I’ve gotten into selfhosting and have 3 mini PC’s

ODROID H4+ for TrueNAS
One for Home Assistant
and another for Immich and Nextcloud

They’re all just plugged into the router my ISP provided with network cables.

I’d like to get a managed switch or a router of my own that can function as a switch and router

I’ll be putting everything in a 10" rack at some point so it has to fit.

Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated, I’ve done some research and looked at options but unsure what is right/wrong

I’m especially stuck on what Hardware to get. Is 2.5ghz managed switch overkill? Should I get PoE for future use?
What brands are good, what should be avoided?

  • foggy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    18 days ago

    If you don’t have a specific goal, here are some ideas.

    Build a NAS.

    Use a bunch of small PCs or pis, build a CA, a DNS server. Make an db server and an app server.

    Get shit running on your network.

    Suit them all up with ELK stack.

    Misbehave on your own network. Go find evidence for your misbehaving.

    DoS yourself.

    Without goals it’s tough to give ideas beyond general like this.

  • Seefoo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    17 days ago

    Mikrotik makes a few that are rack ready. Not sure about rack size. They are extremely customizable and pretty cheap in the grand scheme. I absolutely love mine. some things I am using it for:

    • natively supports Wireguard, allowing me to keep everything private and just wireguard into my home network
    • I have set up firewall rules that force all DNS through my pihole, including those pesky LG/google devices that try to bring their own hardcoded DNS servers.
    • I have backed up my config to a script and literally trashed a switch a few weeks ago, bought a replacement and was up and running with the same config in <30 minutes of setup.

    My one qualm with them, is their warranty service is pretty jank. The devices themselves are generally very good, but having had one die on me after 3 years, I was a little dejected I couldn’t really get it replaced (they do still offer support though). If you need a specific recommendation the RB5009 is really solid for homelab stuff. The one saving grace is the routers are pretty cheap if you know what you need…replacing them (compared to a unifi or something else) is easier? if you’re ok with that

  • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    18 days ago

    OpenWRT is amazingly flexible and would be a great place to start.

    I switched from DD-WRT last year and have been amazed how good OpenWRT is. There are thousands of software packages that allow you to do pretty much anything you can think of on inexpensive hardware. Used Netgear R7800s are available for less than $50 on ebay or there are plenty of newer hardware options if you want to spend more. Those thousands of downloadable software packages include Wireguard and Adguard Home, plus there are OpenWRT integrations for Home Assistant. The forum is full of people who are happy to help newcomers.

    I started by running OpenWRT in a virtual machine to get familiar with the UI and moved on to a live installation. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoy learning.

    • 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      18 days ago

      I freakin love OpenWRT. I used it for a solid 5-6 years on some consumer grade routers and learned a lot about managing networks.

      Ive since moved to more powerful enterprise network gear because OpenWRT opened that door for me and taught me what is possible. I might not ever go back to it, but I will always recommend OpenWRT to people who want to rice out their routers and get the most out of it.

      • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        18 days ago

        As a home user, what additional features have you found useful on enterprise networking equipment? Just because what I’m doing is already ridiculously complex doesn’t mean it can’t be more so.

        • 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          18 days ago

          Its more about the hardware than software.

          • Able to have enough processing power to utilize the max speed that my ISP provides, while having IDS/IPS and other services enabled.
          • Port segregation so that each port can be on its own network with a full speed backplane.
          • PoE capabilities
          • SPF ports to utilize both fiber and copper connections
          • Multiple networks across many wireless access points
          • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            1·
            18 days ago

            Thanks for that list. No need here for more advanced hardware so I’ll have to put off networking upgrades until I can come up with a reason to justify it.

  • hperrin@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    18 days ago

    I use Unifi stuff. It’s really nice, but quite expensive. I run my own controller for it with Docker.

    • Ek-Hou-Van-Braai@piefed.socialOPEnglish
      2·
      17 days ago

      I’ve been comparing managed switches that are 2.5Gbps all day and honestly Unifi isn’t that expensive, it’s often the cheapest option. The price jumps like crazy once you want a switch that’s managed and 2.5Gbps