Deuteronomy93

Hi All So this issue is completely random, it can happen when gaming, it can also happen when doing something very lightweight. It last happened about an hour ago when I had the log running. I'll get a blackscreen on all 3 monitors, followed by a restart after about 20 seconds. I did run a log since this morning until the issue happened, but honestly I'm not the best at interpreting the logs against which piece of hardware (if it is a hardware issue). Could anyone take a look? Many thanks! Here are my PC's specs (from my profile): CPU AMD R9 3950X Motherboard Aorus x570 Xtreme RAM 64GB Corsair Dominator Platinum CL14 3466Mhz GPU MSI Rtx 3080ti Suprim x Case Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL Storage 3x Seagate Firecuda 520 500gb NVME Gen 4 PSU Corsair HX1200 Display(s) AOC U4309V Cooling Custom hardline loop: 2x360mm Bykski thick radiators, 1x360mm Bykski slim radiator, Coolermaster SF fans HWinfo_2024-01-19.CSV

Unfortunately their hardware doesn't support any form of casting. It's a bit weird here, whilst the parents pay an arm and a leg to get their kids into the school, and it's a a good school, the facilities are quite dated.. The school spent all their money building a new campus that has everything, leaving this one feeling decidedly pre-2010..

Hi All So I teach in the mornings and do have a problem class that just doesn't concentrate well. I won't go too far into it but these kids' parents bought their way into the school. Most of my presentations are PowerPoint based and I've been using a presentation pointer which works well as it allows me to walk around the class and still teach, but functionality is limited to up and down. It does have a laser pointer but this doesn't work well on monitors. I do rely on the pointer as walking around the class, especially near the disruptive ones and engaging them does quiet them down/cause them to write. I've been adapting presentations and finding new ones that may engage with them more (more dynamic), but my simple pointer wouldn't be enough. My computer is a laptop/tablet combo (Asus ROG Z13, was on an unboxing video with Alex) and works well. I'm thinking that if I could find a good wireless type C transmitter to HDMI receiver, I could still walk around the class but be able to click on different parts of my laptop's screen (more dynamic presentations) rather than just up/down. Whilst I can find HDMI options, I'd like to keep the bulk down considering I'd be carrying it around. My laptop has 2xType C ports (not sure of the generation but I believe support TB3), I guess the best thing would be to have a Type C to HDMI adaptor and have the transmitter plugged into that, potentially a small mod to have it not dangling around too much. The type C port isn't the sturdiest in the world, so I know I'd have to be careful with it. Does anybody have any thoughts, feedback, or experience with this sort of setup? Many thanks!

Hi all So I've always had some sort of annoyance with the cable. My current cable is partially coiled but I do still get annoyed by straight ones. I won't go wireless (less weight, not having to worry about charge, responsiveness etc), and use a DAC as I do appreciate good sound. With and without the DAC I've run the cable in pretty much every route under and over the desk (including drilling holes for a clean run) with it always being in the way somehow. I've been using a Keychron Q11 for a couple of months now and really like it, having a split keyboard means I can run the cable down the middle which, I feel, has improved things immensely. It wasn't a consideration when buying the board but it was a very nice surprise. It still isn't "perfect" with my hanger being to the side, but I kind of feel that it's as close as I'll get, at least for the moment. How do the rest of you run your cable in a way that is at least satisfactory for you, or have you seen other methods you're interested in but have yet to try?

Usually with vertical mounts they're going to need something to mount to. It's likely I'd need to fab a bracket if it's for the ones I typically see. If there's one that mounts to the MOBO screws/standoffs then this shouldn't be a concern as it's standardised. Regarding the link, it was for JD, the main competitor to Taobao in China, not sure why you were getting a dodgy option but here's a picture of one of the products. Colour/size options do vary but is should help to demonstrate.

Hi All I had previously planned a custom build using aluminium extrusions but life got in the way.. I was looking at picking this up again/going for the Lian Li DK-05f but that's still a huge amount for features I don't care about/what I'm getting. I'm in China and found this alternative, it's not as nice but it's also 1/6th the price (1600mm version): https://item.jd.com/10069540491835.html#crumb-wrap Overall it'll do the job I need, but there's one issue, my GPU. The block is enormous, I made the rookie mistake of not checking the dimensions before buying and I can no longer fit the side panel on my O11DXL. I'm fairly certain that it won't fit here (I'll check) so there are 2 options using a PCIE riser. If there's a product that will allow me to put this over the MOBO (maybe using the MOBO standoffs?) this would mean minor alterations to the desk. Cut away the rear left fan mounts (keeping the screw holes) and get someone to fab a bracket to fit there that will hold a PCIE riser Option 1 would be preferable as there's be less cost due to less fab work. Does anyone know of a product that would work here? Many thanks in advance!

