The Raspberry Pi Thread

I've wanted a Pi just for the novelty but the more I think about it, the less practical it seems. Aside from PiHole I haven't seen anything particularly useful I could do with it other than a linux file server or VPN
Here is a list of possible projects -
I admit some of them are wacky but quite a few are practical applications. You can google for more such fantastic projects.
Back home, I am using an old Pi 2B as a file server, streamer, adguard home adblocker and a dashboard, all at the same time. I have some projects lined up for my other Pis including a garden controller and the magic mirror.
 
I've wanted a Pi just for the novelty but the more I think about it, the less practical it seems. Aside from PiHole I haven't seen anything particularly useful I could do with it other than a linux file server or VPN
The possibilities are huge with what you can do with this little piece of hardware.
I am using Raspberry Pi 4B as my NAS, Media server, DNS.
  1. Media Server: Currently, I am using an open-source software Jellyfin which acts as a media server. It starts a web server and has a very beautiful UI which is customizable as well. It does not need to create an account like other software as Plex does, and it puts you in control of everything. It uses a media library from an external hard drive.
  2. NAS: Currently Using SAMBA Server which hosts entire external hard disk as NAS. Just need to add a network location with the path in the windows. Also can be accessed from mobile.
  3. DNS: Pi-hole is open-source software that blocks ads on all devices connected to that local network. It acts as a DNS, and it maintains hosts/domains used by adverts and blocks them from getting resolved. This helps in blocking ads on every device that is connected to the internet.
  4. Media File Conversion: I am using open-source software Tdarr to convert all the files to H264+AAC encoding with an MP4 container. Rpi is not powerful enough to transcode files into web compatible encoding on the fly for multiple users at the same time. So I transcode all the files beforehand. This software checks the media library and converts all the necessary files into required encodings and containers.
I am planning to build a local cloud to store/backup all my data and also all the family members can use it to backup and store their files safely when their phone runs out of storage.
Link: https://thepi.io/how-to-set-up-a-raspberry-pi-owncloud-server/
 
Or you could just not transcode and let the client handle it. Most modern clients are capable of playing most formats anyway (unless you watch inside a web browser, in which case, why?)
Jellyfin does not have native clients, the apps are just packaged web clients as far as I remember.
 
Or you could just not transcode and let the client handle it. Most modern clients are capable of playing most formats anyway (unless you watch inside a web browser, in which case, why?)
Yes. I have created a reverse proxy tunnel and exposed the Jellyfin to my friends so that they can also watch. That tunnel only lets the client access jellyfin through the browser. So, if the format is not native then it tries to transcode it on the fly resulting in a lot of lag. :(
 
Yes. I have created a reverse proxy tunnel and exposed the Jellyfin to my friends so that they can also watch. That tunnel only lets the client access jellyfin through the browser. So, if the format is not native then it tries to transcode it on the fly resulting in a lot of lag. :(
Then it's a genuine use case for a proper streaming setup.
 

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Looks like you both are opening the mobile sites ? The desktop site shows it to be in stock. But yes, you may want to call them and check, if its based on location, etc. I have ordered one.
 
I've wanted a Pi just for the novelty but the more I think about it, the less practical it seems. Aside from PiHole I haven't seen anything particularly useful I could do with it other than a linux file server or VPN
I had a Pi but sold it off because I could do everything better with my existing devices. Besides running file servers, Asus router with Merlin runs Adguard Home very efficiently at a very small footprint, which addresses some of the basic uses I had of the Pi.

On the other hand, I have a 8-year old Windows tablet with the first Core M processor which is still more powerful and efficient than the Pi. It consumes around 10W with the screen on acting like a dashboard, but then it runs qBittorrent with VPN, Sonarr, Radarr, RetroArch, JellyFin, print server (my basic laser printer didn't even have an ARM Linux driver), besides automation scripts on Windows and Linux subsystem on Windows.

For me, the Pi was more of a novelty device, for most it is probably is a good learning device (it was aimed at schools anyway), but a lot of people just try to get a lot of things done from it inefficiently.
 
