Hey y’all. Currently I’m running my homelab across a few different SFF computers and a Synology DS920+. I have quickly outgrown the Synology’s 4 drive bays and don’t really want to continue spending money on the platform and would rather set up my own unRAID server to consolidate all of my computers into AND host the NAS from. That said, I’m going with a rack-mount chassis and have been looking at the options Sliger has. I’ve been debating between the 3U and 4U options that both have 10 hot-swap bays. Here lies the issue…
I currently plan to get things together to be able to support ~20 drives in the future and obviously can’t get 20 SATA drives on the same board (maybe something enterprise, but that’s $$$ that I’m not spending). So I need to make sure I have a way to get data connections between at least 20 drives (not including NVMe drives). I know about the LSI SAS/HBA cards already, but can’t find them at an inexpensive price point for a -16i which means I’d need at least 2 -8i’s and with most Mini-ITX boards, there’s only one 16x slot.
The other issue/concern I have is that I would very much prefer to have 10G networking, so if the board doesn’t have 10G networking, I’d need another PCI-e card for this, too.
I’d PREFER to go with the 3U Sliger case option, which only supports Mini-ITX boards. BUT- if I’m completely out of my mind here, then I could go with the 4U option that supports E-ATX and I’m sure that would be easier to configure a parts list for.
I’m not set on Intel vs AMD and truly don’t know which generation from either I would really need, so any advice there is helpful. I run a Plex server with generally 6-7 concurrent connections, a bunch of Docker apps, ISO downloaders (Usenet/Torrents) and Home Assistant- but want to be prepared for more down the road.
Any help/advice/constructive comments are appreciated. Thanks!
So, first things first. I’ve never had a house built but I can tell you I’ve already planned my house build (when I’m ready) and already have decided how I’m running my low-voltage when that time comes.
As many have said, run Cat6 EVERYWHERE and have it all terminate at ONE location. If you need a data connection to the TV, run 2 instead of 1. Always pull +1 for every run. This way you’re covered if you need to add something, or if a run fails down the road. I find this to be especially true for IP cameras and access points.
Switching away from consumer-grade (mesh) gear was the best decision I have ever made years ago. I’m running a Ubiquiti UDM-Pro, an 8-port PoE switch, and 2 Wi-Fi 6 Lite APs. The only change I would have made is changing the 2 Lite’s for a U6-Enterprise, but it wasn’t available when I bought the Lites. My Ubiquiti gear simply runs itself after my initial setup and I’ve never had things just stop working. Anyone with any idea of how networking gear works will be just fine with Ubiquiti gear.
In terms of your cameras- I don’t have personal experience with the Ubiquiti line, but I know you can’t use a NVR(-PRO) with non-Ubiquiti cameras. So, decide what you want to do there. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Reolink seems to have a decent line and they’re way cheaper. I think having a dedicated system with the same brand is going to be better than trying to piece that together randomly, unless you want to go down the rabbit hole of Blue Iris (essentially a powerful NVR you can run on Windows) or something similar.
One thing to mention, I run Home Assistant for automation and one of the main reasons I do that is to consolidate all of the different brands, manufacturers, etc into one. The same goes for networking gear and cameras/security. With that said, I think it would be easier on you to stick with Ubiquiti for both networking and cameras.
Some side notes…
You can always add a switch to the end of a Cat6 drop if you need to. Meaning, run 2 drops to the living room (one to use, one for backup) and then have an 8-port switch to plug the rest of the stuff into (TV, soundbar (Sonos?), Apple TV/streaming device, game console, media PC, etc).
Have you given any thought to having “smart” blinds, or door/window sensors? PIR sensors for occupancy or lighting? If so, you’ll want to run some Cat6 for these things too. Even if they don’t directly take an Ethernet connection, you can use the pairs inside the wire as multi-purpose in a lot of low-voltage situations.
Remember- hardwired is better.
Oh, and lastly, I work for a major US wireless telecommunications company. People complain about Wi-Fi calling 24/7 and the simple fact of the matter is that most people just have a crappy home network which can’t offer them a good Wi-Fi calling experience. So keep that in mind too, you want strong Wi-Fi signals. That said, if you haven’t already, Ubiquiti has a network design tool where you can upload your floorplan(s) and place access points to find which AP would be better and determine the best coverage based on where you place them.
I know that was a lot. Best of luck. If you have more questions, or want real-world answers, hit me. I love talking tech.