Garage LAN

Built to give my kids and their friends a place to game, learn, and build community. Everything here reflects what worked in a real two-car garage LAN.

IMPORTANT: Always check with your power company and/or a locally licensed electrical contractor to verify limits and plans for additional circuits. In some areas an electrical architect may be required to evaluate and file with the utility.
Garage LAN illustration

Electrical

Quick math

One 15/20 AMP breaker/circuit for 3 PCs (1 PC = 1 tower & 1 monitor).

Formula: Amps × Volts = Watts

  • 15 × 120 = 1,800W → ÷ 3 = ≈ 600W per PC
  • 20 × 120 = 2,400W → ÷ 3 = ≈ 800W per PC

Capacity planning

  • 2-car garage = 20 PCs
  • 1-car garage = 10 PCs
  • 20 PCs = 36,000 Watts (planning figure; verify with a licensed electrician)
  • 20 PCs ≈ 7 circuits (plan to add extra for networking, server(s), HVAC, peripherals like printers and tools.)

Layout tips

  • Ceiling outlets help power 10 people at the center tables of a 20-person, 2-car-garage LAN. Add ceiling LAN drops by these outlets too.
  • Keep ethernet and power extension cords a foot or more apart to reduce interference.
HVAC: Consider installing a unit for the garage (for a 2-car garage, a 2 ton unit worked well here).
Sub-panel: After checking with your power company or a locally licensed electrical contractor, you can add a sub panel off the main breaker panel to supply additional circuits.

Real-world power draw

“600 Watts per PC — but my PC has a 750 Watt PSU!”

  • PC components rate hardware at max power consumption and include a headroom/“flux” factor.
  • A GPU might say it requires a 650W PSU — that budget covers the whole system and worst-case spikes.
  • Most modern builds use motherboard power for M.2 storage, a single 2.5″ SSD (~2 Watts), and a GPU. Air coolers run off the motherboard; many AIOs power their own fans.

Bottom line: you’re not using what you think you’re using, but it’s close — plan conservatively.

High-end rigs

Put custom-loop rigs with big pumps or multi-GPU miners on their own circuit, or at most 2 PCs per circuit.

Personal note: building PCs with the crew

For my kids and their friends: to join the LAN, they initially brought their own PC from home. We opened it up together, learned and troubleshot, then made a trip to Fry’s Electronics (RIP) to buy parts for a new build. (Fry’s gave me an awesome 30% off for doing this!)

Each build got a Corsair AX860 ATX PSU for efficiency and to future-proof. Early builds used Intel “K” i7s and EVGA 970/1070 (70-series) on MSI “Z” boards; later we moved to Intel non-K CPUs on mITX boards with Samsung 2.5″ & M.2 SSDs to better control power draw.

If they could build it (everyone helped) and it booted, they kept the PC — no need to “owe” me back. 10+ years later I still hear about those rigs running, sometimes carrying folks through school. Huge thanks to everyone at Fry’s — much luv!

Essentials

Tables

  • 6′ wooden banquet tables resist sag; plan stations at ~3′ width each.
  • One row of five stations: one 6′ + one 8′ table. Center rows for 20-seat LANs: two 6′ + two 8′ (or four 6′ + one 5′).
  • Ceiling outlets + ceiling LAN drops make center rows painless.

Example wooden banquet tables →

Chairs

  • Folding metal chairs (ideally padded) are durable and affordable.
  • Have 2–3 spares for swaps and helpers.

Example metal folding chairs → Razer gaming chairs →

Network — Core List

  • Gateway (modem+router or separate), managed switch, AP(s) for Wi-Fi.
  • Prefer one vendor for compatibility; unmanaged works but QoS/features on managed are worth it.
  • Consider VLANs to segment personal PCs, LAN PCs, and servers.

Rules (Post at the Door)

Keep it fun and safe. Example house rules that worked well:

No drugs. No gangs. No fighting. No hacking. Nothing illegal. No stupid stuff. Grades must be C or above. If asked for help or to check grades, comply. Encourage homework help and team support when someone’s struggling.

Seating layout presets

  • 10-seat (1-car): two side rows of 4, one center island of 2; ceiling outlets for the island.
  • 20-seat (2-car): two side rows of 5, one center island of 10 (two rows back-to-back); ceiling outlets and LAN drops over the center.
  • Streamer/Coach desk: small table near rack/switch for announcements and music server.

