I need a inverter + ups system for my homelab i have a lithium iron phosphate 12v battery system.

i recently purchased a "V-Guard Smart Pro 1200s Solar Inverter" but came it came out damaged and reading reviews made me rethink my decision.

if anyone has any suggestion please do share

I'm from India and planning to build a low-power home server mainly for:

- Jellyfin (hardware transcoding preferred)

- Immich (photo backup + AI features)

- Maybe Docker containers

Requirements:

- Budget around ₹15k–20k for the mini PC

- Low power consumption (24/7 usage)

- Quiet operation

- Small form factor

- Good Linux/Proxmox compatibility

- Prefer Intel Quick Sync for HEVC transcoding

- Mostly 1–3 users

- May expand later with external HDD/NAS storage

Currently looking at refurbished mini PCs like:

- Dell OptiPlex 3060/3070 Micro

- Dell 7070 Micro

- Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny

- HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini

Questions:

1. Which model gives the best value right now in India?

2. Is 8th gen enough or should I aim for 9th/10th gen?

3. Is there any real advantage of Dell 70 series over 30 series for my use case?

4. How well does Intel Quick Sync handle HEVC/H.265 on these systems?

5. Any recommended sellers/websites for refurbished systems in India?

Would love to hear your real-world experiences and power consumption numbers too.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to self-host a PHP website with a MySQL database from my Windows 10/11 desktop and could use some guidance/best practices.

Current setup:

ISP: Airtel Xstream Fiber with static IP

Machine: Windows desktop, 8GB RAM, i5, running 24/7 is fine

Goal: Host a PHP website + MySQL DB and access it from the internet via my static IP/domain

What I need help with:

Stack choice: Should I go with XAMPP/WAMP, or set up IIS + PHP + MySQL separately? Any performance/security tradeoffs?

Security: How do I harden a Windows machine that's exposed to the internet? Firewall rules, fail2ban equivalent for Windows, etc.

Airtel router config: Any quirks with port forwarding 80/443 on Airtel routers? Do I need to call them to unblock ports?

Domain + SSL: Best way to point my domain to the static IP and get HTTPS working. Let's Encrypt on Windows?

MySQL exposure: Should I keep MySQL on localhost only and just let PHP access it, or is there a safe way to allow remote access?

Uptime/reliability: Anything I should set up for auto-restart, monitoring, or backups?

I know a Linux VPS is usually recommended, but I want to try self-hosting first to learn and save costs. Should i remove windows and install Linux CentOS server or Ubuntu Server

If you've done something similar on Windows + Airtel, I'd love to hear what worked, what to avoid, and any tutorials you trust.

Thanks in advance!

I have an ISP provided TP-Link Archer C5. I have access to the IPv6 firewall page and I'm able to let traffic through for a single global IPv6 address which is my home server. But the prefix is dynamic so I'm having to rush to change each record every time the power goes out or something. And if I'm outside the house I won't even be able to do that.

Confusingly, the configuration page asks for an "Internal IP" whereas the help button say "Global IP". I tried using fe80::<suffix> but that doesn't open the ports. Is there anyway I can do this without having to enter the changed global IP each time?

The ISP is ACT and location Bangalore. I'm currently paying for static IPv4 but if I'm able to figure this out I can do without the static IP as I've already set up DDNS through my registrar. Only this is causing the server to go down everytime the power goes off and the inverter also fails once in a while.

Hey! Please rate my budget homelab setup and give me suggestions on how to improve.

Infrastructure:

• Dell Optiplex 7010 SFF (i5-3470, 12GB RAM, 128GB SSD and 2 x 1 TB HDD). Had to remove the CD drive to make space for 2 HDDs 😅

• Intel NUC5CPYH (Celeron J3060, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD)

Dell Optiplex is running Immich, NextCloud, Audiobookshelf, Navidrome, couple of websites, couple of telegram bots, Syncthing and Maybe Finance. System and Drive monitoring and health via Glances and Scrutiny. All running via Docker managed via Portainer. Samba is also set up for media and I use VLC on the TV to stream it. Didn't go the Jellyfin route because I'm not sure if the CPU will be able to handle the transcoding.

Intel NUC is running network wide DNS filtering via Pi-hole and DNS resolver via Unbound. Uptime Kuma is also set up to monitor the services on the Optiplex and send alerts when they go down.

