It would be a pretty cool project. I’ve never actually built my own PC but I’m pretty handy so I’m sure I could work it out with YouTube tutorials.
Great idea thank you
I use rack mount because cheap. I’ve got 8U Dell 710 and supermicro units for as low as $25.
Yes. I believe they are power hungry compared to NUC. I would guess $20/yr cost above a NUC
But tons of storage for cameras and media, over 80gb ram and lots of cpu so I can run anything without limit really.
I replace fans with quieter fans. My Ubiquiti switch was louder. At one time I had synology 4U in bedroom closet of small home. Sounded like plane when on. I mounted it vertically behind hanging clothing and unit was muted completely without heat ever becoming issue. I would imagine garage not being an issue other than dust and spinning media/fans.
All this said, I don’t know if I would move from NUC to rack unit unless performance was issue or other need like physical space for storage that couldn’t be solved in other way. I think I would move to smaller units if not for the fact I basically have unlimited space to use for network/server and they were cheaper than NUC.
The only reason I’ve been running rack-mounted servers is for virtualization. Noise can be a problem with smaller (1U) units. 2U and up can be tolerable depending on the model and how hard you run them. If keeping them in the garage, watch the air humidity and temperature.
I use a NavPoint 15U cabinet with a Synology RS1221+ and a Gigabyte switch. The fans that came with the cabinet were loud, but the overall construction of the cabinet is really solid. I replaced the fans. The server handles all my media file backups, virtual PCs as well as my security cams.
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I’d love to get a Synology rack. But the issue is zigbee USB doesn’t work without installing custom files and it breaks with updates. But when my 1019+ dies I’ll def migrate that over for sure
Your setup looks so good
I agree, the custom files are a pain. Synology dislikes them as well.
Use a network based zigbee coordinator for your rack mount gear.
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Good idea I read about these a few months ago I assume they’re pretty quick still
You have a brand or model recommendation that works well with Z2M?
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UZG-01 seems the best
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I have no idea why I hadn’t thought of this as a solution. I use a Sonoff P dongle on my main system, but use multiple virtual systems for testing. I literally have had the SMLIGHT SLZB-06 in my Amazon cart for months. Thanks again t @NathanCu
I’ll check out the UZG-01
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I started to look at the refurbished power edge servers. Pretty amazing specs for a similar price to a Synology 1221 plus. Other than the os running I wonder what the differences are seems like a no brainer to get a power edge in just install Linux or something.
I only went with Synology because I was too invested. The 1221+ was my third upgrade. I already had camera licenses, file structures, etc…
The power edge servers are solid.
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I can vouch for PowerEdge, my 740xd has been running flawless. Power consumption isn’t bad either, 100-130 watts.
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Awesome thanks very much both of you. Down the rabbit hole I go
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Seconding this. My PowerEdges have worked perfectly for years. Base power usage is 100W with a handful of vms, even after upgrading the CPU’s and memory to the beefiest they support.
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Also look into what hypervisor to use. Proxmox, xcp-ng etc. I use VMware vsphere my self, but I have licensed it. There used to be a free ESXi but after the Broadcom takeover VMware no longer offers this.
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+1 to Proxmox from me. Smoothest migration I’ve ever done, no issues at all for almost 2 years, plus tteck’s scripts mean you can install just about anything with 1 line of code.
@Joel_DE I picked up the SMLIGHT SLZB-06 - Zigbee 3.0 to Ethernet and it works really well with Z2M. It on the Z2M’s list of newly added devices.
UPDATE: Isn’t playing well with Sengled, still figuring out why the color options went away after a bulb reset (possibly Sengled). Hue products has been flawless and the antenna is strong. 
hope you get it going well! thanks for the update.