And I wonder what you are doing in this thread.
Do you have evidence/benchmarks or just generalizing ?
As if this thread has to only be about virtues of the Pi. I am perfectly entitled to mention my experience with the Pi and my preferred alternative.

I used the Pi 4 with an Argon case for few months as it would heat up significantly. It wouldn't handle slight overclocks with a 10W charger that I had with me (with constant under-current warnings) and it really needed around 12W to run everything with a basic overclock (requiring a 5V/3A charger). The Cortex A72 on a 28nm process is not going to be that effective or efficient at load and as I stated earlier, I had quite a significant load for all the services I ran on it.

I measured all this using a USB ammeter/voltmeter and I also have the equipment to measure it off the wall. I found that there are other devices that can do all that a Pi does much more efficiently.

On the other hand the ubiquity of the Pi is useful for various projects in tight spaces, but not for most of the common use cases that people use it for related to entertainment or ad blocking.
 
The virtue of Raspberry Pi is its versatility. When I first bought my Raspberry Pi, I wanted to try some DIY stuff. That never happened, but I ended up creating a NAS with it. I also installed Postgres on it and ran some scripts to scrape data on a daily basis. That was 2 years ago and the project is still running on autopilot. I often use the data. It also helped me learn Linux when I was too wary of installing Linux on my primary machine.

Later, I chanced upon a Synology. The Pi continued being a database server for a while till I finally moved everything to Synology.

Pi was then idle for a while. Then I got a home theater and realised that my 4K TV couldn't do audio passthrough. So I needed a dedicated media player. Raspberry Pi came to the rescue again with LibreELEC. It ran smoothly, no ads, no hassles. Worked wonderfully with the TV remote because it has CEC built in. I finally got a Fire Stick to run streaming services like Netflix and Prime. If the Pi could do that, I wouldn't need the Fire Stick.

The fact that is that it allows you to do a lot of stuff and comes in a cheap and small package. There are alternatives for sure, and you could do some of the stuff with your existing hardware. But if you need an energy efficient low cost general purpose device, Pi fits in very well. I am currently not using my Pi for anything, but I'm sure at some point, I'll again find use for it.
 
I used the Pi 4 with an Argon case for few months as it would heat up significantly. It wouldn't handle slight overclocks with a 10W charger that I had with me and it really needed around 12W to run everything with an overclock. The Cortex A72 on a 28nm process is not going to be that effective at load and as I stated earlier, I had quite a significant load for all the services I ran on it.
Sorry but for the use cases you mentioned, the Pi is perfectly capable of running them pretty efficiently. I myself run Torrent server/downloader, Samba file server, Dakboard and Pi-Hole back at home on a Pi 2b with power usage equivalent to what was mentioned.
Not sure which version of the board you had, but the first version of the Pi 4 board had issues with certain aftermarket adapters, the official adapter worked fine.
Yes there would be limits to any H/W if you overload it.
I am perfectly entitled to mention my experience with the Pi and my preferred alternative.
Of course but please do not be dismissive of others
 
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Sorry but for the use cases you mentioned, the Pi is perfectly capable of running them pretty efficiently. I myself run Torrent server/downloader, Samba file server, Dakboard and Pi-Hole back at home on a Pi 2b with power usage equivalent to what was mentioned.
Not sure which version of the board you had, but the first version of the Pi 4 board had issues with certain aftermarket adapters, the official adapter worked fine.
Yes there would be limits to any H/W if you overload it.

Of course but please do not be dismissive of others
Unfortunately, you were extremely dismissive of my post to begin with your "one wonders what you are doing in this thread" comment. One needs to be accommodative of other opinions in general and not to try to be gatekeepers of threads or devices they like.

I had the first version but that had nothing to do with the thermal characteristics but rather a faulty USB-C design which excluded some chargers from being used (not a problem if you have the right charger). I was using a SATA SSD in an enclosure that of course pushed up the current draw compared to using micro SD cards.

I was also specifically addressing the post I quoted about adblocking as I found that an Asus router with a Cortex A7 chipset and 256 MB RAM runs Adguard Home extremely efficiently in addition to file servers & torrents at a smaller footprint than a Pi.