Both the machines are on different ISPs and they all connect together as one network via Tailscale. So, all services are accessible from anywhere via the tailnet. Both the Optiplex and the NUC are set up to be used as exit nodes as well as subnet advertising so that I can access both the routers from anywhere.

Security wise, I have set up strict Tailscale ACLs for all my devices and I have also disabled SSH via local LAN. Only Tailscale SSH is allowed.

I do also have an inverter for power outages.

Backups: 3-2-1 backup. Periodic backups to an external drive which is stored at a different location and restic encrypted backups to Google Drive.

What do you guys think? Any suggestions? What can I do better?

Hey folks,

I’m trying to solve an auto power-on issue for a 3.5” external HDD enclosure in a home server setup, and I’m curious how others have handled this.

Setup

• Mini PC (Ubuntu, self-hosting services)
• External 3.5” HDD enclosure (with its own power adapter)
• Everything connected to a UPS

Problem

After a power cut:

• Mini PC comes back automatically
• HDD enclosure does NOT turn back ON automatically
• Requires manual button press on the enclosure

This breaks my setup since services depend on the mounted drive.

What I observed

• The enclosure power button is a momentary switch
• Shorting specific pads (A ↔ D diagonally) simulates button press
• Holding it too long causes shutdown again (toggle behavior)

My Plan for Automation

I am planning to move the automation to the hardware logic layer using an ESP32 coupled with a PC817 2-Channel Optocoupler Isolation Board. (Still exploring)

For those running similar home labs with soft-power external enclosures, how did you solve the auto-turn-on problem? Did you go down the microcontroller/relay route, or did you find an elegant software/hardware alternative?

Looking forward to hearing how everyone else handles these stubborn standby loops!

BR1000G-IN

What UPS are you using for your homelab?

I'm trying to decide on what UPS to get for my minilab so trying to get some feedback from ya'll. So far I am leaning towards BR1000G-IN (1000VA/600W) but it is not a pure sine wave UPS. Other option but unavailable online is APC SMT750I, which is a pure sine wave UPS. Mainly interested in a pure sine wave + NUT protocol UPS

I have 3 mini PC's, an SFF PC and a couple of network switches which consume 60W at idle and can go upto 150W at load

Is simulated sine wave as bad as they say vs pure sine wave? I live in an area where there are 2-3 powercuts a day right now and that's problematic for the gear so any advice is welcome

I had an issue with my Asus router (RT-AX3000) and had given it to the official Asus service in Bangalore, India. The product is under warranty.

They informed me that the router has been sent to Asus and it won't be returned; instead, they would provide a product replacement.

My router model has reached EoL and is no longer available. They suggested that they provide an RT-AX53U. This is a basic router which costs about 5K INR, whereas my original model costs about 13K INR.

I told them that this is unacceptable due to the price difference. They told me to suggest a model name, and then they would check if it would be made available for a discount.

What are my options here?

Should I ask for the next model (AX-86U pro) which costs about 22K INR for free?

edit: slots full. thanks

i have small plex server and 5 slots to share with active users. you can request whatever you want to watch. please dm me with your username and what you watch. active users please.

thanks

SO I have a airtel Xtream box based on Amlogic S509Y5 is very new model I want to install a custom firmware or get root access to install any app I Want

it has 16 gig of storage and a 4 gig of ram

I looking to buy a processor for a barebone Mini pc. I am trying to get i5-8500 or 8500T. I checked online and it’s really expensive there.
Have you guys bought used processors? Any leads from where I can get used processors and if you have bought one what is the price you bought for?

Hi guys, I need your input on this. I’m trying to set up internet for my home, but I don’t really stay there much right now because of college, so spending too much on broadband doesn’t make much sense for my usage.

Right now, the only major option here is Jio AirFiber, but it feels kinda expensive for what it is.

Currently, I use a TP-Link MR6400 4G router when I’m home, but the speed and data limits aren’t enough anymore, and I don’t have a 5G phone right now.

So, What would be the better option here?

• SDX55 5G dongle/router (saw this recommended here)

• Second-hand 5G phone + hotspot (getting a OnePlus Nord 2 for around 6.5k)

• Local broadband (2k installation + 300/month for 10 Mbps)

• Any other setup you’d recommend?

Would appreciate your suggestions.