Oh look, another example of a product that worked fine without internet connectivity and was improved by adding extra bullshit you don’t actually need that then gets worse when those features can’t function properly because their server is offline.

We got a basic roomba 650 (the one that crashes into stuff and randomly cleans) like 10 years ago and it still works fine (well, as well as it ever worked which wasn’t great), you program the time and day of the week with physical buttons, and leave it alone.

Setup was easy, it just works, its stable, and if you want the regular updates, just get the lifetime model on sale. I bought it becaue I didn’t want to spend time screwing with setup and just wanted to get my data moved snd running.

I have not kept up with their raw disk lineup to be honest, they may be garbo but I am not sure. I have been using toshiba and seagate drives for the last 8 years which have been great.

The WD devices also offer very limited long term support. The MyBook Live had a software exploit found a couple years after launch that allowed remote access to your files and enabled third parties to wipe your drives. Wd said “wow, that sucks, here is a $15 coupon for a new one. No, we aren’t gonna patch it. Buy a new one” I will never buy another wd device except for the raw discs.

Unrelated but did you know that Libraries oftentimes have cd’s, dvd’s, and even audiobooks available to borrow?

I am using syncthing to directionally sync my music from my server to my phone. I like having the local copy on both devices so I don’t worry about losing cell service/internet.

Yeah the docs are not good, I have been lucky to have a friend with lots of experience in their ecosystem who has been schooling me up on it. Once I got the basic configuration setup its been fine.

I may regret saying that in a bit when I go to add my other components, like my adguard/pi-hole, vpns, ip cameras, and other networked devices but the basic test setup I have now seems to be stable enough to deploy.

I have not seen the connection loss issues but I will keep an eye out for it.

The op mentioned wanting open source. Just providing information and it got me curious.

They are not open source but I just started dipping my toes into the Mikrotik ecosystem and the hardware has been pretty nice from what I have seen. I am not a network guy, just a homegamer coming from normal asus routers though. They have a couple of options for adding cell service via sim cards but I have not looked too far into it.

Edit: it looks like there is an openwrt release for the rb5009ug I am using. I may need to check that out.

Emby is a good option if you don’t want to hop to jellyfin. I have been pleased with it so far. I found the media tag/idenifier to work better/quicker than plex’s.

Up: My unraid server with media library, emby and my kids Down: the fiber internet line into the house that the contractor working on our siding snapped. No one is upset so the system is working.

I have been really happy with hosting my stuff via Emby even with my friend’s library on Plex. I have found the media recognition and identification system in Emby to be much better/easier to use.

While the music player in Emby is nowhere near as good as plexamp. I mostly store a local copy of my music on my phone anyways so it is not really an issue. I am going to start playing with navidrome when I get time but a one directional sync with syncthing fromy server to my phone would also work for my needs.

The Emby app on android tv is decent but not flashy and does not have streaming content by default, it is fully functional as a media player for library files.

They still exist for now.

My server that I host emby on is an unraid setup and using the “automated ripping machine” docker has been super handy for transferring my physical discs into digital form for proper preservation.

Completely unrelated, but did you know that most local libraries have music on cds and movies on dvd/blu rays that you can checkout for free with a linrary card?

I have been really happy with Emby. The setup was easy, library tags updated more reliably than plex, and remote access was simple to get setup with a user account. I am not using a vpn to access it, just give it the server details and user credentials and it works. I did opt for the paid lifetime version though.

I named my old white bitfenix prodigy m “Baymax” because it was white and had rounded edges.

The Emby mobile music player is awful. For whatever reason it will play and show your history on the desktop/server side but it doesn’t keep track on the mobile app.

I don’t have a recommendation but I have been looking for similar products. I am considering an esata setup to add my secondary array or a hotswap housing for switching backup drives. There are some pcie to esata adapters, you then just need power. Keeping it sata helps mitigate the risks of usb DAS connections with respect to corruption allegedly.

I don’t have a recommendation but I have been looking for similar products. I am considering an esata setup to add my secondary array. There are some pcie to esata adapters, you then just need power. Keeping it sata helps mitigate the risks of usb DAS connections with respect to corruption allegedly.

Emby will let you do it but you need a host server. Same with plexamp. Foobar2000 offers remote smb folder access but I don’t remember if it works as the library of it it just lets you download the files from smb.