I had some good projects with the Pi with respect to weather stations and image recognition but those were learning experiences. For all the other stuff, I could already do things much more efficiently with my existing devices. The dual core Core M processor on 14 nm from 8 years ago is indeed a lot more efficient than the Pi as it can do all the tasks at its base frequency of 800 Mhz that requires full load from the Pi.

In my case alone, I was trying to get the Pi to do things that I later realised are done better using other devices. The Pi is great for industrial use or novelty projects but most people don't use it that way.

And since you are offended by my presence in this thread, I will not bother posting here again until I decide to get a future revision of the Pi.
 
Unfortunately, you were extremely dismissive of my post to begin with your "one wonders what you are doing in this thread" comment. One needs to be accommodative of other opinions in general and not to try to be gatekeepers of threads or devices they like.
Well, you started it. You could have just described your experience or sought other's views on the issues you faced and be done with that. But no, you had to diss others by ending with a line like "a lot of people just try to get a lot of things done from it inefficiently". Just because you faced an issue in your case does not mean you judge others on how they use theirs. If I need to point that out again, I will not hesitate to do it.
I had the first version but that had nothing to do with the thermal characteristics but rather a faulty USB-C design which excluded some chargers from being used (not a problem if you have the right charger). I was using a SATA SSD in an enclosure that of course pushed up the current draw compared to using micro SD cards.
I was only trying to guess what the issue could be but the first version did have thermal throttling under heavy load which were fixed subsequently in firmware updates by reducing the power draw. There is a long thread in their forum.
I was also specifically addressing the post I quoted about adblocking as I found that an Asus router with a Cortex A7 chipset and 256 MB RAM runs Adguard Home extremely efficiently in addition to file servers & torrents at a smaller footprint than a Pi.
And I have already shared an example where I am running similar multiple workloads efficiently in an old Pi 2B. My iBall router, unlike yours, does not support those out of the box so the Pi 2B was an easy option. The same Pi 2B was earlier being used as a Libreelec HTPC box but then my parents got a Firestick so it was lying unused for some time. There can be multiple solutions to the same problem. Hell even the lowly Pi Zero can serve as a very efficient system wide ad-blocker using Pi-Hole or Adguard Home.
For all the other stuff, I could already do things much more efficiently with my existing devices. The dual core Core M processor on 14 nm from 8 years ago is indeed a lot more efficient than the Pi as it can do all the tasks at its base frequency of 800 Mhz that requires full load from the Pi.
Kudos to you that you could reuse your older device that way. Most don't. A mobile CPU will always be more powerful and efficient. If you can get your workloads to run there efficiently, then great. Is that plus your router more efficient than Pi 4 ? Maybe, but without metrics, we don't know. Can we run the same workload efficiently in a Pi ? Yes. Will there be more efficient ways to run the same in other devices ? Of course.
And since you are offended by my presence in this thread, I will not bother posting here again until I decide to get a future revision of the Pi.
It is not the point about getting offended (I wasn't and if I offended you in any way, then my apologies), it is more to do with recognizing that others use the Pi in different ways given its flexibility and being efficient when doing so. Yes, it was meant for education when launched and it still is a great starting point for kids if they are interested in learning to program. It was also one of the cheapest computing device when launched. Yes, there are a lot many novelty projects and use cases out there but we have seen it being used for many practical purposes efficiently as well.
 
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Not sure if anyone else faces the same issue as me.
I use RPi4 with Western Digital Passport 5TB external Hdd and jellyfin as media server for content that gets downloaded using sonarr, jackett / prowlarr and qbittorrent.

Sometimes sonarr will download really large files for single episodes. Like 5GB file for a 45 min episode of some show. Due to large size, I experience buffering when playing this on local network too. Obvious fix is to make sure such large files aren't downloaded and I have tweaked settings in sonarr to download smaller 1080p files.
I guess there is no other way to fix this right? Or is my HDD a bottleneck or home Wifi (5ghz asus router)?
 
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