Galaxy Z Fold 4. The 2 apps were: To-do List RoutineFlow

Hi all I'm trying to overcome my some of my ADHDness by using my phone. Previous attempts have worked okayish but I've dropped them for various reasons. I'm trying out some apps but the alarm etc doesn't work for them, just the banner notifications etc. I typically have my phone set to DND and mute to avoid distractions (also due to ADHD). Is there a concrete way to ensure sound alerts for a specific app always come through? Many thanks!

Hi all I've almost finished my quest to have the best (within reason) portable setup, to work from anywhere. I bought a portable monitor which has a touchscreen, to complement my Asus Z13 which also has a touchscreen. Picture is of the device, I didn't need 4k, 2k was preferred but there was only a £30 difference between 4k and 1080, with no 2k option so I just went with it. I have no complaints about the screen/touch functionality, but the cover/stand was obviously designed to be set on a stable surface with no touchscreen, as every press forces it closer to collapsing. Does anyone have any advice on a good, portable stand for this sort of device? Ideally very lightweight but structurally strong. Currently, the most stable way of using the case is to put the laptop upside down (so the rubber feet are in the air) and hook the smaller part of the cover under the lip at the back.

Hi All I'm struggling to find the right setup for my situation right now, and feel that due to the below circumstances, Proxmox (which I'm using and would prefer) isn't going to work. I'm living in China, so a lot of repositories are blocked such as GitHub, Bullseye etc. I'm sure there are others available but it would really eat into my time to research them, and with not being a Chinese native speaker, could be quite difficult. I'm wanting to use my 11th gen NUC (has a 256gb boot drive and an 8tb SSD) as a server for mass storage, Plex, HASS, and qbittorrent. I may run some other things like Adguard down the road but they'll be lightweight. I'm thinking of moving away from headless to a more traditional OS that can have all of the above installed, but also my VPN which I can turn on and off as needed, so I can access the repositories. Considering the above, what do you think my best course of action would be? I really wanted to keep everything headless and lightweight, but thinking a simple Ubuntu install might be best. I have looked into VPN options for my router but this isn't going to work well here. Many thanks for any feedback!

I already have a near silent full ATX build (list in my profile) using 3x360mm rads etc. Whilst space is indeed something I want to maximise, it does fit in my office. The dream is to remove all the noise and heat though. I didn't specifically mention in this thread but removing coil whine would be ideal as that can often be the loudest part of my setup. Although I've never gone with an ITX build and wouldn't for my main build until I can achieve the silence and thermal levels I want without even slightly inhibiting performance, they are cool and would use one. I'd be more tempted to go with one for HTPC etc.

It would be either/or, not both. Maybe USB over ethernet rather than running a line however.

Fair, I was wanting to go for one of the x570 Aqua boards but they sold out by the time I was ready to buy. I know for that and others, yes I'd need to run a DP cable from the GPU to the MOBO. Honestly I don't see that as a dealbreaker but stability sure is. Maybe my experience using it on a laptop was indeed the ideal scenario as my stability was perfect. Daisy isn't my ideal scenario, I try to keep my signals as as separate as possible but yes it's a thought I had that would make things easier, but could have an impact on performance etc down the line. I'll keep reviewing things in the meantime!

Thanks for your feedback. Yeah you're right about the condensation and need for a heat exchanger, thanks for clarifying. Regarding TB: It'd cost me RMB5,368.60 for a long cable (Corning featured in LTT videos) as well as a MOBO that supports it. Obviously not buying the full MOBO just for TB but could pay a premium to have it. I already have a TS3+ that I used with my laptop. By the time I get around to it, this may not be that feasible due to USB4 becoming more of a thing and certain compatability issues but I'd have to rereview the video that came out recently. Possibly there would be a new Corning cable that would support it. Can I ask what issues you've run into with TB? My personal experience has been really good but yes it has solely been on a laptop. Regarding multiple cables: Definitely an option. It is the messiest/would require the most work to achieve cleanly, ideally running some more conduit around but this wouldn't have to go far. I looked up the option to run USB over ethernet but obviously this wouldn't also carry the display signal too. It would cut down on the cables required but I'd need to find the right product for me. I'd probably also look up options for daisy chaining the DP but not sure how well this would work given the required cable length and combined amount of data. Thanks for the feedback!