Network

Switch

  • Ideally use ONE manufacturer for gateway, switches, and APs to keep compatibility and configuration simple.
  • Managed switch preferred for bandwidth limits, VLANs, routing, and security.
  • Stacking is fine if the model supports it; check manuals.
  • Use LAG/LACP where appropriate to aggregate uplinks.
  • Unmanaged switches will work and require no configuration, but when one person downloads a game and everyone else loses connection, you’ll have an upset LAN party (and might get duct-taped to the ceiling).

Tip: Netgear manages features without recurring subscriptions.

Cabling

Use Cat6 or better (Cat6A used in a 10 Gbps bus-star hybrid topology).

LAN Drops

  • Ceiling drops keep runs tidy and away from foot traffic; keep power and data separated by ~1′.
  • At first you might run CAT cable all over the floor with lots of extension cords. Try to keep the CAT and power extension cords a foot or more apart to prevent interference.
  • Getting LAN drops to the 10 people sitting in the center tables of your 20 person LAN in a 2-car garage can be a challenge. Add LAN drops and extra outlets in the ceiling to plug into.

Patch Panels

Run long lengths to wall plates from the back; short patch to the switch at the front. Easier troubleshooting and re-config. This is perfect for troubleshooting the network and makes it easy to re-configure the network on the fly if needed.

KVM

Let a single keyboard/mouse/monitor control multiple servers; push a button to switch.

Wi-Fi AP & QoS

Disable gateway Wi-Fi; use APs on the managed switch and enforce QoS to stop phones from eating bandwidth with auto-updates.

UPS

Desktop or rackmount UPS (e.g., APC) buys time for safe shutdowns during outages.

Administration

  • VLANs: set up VLAN(s) for personal PCs, LAN PCs, and servers to split traffic instead of everything trying to run within the same routing.
  • Keep learning: network traffic and security practices are always evolving — browse the interwebs and YouTube for the most current info.
  • Software posture: third-party software is normally asking for problems; personal preference is to stick with Microsoft products where possible.
  • Remote play: configure LAN (garage) for WAN access to game servers so players who can’t make it can still attend from home.
  • Addressing: get a static IP from your ISP or use a Dynamic DNS system that maps your dynamic IP to a stable hostname.

No-IP DynDNS

Server Info

Hardware & Racks

Consumer hardware in 4U chassis mounted in a 42U rack works great; check PSU fit and chassis length.

  • There is nothing wrong with using consumer grade hardware or repurposing “old” hardware. The 42U server rack I bought was because there were just too many towers being set up around the garage and the workbench was full of towers. I highly recommend watching a few YouTube videos on N+ and Server+ before buying old server hardware or new hardware. This can get very expensive very fast and you have to consider what you’re going to do with your old hardware.
  • Buying a 42U 4-post rack and 4U server chassis to put your old hardware in is highly recommended. I never had an issue putting my consumer hardware in one — just make sure it can accommodate your PSU and check the length of the chassis. After the transfer and installing the 4U chassis in the rack, you’ll have a lot more room in your LAN.

Firewall

Add a dedicated firewall (virtual or physical with dual NICs).

  • While a router, gateway, or even your ISP might include a firewall, it’s never a bad idea to add an additional firewall to your servers.
  • You can do this virtually or build your own firewall; if you build your own, make sure it has dual NICs (Network Interface Cards/ports).

OPNsense pfSense

Cache Server

A single point to pull updates/new releases and distribute on-LAN.

  • Acts as a single point on the network that reaches out to the internet, downloads updates and new releases, and distributes those across your network.

LanCache

Web Server

Host server lists, downloads, schedules, and photos for the community.

  • Make an online website for players to get info on hosted game servers running in the garage, software available to download (or links to vendor sites), post schedules and pictures — it makes the garage LAN even more fun and shareable with friends and family.

IIS NGINX Apache W3Schools LAMP/WordPress

Storage/NAS

Share a fat Steam library or assets. Alternatives if cache is too complex.

  • Build a big game library on Steam. Steam lets you save downloaded game files to a network share or NAS (Network Attached Storage) for everyone to copy/paste to their system. If the cache server is too complex to set up, this is a great alternative.

