WireGuard has been the most useful addition to my home server, but it adds an unpleasant dimension when I try to grow my setup. Adding a third device usually involves a new key pair and a peer block, in addition to the back-and-forth of editing the configurations of every other device so that each knows the new one exists. The same process repeats when I add a fourth device.

I had accepted that this was the norm for anyone running a private network until I found EasyTier, one tool that took this entire job off my plate.

WireGuard’s blind spot

Peer management gets complicated as your network grows

With the first two devices on my home network, WireGuard ran flawlessly. In about ten minutes, the laptop connected to the home server. It was while adding the third device that I noticed this drawback. However, I didn’t mind because I assumed it would be a one-off task.

What I forgot was that home servers rarely stay the same forever. At some point, I added a VPS and found myself repeating the same tasks I wished I didn’t have to do again. Every new device meant repeating the same process.

This is just one drawback I struggled with. WireGuard isn’t suddenly failing at its job because of it. I still enjoy a fast, encrypted, authenticated tunnel between endpoints that already know each other. However, in all this, the keyword “already” stands out. WireGuard never discovers peers automatically. It doesn’t keep track of devices that move between networks, nor does it get you through NAT on its own. WireGuard works behind a NAT, but only if you first create a path for the connection. When Jason Donenfeld built WireGuard, he kept it lean, and none of these extras—peer discovery, config syncing, and NAT traversal — were its problems.

In my experience, the tunnel itself was great, but I had issues with everything around it.

OS

Linux, Windows, macOS

Price

Free

EasyTier is a tool that gives quick networking support using shared public nodes.

EasyTier closes the gap

Automatic peer discovery removes the manual setup

When I installed EasyTier, I wasn’t expecting it to go so smoothly. I expected several CLI flags and configuration options, but when I added a new device, it just showed up without the ritual of editing configs and pasting a new key.

EasyTier isn’t a WireGuard replacement. It fills the management-layer features that WireGuard intentionally leaves out. It ensures that two nodes that join the same network find each other, hole-punch through NAT when possible, and connect. The traffic falls back to a relay when a direct path isn’t possible rather than failing. From my perspective, devices simply appear on the network.

Subnet sharing brought the most significant change to my day-to-day setup. After installing EasyTier on one machine, I don’t have to install the agent or daemon on the NAS or smart plugs, since a single machine on the home network can expose the entire subnet to everyone on the mesh. To allow a stock WireGuard client to join in, there’s also an option for EasyTier to run a WireGuard portal.

However, the reason I’ve stuck with EasyTier so far is that it helps me stop thinking about the network.

Why not just use Tailscale?

EasyTier keeps coordination under your control

I love Tailscale and have used it a lot, so it was tempting to stick with it. After all, you sign in, install the app, and watch your devices appear. It’s a similar promise to ZeroTier.

However, rather than focusing on speed or security, I focused on who’s coordinating my network, which made the choice easier. The coordination is routed through Tailscale’s and ZeroTier’s hosted accounts by default. With EasyTier, there’s no account requirement for coordination. The EasyTier shared nodes are an optional meeting point; you can also run your own.

Tailscale excels at onboarding. The process is smoother than my experience with EasyTier. However, I prioritized a network I don’t rent from someone else, and that’s where EasyTier wins.

The network finally manages itself

On my home server, I run Jellyfin, Nextcloud, and a bunch of other services, with Homarr tying them all together. They all run behind whichever mesh I’m using at the time. In the past, I had to access my network to add a new container before I could even test it. But EasyTier removed that extra step.

Regardless of the situation, when I use EasyTier, the results are the same; the machines simply find each other.

WireGuard remains my favorite VPN protocol, but EasyTier completes the overall solution. Only after several months of adding devices without the usual complications did I realize this.