Hi All Before moving into our new and renovated home, I had planned to build a desk PC but this plan won't work as well as I would want it to. Beijing being Beijing, space is so expensive so getting anything extra is a big bonus. External radiator: The original idea was to have a passively cooled PC using quite a few radiators, whereas now I'm thinking of getting a larger radiator(s) for a car etc and putting this on the outside of the house and wall mounting the PC. The new place is a bit strangely laid out, we occupy the ground and -1 floors, below us are storage rooms and there's a void on either side of the house (including next to my office) where a skylight lets light into the windows of rooms like my office and the storage room below. That void stays pretty cool in summer (Beijing is in the 30s °C, this must be in the teens), and quite cold in winter (often in the - figures, can get below -10°C probably a similar temperature despite being underground). I'm thinking that there will probably be 2 major considerations, pressure and the risk of freezing. Pressure I can overcome with pumps and staying with serial flow, but interested if anyone has experience with getting the pressure to run through a large radiator like a car. With the freezing risk, I can go with antifreeze as coolant but it looks like people have stated it needs to be diluted quite substantially. Does anyone have knowledge on this? This PC also won't be on all of the time, so I am concerned about it ptoentially freezing if the concentration is not good enough. Rack mounting The alternative would be to rack mount it. I have a 42U rack about 3 meters away from my office. The office has 2 ethernet jacks using CAT7 currently wired into a USW Pro 48+UDM Pro. I wouldn't mind replacing the wire in 1 of these with another that could enable a more distant setup. It also wouldn't be out of the question to run a wire up through the ceiling and to the rack. The length of this cable would probably need to be at least 11/12m. By the time I get around to this, or just coincide with an upgrade, my current CPU/MOBO will likely be replaced. Considering these 2 may be replaced, what would your thoughts on this be? My requirements currently (and likely stay this way for a while) are: 4k HDR 144hz display with 1ms refresh rate. 2 additional portrait 1080p monitors. USB: keypad, keyboard, mouse, webcam, DAC and another couple of ports for adhoc use. Would TB4 be the way to go or is there something else that's advisable? Especially given that there's already CAT 7 to play with. I'll rewatch some of Linus' house videos to refresh my memory on what he's doing but I think he was using a long corning TB cable that isn't easy to get your hands on. I don't mind going slightly experimental but it would be good to have a proof of concept/example before proceeding. I've used TB3 with a Caldigit dock as part of a previous setup and was happy with that. Any thoughts or references would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks

Hi All I'm thinking about upscaling my Plex library, starting small and seeing which things I can upscale that would be worth it, denoising etc with AI would be great too. Probably not going to go crazy but would like to experiment and upscale some favourites I may rewatch every so often. I'm trying Topaz at the moment but quickly realised that it's only using CPU and barely touching the GPU. The preview is looking better and I have a 3950x but even so, using my GPU would make this so much faster. I had a look online and found multiple threads stating that this is a limitation and that they're hoping to arrange this in time but that their customer service was also terrible etc.. A "workaround" depending on your workflow was to have concurrent conversions running. People had recommended certain other services but I wondered what your thoughts on this were? It seemed like the other services could use the GPU to upscale but don't have a solid AI to clean up the image as well. Is there a comparable service that will use the GPU effectively and what are the trade-offs you have encountered?

Oh awesome ok, many thanks!

Hi All Despite stating numerous times, our electrician has run the ethernet cables throughout the house without documenting where each one goes. There are (I believe) 21 total runs, most are for PCs, with 2 APs and a few cameras. Does anyone happen to have a good way of sorting this? At the moment I'm thinking the only way will be trial and error with a cable tester, until I get a match then rinse and repeat. I was going to do this anyway as I want to make sure the job has been done properly before moving in, but it's a bit different when I have no idea which 2 ends match. I am half tempted to do it after moving and connecting devices so I can check the ports against my router and see what is plugged in, and then test...

