Here’s some information on using a broadband modem, further down on sending SMS and stuff with it, maybe this helps: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mobile_broadband_modem

Edit: Typo

Saved for trying out later, ty!

Some 2nd gen Intel Acer Aspire (?) SFF with an older gen NVIDIA card. Last Windows machine in the household due to WAF.

Would be around 300€ in Germany, on a cheap contract. Limiting myself to one combined NAS/application server atm, with the others turned on only if I want to try sth out.

Yes. Chuck some 5TB Seagate externals. They’re way less pain in the ears, cooler and quieter.

Ray guns everywhere please. Stepped into that beamer trap once, only for my non-DE colleagues to tease me forever with it.

Fritzboxes are rock stable, and support Wireguard from FritzOS 7.5 onwards, see https://avm.de/service/vpn/wireguard-vpn-zur-fritzbox-am-computer-einrichten/

(Apparently NOT the cable versions!)

What nags me most with them is that you have no separate Firewall controll over their WiFi, and the WiFi range is not really great. So probably consider going with dedicated APs instead.

To extend on this: Anybody ever did a test recovery to see if the backups are ok and to dry-test their backup/restore strategy? I have to admit that until now I was too cheap to keep a spare drive array just for testing.

Debatable. Boost through a task and be done quickly, with some more power usage, or chunk along longer with probably more power usage. Would have to be tested, but I’d bet on the boost.

I think you need a ton of patience, the prices for used hardware are fluctuating by a wkide margin. And all of a sudden one single machine type will be available in quantities, for cheap. Probably when a big player scraps all of their equipment. I’ve had some luck with Harlander, mainly with monitors and a document scanner. Might be worth a check from time to time.

Amazefit is a Trademark of Huami Technologies, which is a Xiaomi daughter company, according to Wikipedia.

Amazefit Bip - pro: transflective display with backlight, supreme battery life (weeks), virtually indistructible (although I had massive doubts at the start), all the features I need. con: replaced the wristband almost immediately - really cheap.

You had me with “Specs are slightly in flux right now”. Beautiful.