Do You Need A Travel Homelab?

What is a travel homelab, and do you need one? This thing is super convenient and addresses a lot of tech issues I have when I travel, and also lets me bring a lot of functionality with me when I go someplace that doesn’t have internet. If you travel with a lot of tech or in a group – especially with kids – this project might be perfect for you. Thanks for checking out my channel! Music in this video is Eco Technology by Lexin_Music, licensed through Pixabay. Check out Lexin_Music on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/6hH6hiNPKCebERIg8fowVI?si=7bc27903fdc44e71 In this video, I used a few products that you might want to consider picking up if you are building a similar setup. Here are Amazon Associate links to some of those items. (I may earn a small commission if you buy anything using these links, which helps support the channel.) The Router: GL.iNet Opal: https://amzn.to/4gWJLyi This is my router and is the item I think most people should consider even if they don’t want to go all-in with a full travel server setup. If you want a slight upgrade, you could consider the Beryl instead (https://amzn.to/41rhFqo) but I don’t think most people need more than what the Opal offers. The Server: GMKtec G2 Plus: https://amzn.to/3QwXWzh This is the updated version of the mini PC I used, and as far as I can tell it is exactly the same except it has the N150 processor instead of the N100 in the original G2. This thing is tiny, and is the best mini PC I could find in its class that could operate completely off of USB-C Power Delivery. If I were starting over today, the G2 Plus is what I would get. If you don’t care about powering the system by USB and want something beefier, you can use any mini PC, like the GMKtec M3 Plus (https://amzn.to/3CSnlQV) which would give you a very powerful travel server. Bulk Storage: Seagate portable hard drive: https://amzn.to/4i6PCls This gives me more than 4.5TB of usable bulk storage for my media libraries and the shared drive on my server. If you don’t need this much space and want to go with a USB SSD instead, this 2TB rugged Samsung unit (https://amzn.to/3QuwHFl) is worth considering or you can upgrade the SSD inside of your mini PC with something like this Corsair 2242 2TB drive (https://amzn.to/4hMGz9N). Power: Multiple ways to power this setup. Most of the time, I power this thing with a GaN USB power supply (https://amzn.to/3XdELyj) that I also use to charge my phone and other USB devices. For short-term or ultra-portable use, I will run this from my main powerbank by Baseus (https://amzn.to/4hRUcnS). In both cases, make sure you get a USB-C cable (https://amzn.to/4k8UqbZ) that supports Power Delivery at a wattage higher than you need. While camping, I power this with my main solar generator / power station in my van. If I were to buy a similar power station today, I’d probably go with the DJI Power 1000 (https://amzn.to/3XgKFPb) instead of my current battery. I recharge with a Renogy 100W solar panel (https://amzn.to/4h2oAek), just make sure to get the right connectors and charge controller to go with your power station, if needed, or get the solar kit for your specific battery. And, if you need some Velcro cable ties, these are the ones I use: https://amzn.to/3FuMguL Here are some of the apps I run: Linux Mint Debian Edition - https://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php casaOS - https://casaos.io/ Pi-hole - https://pi-hole.net/ Jellyfin - https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin Audiobookshelf - https://github.com/advplyr/audiobookshelf Navidrome - https://github.com/navidrome/navidrome Calibre-web - https://github.com/janeczku/calibre-web Komga - https://github.com/gotson/komga Kiwix Server - https://github.com/molomby/kiwix-server Syncthing - https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing If you need a VPN provider, NordVPN is a popular option. I use a private VPN I’ve set up myself, but if that isn’t an option for you I would recommend using a reputable, trusted VPN service provider, like NordVPN. There are a lot of benefits to using a VPN, but in the context of this video the main point is to encrypt the traffic between your router and the internet to protect it from anyone it between. If the network security at your hotel or public WiFi access point is lacking, using a VPN will protect you from anyone snooping in the middle, which is a common tactic of hackers called a man-in-the-middle attack. And NordVPN has other great security features, too, like their malware and malvertising protection. I’m not sponsored by them, but here is an affiliate link to check out their service. https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=15&aff_id=118364&url_id=902 Also, I started a Patreon to help fund the channel. Becoming a member on Patreon gets you a bonus behind-the-scenes write up of the production objectives behind each YouTube video. I don;t really have much for perks right now, but I still appreciate the support. You can check it out here: www.patreon.com/JohnELawsonJr