspberry Pi (Pi 4 or Pi 5, or even a Pi 3 / Zero 2 W) — perfect for the Pi-hole / Unbound DNS resolver in Module 3 and light services. Not strictly required if your micro PC covers it, but very handy.
microSD cards, a couple of USB-to-Ethernet adapters, an Ethernet cable or three, and a USB flash drive for install media.
A USB-to-serial (TTL) adapter (~$8) — a lifesaver for recovering a bricked router.

Tier 2 — Nice to have (Modules 4, 8)

A second/third disk for the RAID and backup labs (used drives are fine — you’re learning, not storing anything precious yet).
An external USB drive as a backup target (the “2 media” in 3-2-1).
A second small machine or Pi to act as the “attacker” box in the Module 8 purple-team lab, kept on an isolated VLAN.
A cheap UPS if your power is unreliable — teaches graceful shutdown too.

Tier 3 — Optional stretch (advanced tracks)

A second and third micro PC — build a 3-node cluster for the optional k3s/Proxmox-cluster tracks. This is where “homelab” becomes a hobby.
More RAM / bigger SSDs — only when a specific lab demands it.
A managed PoE switch — if you go down the IP-camera / more-serious-networking path.

What you do NOT need to buy

❌ A NAS appliance — you’ll build one (that’s Module 4).
❌ Enterprise rack gear — loud, power-hungry, overkill for learning.
❌ New hardware — used ex-corporate gear is the correct choice here.
❌ A domain is ~$10/yr and the only recurring cost worth paying (needed from Module 6).

A note on power and noise

Everything recommended here is low-power (typically 6–20W idle for the micro PCs) and silent enough to live on a desk or shelf. The entire lab running 24/7 costs a few dollars a month in electricity — budget for that, and put your server on the UPS if you have one.

Total budget

Build	Approx. cost
Bare minimum (micro PC + used router)	~$90
Recommended (micro PC 16GB + router + Pi + switch + cables)	~$180
Comfortable (adds spare disks, backup drive, attacker Pi)	~$260

Compare that to a single voucher for CompTIA Security+ or a cloud associate exam. This lab teaches more, lasts longer, and comes with you to your first job.