@LIGISTX Thanks for the feedback, makes sense! So that's a vote for not going with a JBOD. I'd probably move slightly away from the i3 route but sure a Supermicro mobo would be good to get ECC. Definitely would be replacing the fans, I'm much more of a "more fans, less noise" guy, 10 in my current PC. I'll have to look it up but 3x140s should fit in a good amount of chassis. PSUs are definitely a difficult topic. Going for consumer for less noise would be good but I'd typically be giving up redundancy. Is there a way to run a redundant setup with ATX ones? @Blue4130 Long time to see! Yeah I'm most likely going to use XianYu but haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet for hardware. Thanks for the recommendation on Epyc though, I'll have to have a look, I saw 8 cores are the minumum for that line. I already have the Unifi hardware and I have a lot going on currently and likely for a while yet so decided to pay the premium and have a bit more peace of mind for the moment. P.s We'll probably finally be moving in the next couple of months, I unfortunately won't be going with the PC desk setup but will probably wall mount it instead, definitely wanting to still use extrusions though. I've kept that link you sent so I can come up with a design for mounting it.

Hi All This isn't my priority right now (waiting to move into the house first and get other things set up) but I'm wanting to sort out a home server with quite a lot of storage, likely over 100TB, that will get to this level in the next year and increase over time. The main uses for this will be the below. I don't think we're ever going to be hitting it incredibly hard. Mass storage for family's work and leisure files, try to keep local files to just programs for the most part. Plex, we live in China and due to censorship, almost everything we watch is via VPN or downloaded. VPNs really aren't always stable here so typically just used as a backup. 4 people intermittently accessing files, but 4x4k playback may be likely in a few years, 2x4k more likely for now. My main requirements are: Can be audible but needs to be a low hum during typical usage. My existing router and switch measure ~50db, I'd like the servers to be the same or lower. Part of buying a larger rack was to be able to cool components without needing server fans to blast air in a tight space. It can be a few Us tall, no need to purposely make it compact. Energy efficient, would rather invest in something efficient and recoup costs over time. Redundant PSUs, would be nice, at least for whatever system has the storage. When moving in I'll have the below, listing main things so you can see what's available in case it influences the decision: 42U rack (thank god my wife also appreciates tech), mostly bought for expandability moving forwards. I haven't decided on a specific one yet, the one I'm looking at has a mesh door. I'm not sure if this is something I should go for considering the noise factor, instead of glass, but overall it seems like a very reasonable price from a reputable brand here. Router: UDM-Pro Switch: USW-Pro-48-PoE HASS Server: NUC Not sure if this can/should be used to also run the Plex server as I think it can be installed? Kind of wanting to just keep this dedicated to smarthome stuff for now. Raspberry PIs: These may not be there at the start, probably 3-4 total and looking to 3D print a 1 or 2U housing for them. Again, I could look at getting one for use as the Plex server if it can handle the streams. 1 UPS to start, a 2nd after a while and seeing how long things last on 1. Will need to configure the UPS to turn off everything in the rack apart from HASS, router and switch. Considering the above, what do you think would be the best solution? If I go for a dedicated server, I'm thinking I'll have far too much headroom that I'll never use and waste money on it, as well as incur higher energy usage costs. Though I still am a bit lost regarding Plex usage as people report so many different things regarding concurrent streams and how intense it is, especially with high bitrate. If I go for a JBOD with a PI, NUC or SFF as the server, I may give up certain functionality such as ECC and redundant PSUs which would be nice. Let me know your thoughts and if you need more info to make a better assessment! Many thanks for any help!

Thanks for the feedback! Though Plex will run on anything, even PIs, would 4 concurrent 4k, high bitrate streams be possible without a GPU? I was originally planning on going with a more power efficient server for mass storage but had this laptop so wondered. Honestly speaking in terms of what sparked my curiosity, I watched a Dave2d video that was released earlier yesterday and the newer model had issues with Overwatch, which was the only game I actually played when I got the PC (aside from Hearthstone, I'd given up most other games) and both he and I would get massive FPS drops and stuttering in game. It was the GPU but I thought it would be on all games, not just OW, so built another PC.. it's likely that this laptop may actually be ok for transcoding, possibly other things such as gaming. In terms of rack mountable servers, I will be buying a rack and have considered out if the box solutions but not sure how these compare (regarding price) to a custom build which I'm more than comfortable doing. When looking for new servers here from brands like Supermicro and Synology that have the amount of storage bays I'm looking for, they do seem quite expensive. I understand they have Xeons inside but it looks like generally there isn't too much available that's suitable for Plex, lower compute but with mass storage. I suppose this is maybe related to the above question, if not using a GPU for Plex, do you know which CPUs would have the compute for those streams? Is there anything you might recommend or even a good chassis that is (typically) widely available with a good amount of bays, and not too arduous a system to install them? I'm fine with putting the work in, just I plan to keep it for quite a while and my experience with certain systems is that if it doesn't work well the first time, it won't last.. As a note on this, I've been looking for systems or chassis that are 4U or so as I will have space for it in the rack and want it to still be relatively quiet compared to 2U etc. I suppose I'll have to do some testing with the laptop and see what I can achieve with it then! Maybe set up VR with it at a later point Thanks again for the feedback!

