Projects

My Home Lab

Dates: January 2019-Present
Technologies: Proxmox, Linux, Home Assistant, Python, Docker, Nginx, Z-Wave, Zigbee, Raspberry Pi, ESP8266, Git

For the past few years, I have been putting together and upgrading a home server setup.

I started with a Raspberry Pi 3B+ at then end of 2018, primarily used for Home Assistant. In mid-2020, I upgraded to a Dell small form factor PC with a Core i5 processor, so that I could begin to do more with a home server. The server runs Proxmox, with Home Assistant (and numerous add-on Docker containers) as one virtual machine and additional LXC containers running Ubuntu for various purposes (home server, web development, and other programming).

In addition to the server and software setup, I've also done a lot of work on the hardware side, including building out a sophisticated home networking setup, and creating DIY smart devices using ESP8266 boards and open-source software.

This is an ever-evolving and ongoing project that continues to give me new opportunities to work with and learn more about a variety of software and hardware technologies. Click here for more details about my current smart home and home lab setup.

RiverPark Church Automation Project

Dates: April 2021-Present
Technologies: Home Assistant, VirtualBox, Z-Wave

RiverPark Church in Parkville, MO, moved into a new building in April of 2021, and as part of the setup, I took on the task of setting up their networking and automation.

I set up a Unifi network with one Security Gateway, one eight-port Power over Ethernet switch, and two wireless access points. This allows for a secure network, along with prioritization of traffic so that guest network bandwidth is limited and the Sunday service online stream can take precedence to ensure optimal quality.

I have also installed multiple Z-Wave switches and PoE cameras in the building. Work is ongoing to automate all of these pieces and tie them together in Home Assistant, to optimally automate the lighting experience for Sunday services.

Web Portal Project

Dates: 2021
Technologies: Python, SvelteJS, MS SQL Server

This is a project I put together for work, to create a webapp that would support CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations for an existing MS SQL database. I used a Python backend using the Flask library, and a frontend built with Svelte. I leveraged our existing corporate LDAP server for authentication, building our own role-based access on top of it as needed.

This project allowed our team to migrate a few data management processes away from an Excel-based workflow, to a system that is better equipped to scale and to handle things like data validation. The platform is also something we intend to build on further in the future.

PowerBI Reporting Project

Dates: 2020
Technologies: PowerBI, Python, MS SQL Server, Oracle SQL

I took a reporting setup that was a manual process completed in Excel and migrated it to an automated PowerBI-based workflow. Data needed to be gathered from a number of tables in two separate databases, one MS SQL and one Oracle, normalized, and aggregated. This was accomplished with a combination of Python scripting and MS SQL stored procedures. A process that took about 8 hours a week was able to be automated completely.

Open Source Contributions

Dates: 2019-Present
Technologies: Python, JavaScript, Angular, Git

I love the open source community. I've used a variety of open source projects over the last 15 years and try to give back whenever I can. In recent years, I have made contributions to the Home Assistant project (the core, documentation, and developer documentation) and the TileBoard project. I've also created a number of automations using the Home Assistant third-party Python library AppDaemon, which I've shared via the Home Assistant Community Store.