TrueNAS Nextcloud

Game Servers

Run on Linux/Windows or virtualize. Great self-hosting stacks:

  • Hosting your own game server reduces bandwidth required to the wider internet and increases interest in “how things work.” It’s awesome to know you have a world with players exploring together inside a server you (all) built. Use an old PC, install a Linux server OS, run Windows/Windows Server, or virtualize and host a game server.

AMP Pterodactyl LinuxGSM WindowsGSM MC Server Soft PufferPanel

Music Server

Low background music and jukebox vibes are great for morale.

  • I like collecting music, buying albums, and having a big music collection. One of the servers played music in the garage very low as background music. For a while there was a touchscreen PC as a “JukeBox,” like a TouchTunes at a restaurant — people could add tracks to a playlist. Great for parties and, if you’ve mastered Static IPs, port forwarding, and SSLs by this point, it can also serve as your own personal Spotify-like service.

Subsonic

Hypervisor

Virtualize multiple services on one box to save space and power.

  • Allows you to virtualize one physical system into many virtual systems. Great for hosting game servers for players in your garage LAN and for remote players who can’t make it in person. Warning: depending on how you configure your servers, the whole internet can find and join — which can escalate the gaming experience quickly!

Tip: A single physical hypervisor can run several of the above at once — friendly on the wallet. Or, repurpose one or two systems you already have.

Hyper-V Proxmox Docker VMware

HVAC

A/C

If your garage is attached to your house (like mine was), there’s usually a firewall in the attic between the garage and house that you can’t go through per code. That meant I couldn’t extend the home’s A/C ducting into the garage. Adding ducting also reduces the air pressure of the home HVAC system (more distance + more openings) and just isn’t worth the money.

Solution: a 2 Ton Mini-Split Heat Pump dedicated to the garage. It cost about $2,000 and was worth every penny. In peak Sacramento summers at 110°F+, it stayed around 65°F inside — with all 20 gamers going full tilt, wrapped like burritos in blankets.

Insulation

  • Garage doors leak a lot of heat/cold. Consider a double-insulated garage door and new seals around the perimeter.
  • After everything is installed and cable runs are done, blow in fluff insulation in the attic area above the garage.
  • Adding insulation in the walls is always a plus. My garage was already finished (and likely uninsulated), but it turned out not to be an issue.

Lighting

Room Lighting

  • All LED everything. Black out windows/door leaks; use T8 LED fixtures to flood the room and match monitor wavelengths.
  • Encourage breaks; sudden transitions to sunlight can feel rough after long sessions.

Paint

Semi-gloss white across the room provided strong reflection without harsh hotspots; gloss on one wall didn’t add much.

Tools

LAN Cabling Tools & Parts

Links are examples; use your preferred brands/models.

Peripherals & Extra Stuff

Quick wins & nice-to-haves

  • Network printer (laser): grab an affordable one for quick handouts and brackets.
  • 3D printer: always a hit. People’s imaginations will run wild — networking-capable printers like MakerBot are handy.
  • Spare/side tables: set aside space for board games, card games, cosplay builds, or just to drop backpacks.
  • Keep a mini stash: spare keyboards, mice, headsets, power cables, 20′ ethernet cables (many events require BYO 20′), and a couple of small monitors.
  • Durable budget combo: the Logitech K120 keyboard/mouse combo (~$20) took years of abuse (and food spills) without failures.
  • Headset favorite: Razer Kraken was a crowd-pleaser.

“Extras” PCs (not “loaners”)

  • Keep 1–2 extra PCs stored for newcomers or regulars who can’t bring a rig.
  • Presentation matters: windowed cases with a gentle LED on the right side so players can peek in while gaming created the best vibes.
  • Low-to-mid-grade hardware with reliable parts beat top-tier “loaners” for approachability.

Small but mighty

  • ASUS NUC: highly recommended — small, powerful, energy-efficient, easy to store, portable, and straight awesome. We LOVE our NUCs!
  • Tip: slim NUCs are great as dedicated game servers and even a stream PC.

Art tablet

  • Keep a drawing tablet handy so people can plug in and create digital art. Huion Kamvas was the fan favorite.

Want software lists, drivers, tools, and links? Head to Resources on the home page.

Education

Taking courses in Network Administration, System Administration, A+, N+, S+, CEH, Linux, Microsoft products, protocols, security, and firewalls is highly recommended — the more you learn, the better everyone’s LAN experience.

CompTIA (get your official certs) →