this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2023
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homeassistant
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Home Assistant is open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server. Available for free at home-assistant.io
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You could maybe virtualize HomeAssistant and Pi-Hole on the Raspberry Pi (using Proxmox, Docker, etc.) depending on exactly which model it is and how much CPU and RAM those services need for your use-case, but IMO as cheap as Pis are [supposed to be], kind of the point of them is to be able to buy several and use one per service.
Anyway, you told us about your TP-Link wireless extender, but what's your actual router? That's the important thing to be running OpenWRT on. (Don't get me wrong: putting OpenWRT on the range extender would be nice in a "all my devices are running trustworthy FOSS firmware as a matter of principle" kind of way, but it shouldn't actually be doing anything non-trivial other than extending your wifi range, so it's not as if there'd be a practical benefit in terms of functionality that would make sense.)
A Pi4B 8GB is like $75. Add a power supply, case, heat sink, storage, and you're at like $150.
Recently I purchased a used Dell USFF PC with a 4-core i5-4590S, 8 GB RAM for $50, shipped, from eBay. I mean it does use more power, but it is also more powerful than a RPi. I know, not an apples to apples comparison. But if you don't need to do stuff with the GPIO, and your machine is just plugged in to the wall, and is just running apps in containers, then a USFF PC (e.g. STH's project tiny mini micro machines) may be a much better option than a RPi.
I really don't understand the RPi4's price point right now. But glad the Pi Zero W exists, that makes so much more sense and at the right price point.
The actual router rented out by the service provider. I don't think they would be happy with me messing with their property.
I also lived somewhere else where I didn't have access to the main router so I use the extender as my personal network for file transfers, a few lights with a couple switches and my terrarium thermostat. If anything happens to the main router, I can just turn my extender into an access point and still have my personal network.
TP-Link requires an account to use my own extender which annoys me. Their app redirects my connection to my extender through their cloud service. It's not my VPN because I can still connect through the browser. Seems shadey and I don't like having the account already.