One full server, three-node solution
Tech without the technobabble.
My main Proxmox server was getting rather full. I could have stared at the storage screen and hoped it developed more space, but instead I brought two spare machines into service and built a three-node cluster.
This week also brings an interesting Home Assistant preview for cameras and doorbells: proper two-way audio from the live view.
Building my first three-node Proxmox cluster
The starting point was one busy node running Home Assistant, Pi-hole and Zigbee2MQTT, plus two empty Proxmox machines. I prepare all three, make sure their hosts files and clocks agree, create the cluster and then add the two new nodes.
The useful payoff is moving Pi-hole to another server. The useful reality check is that the first migration fails with an SSH error—so the video includes the investigation and fix rather than quietly pretending it worked first time.
This is central management and manual migration, not high availability. A cluster does not combine the machines’ RAM or automatically move a failed VM unless you build the additional HA setup.
Home Assistant cameras are learning to talk back
Home Assistant 2026.11 is set to introduce two-way audio for supported cameras and video doorbells. That means you will be able to watch a live stream and speak through the device from Home Assistant.
It starts as an optional Labs preview and needs a compatible camera plus a WebRTC stream. Reolink support is included when the camera itself supports two-way audio and Home Assistant is receiving its stream over RTSP.
In plain English: do not expect every old camera to grow a microphone button overnight, but this is a promising step towards keeping more camera control inside Home Assistant.
Check the clocks before creating a cluster
Before joining Proxmox nodes, check that each machine has the correct name, can resolve the other nodes and has accurate time synchronisation. Five minutes of preparation is much easier than untangling a cluster whose members disagree about where—or when—they are.
See you next week,
Martyn