Hi all Not a humblebrag, I had issues with this laptop and stopped using it a while ago. I'm in the process of getting our new house set up with HASS, Plex, Unifi etc and wondered how best I could fit this in. I will be using a NUC running the HASS OS, running Plex on my main PC currently but will migrate this away when I can afford to set up a new dedicated server for it etc, or use the laptop. I was wondering whether this could be a good server to run Plex. It has a 9700k and 2080, I've been reading up on Plex and it seems that a dedicated GPU will help with transcoding multiple streams. It also has a battery so sure, effectively has a UPS. The components are pretty power hungry and I'm not sure if this would be overkill/making it more power efficient for use as a server. There seem to be conflicting articles about which GPUs would be best for Plex, realistically I'd probably be using between 4 and 6 streams concurrently at maximum, most likely 3 daily. I've overclocked, over and undervolted PCs before but never really gone for efficiency. Is it as simple as changing some BIOS settings, undervolting/clocking and setting power management to favour maximum battery life etc without sleep enabled? I also have a Caldigit TS3 which can be used with it to expand the IO quite decently, if Plex isn't a good use for it, what would you suggest I use it for? As a side note, if going with the laptop I'd obviously need to go ahead with another system acting as a file server, I'd need this even if I didn't go with it. What would you recommend (hardware wise) for a good starting, rack mountable storage server that I can gradually add more and more drives to? I'm currently saturating 4TB of storage but will start to rapidly expand this amount soon as after moving in I will finally have time to relax more! Being in China, I need to download media to not get censored versions.. Many thanks in advance for any feedback!

Hi All For our new house (2 floor apartment), we're trying to work out the best solution for various things. We had worked out most of our issues by going with Unifi despite the more limited product access in China. The main thing that Unifi don't seem to have as a product (that I would really like) is being able to control the main door access/communication from their ecosystem. I'm not tied into their product stack yet, so am open to going with other solutions, but here is a quick run through of what we were looking to do. Server cabinet: UPS 1 or 2 from Eaton's Chinese subsidiary. Switch USW-24-PoE Need a good PoE with ideally the newer BT standard UDM-Pro-U (Dream Machine) This would obviously act as the brain for it all, as well as some additional ethernet availability. It would also act as the primary NVR. Not a huge fan of this as there is only 1 HDD bay but they don't sell the dedicated NVRs here. Cameras G3 Flex Just for some indoor options PoE UVC-G3-PRO For outdoor PoE WAP U6 Pro Not in the cabinet, would have 1 for each floor. PoE Modem, some generic one from ISP Door access 1 for each main door This does not seem to support a replacement for the main apartment door access. Server Will work on this after moving in, will be a home server for file storage, HASS, NVR backup etc. I know that there are other solutions we could look into but I do kind of like the Unifi ecosystem, though I know once I'm in, getting out will be more challenging. If I were to go with HASS and a more random assortment of parts such as dedicated NVR, switch, network management, there are pretty much limitless options, but with a lot of additional difficulty and effort. Considering the above that I had planned, what would be your take on this and what would you do instead with a non-Unifi setup to achieve the same/better result with HASS, especially around the main door access? Many thanks in advance for any feedback!

Many thanks once again for your feedback on all the above! It's really helping me to learn the technology but also increasing my awareness of brands and what they offer. I've been a bit busy with certain things but had a chance to look and Mikrotik is available in China though certain shops do seem to try and take advantage a bit, others do seem ok. Also looked over some videos on building your own router but it seems like this might be best for a more involved setup/hobbyist? I've been watching some reviews and it looks like people are very favourable about them, so all things considered, mixing and matching rather than going for a locked down environment is the best route. I'm not a fan of being locked into an ecosystem hence leaving Apple a long time ago, but also didn't realise that Unifi can lead to this route. Based on everything discussed so far, it looks like this may be what I should aim for: (For reference this is what we had discussed with just using Unifi: Modem>UDM Pro>PoE Switch or injectors>APs+cameras etc) Modem: ISP Provided, should be fine however others are available if necessary. Router: https://mikrotik.com/product/crs328_24p_4s_rm I hadn't actually realised that the cameras don't plug directly into the UNVR etc, they plug into the switch. The reviews of this router seem very good, here is what I took away/required from watching the reviews. Ports I need support for: PoE: 2 for access points. 6 for cameras and 2 for front/back door access. Potentially (though not likely) 2 more for front and back garden door access. My devices will be within the specs for it's PoE output. I wouldn't need to buy injectors or another additional switch. Non powered: 17 for various rooms around the house as well as HASS and NAS. 1 to help with debugging etc. Extras are not necessary but are a bonus. I do not really need many 10gb ports in the foreseeable future. My mobo has one and sure they will become more common but 4 seems more than adequate so may as well save money here. This switch has the ports I need with extras available. The ports are managed via 3 daughter boards with equal power being sent to them. Ideally I should check the power requirements of each PoE device and split them out evenly across the 3 boards. I would not need a separate router/switch. Rack mountable which I do want. Does not have redundant PSUs and only one can be used. 2 fans included but has mounting for 2 others. I'm a bit of a silence freak with my hardware, being able to put in 4 Noctuas to create positive pressure with low rpm would be great. One quick question I have is that I've heard of routers running out of IPs to give out. Is there a way to find out what the limit is for your router? I haven't fully researched this either yet, but I'll look into Zwave and Zigbee for devices that mainly do reporting such as voltage detectors, humidity, light etc. Access Points I'm agreeing with what you said above, it does seem like Unifi's APs just seem to be the best available. I was going to go for these as I need 2.4g, 5g and 6g channels to support various devices. Anything that can within reason just plug into an ethernet port will be, however due to trying to get everything smarthome integrated, the robot vacuums and mops etc require 2.4g. The Mikrotik option doesn't support 6g, isn't as good looking and is the same price. Looks aren't my priority here but are a consideration due to it needing to be visible in the house. Based on videos I've watched in the past, 1 of these for each floor should work perfectly due to the design of the house. NVR and cameras This will probably be my next step with research to try and finalise the general idea of what I will go for, any further feedback on these that people know of would be great! In case it's of interest/further reading, I haven't yet decided on where I'll actually be placing the server cabinet and how I will organise it. I'm looking at using a lot of aluminium extrusions for my office and a custom desk I've been planning for a long time, and have seen some people use these to build a rack. This could be a fun project, or it could just be better to use a general purpose one and close it off with some ducting for airflow. I'll also be looking to finish off the rack with some extra touches: Redundant PSU This will likely just be one that is available for the cheapest at the time I buy it that fits the power requirements, is rack mountable, reputable and can possibly sway me with some additional features such as HASS integration. Patch Panel Not sure whether I will do this but at least it's something that can be added later. Do many of you find that they are necessary/help with a home environment rather than labelling your cables well? As I haven't really done a custom home server/network at all before, I don't know how often I would need to plug/unplug. I was sort of liking the idea of having one and then custom making short cables to connect the panel to the switch despite how tedious it would undoubtably be. Powerbar Rack mounted and plugged into the UPS with switches for each socket.

So the security is a bit more to achieve my wife and her family's peace of mind. Our daughter is mixed race (god knows how I helped create such a beautiful thing!) and they have voiced multiple times about someone trying to steal her which I doubt would be the case but putting in a bit of extra effort could just put them at ease and make my life slightly easier! Given the above feedback from you and Falcon1986, it looks like the functionality of the UDM Pro for the home security wouldn't really be the best solution and that I should go for an UNVR. You both also mentioned about the requirement to have either PoE injectors or an additional PoE switch to handle the APs and cameras/intercom etc. If this is the case, should I not go for a more powerful switch+USG+UNVR, or is there a more suitable router/switch combo (like the UDM Pro without SVR but with more ports/PoE) that I can pair with the UNVR? I can see there's a USG-PRO-4 but it looks to have similar features though no NVR and very slightly cheaper. Sorry about throwing a spanner in the works with this one! I am going through their site at the moment but have to admit that searching for their routers seems a bit less structured than you'd have thought. It doesn't seem like (at least the site I'm on via VPN) there is any filter for just switches or just routers etc. I have also just seen Oshino Shinobu's comment on them losing their way. This does make me slightly hesitant honestly, I had thought they were a good company to invest in their products due to Linus' videos and a colleague that has a more normal setup but wouldn't want to be cast aside with limited support when my devices reach end of life. Is it "better" now to just build your own router and handle everything using old server equipment etc? I understand that this may require a lot more knowledge to actually achieve..