Raspberry Pi projects useful

{{whyLabel}}: The Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB RAM) is the 2025 standard for running multiple services simultaneously without performance bottlenecks.

{{howLabel}}:

• Get a Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB) for maximum headroom.
• Use an official 27W USB-C PD power supply to prevent undervoltage issues.
• Select a 64GB microSD card (Class 10, A2 rating) or an NVMe SSD with a HAT for significantly better longevity and speed.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: All hardware components are unboxed and ready for assembly.

{{whyLabel}}: The 'Lite' version saves RAM and CPU by omitting the desktop interface, which is unnecessary for a home server.

{{howLabel}}:

• Download Raspberry Pi Imager on your PC.
• Select Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit).
• Click the cog icon (Settings): Enable SSH, set a unique username/password, and configure your Wi-Fi (though Ethernet is preferred).

{{doneWhenLabel}}: The OS is flashed and the microSD card is inserted into the Pi.

{{whyLabel}}: A server must have a consistent address so other devices can always find it.

{{howLabel}}:

• Connect via SSH: ssh username@raspberrypi.local.
• Run sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y to patch security vulnerabilities.
• Access your router's web interface and create a DHCP Reservation for the Pi's MAC address.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: The Pi is updated and assigned a fixed IP (e.g., 192.168.1.100).

{{whyLabel}}: Pi-hole acts as a DNS sinkhole, blocking ads and trackers for every device in your home (Smart TVs, phones, etc.).

{{howLabel}}:

• Run the command: curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash.
• Follow the wizard: Select your interface, choose a DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare 1.1.1.1), and enable the Web Admin Interface.
• Note the admin password provided at the end.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: The Pi-hole dashboard is accessible at http://[Your-IP]/admin.

{{whyLabel}}: This removes reliance on third-party DNS providers (like Google), increasing privacy by resolving queries directly from root servers.

{{howLabel}}:

• Install via sudo apt install unbound.
• Create a config file at /etc/unbound/unbound.conf.d/pi-hole.conf with optimized settings for Pi-hole.
• In Pi-hole settings, set the Upstream DNS to 127.0.0.1#5335.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: DNS queries are resolved locally by Unbound.

{{whyLabel}}: WireGuard provides a fast, modern, and secure way to access your home network and files from anywhere in the world.

{{howLabel}}:

• Run: curl -L https://install.pivpn.io | bash.
• Choose WireGuard (not OpenVPN) for better performance on ARM hardware.
• Use the default port 51820 and select your Pi-hole as the DNS provider for the VPN.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: PiVPN is installed and ready for client configuration.

{{whyLabel}}: Your router must know to send incoming VPN traffic to the Raspberry Pi.

{{howLabel}}:

• Log into your router's admin panel.
• Forward UDP port 51820 to the static IP of your Raspberry Pi.
• If you have a dynamic public IP, set up a DDNS service (like DuckDNS) to keep a consistent domain name.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: Port 51820 is open and directed to the Pi.

{{whyLabel}}: Home Assistant unifies all smart devices (Zigbee, WiFi, Matter) into one local, private interface.

{{howLabel}}:

• Install Docker: curl -sSL https://get.docker.com | sh.
• Run the Home Assistant container with --network=host to allow it to discover devices on your network.
• Access the UI at http://[Your-IP]:8123 to start the onboarding.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: Home Assistant is running and the 'Welcome' screen is visible.

{{whyLabel}}: OMV transforms your Pi into a professional-grade NAS for file sharing and backups.

{{howLabel}}:

• Run the official install script: wget -O - https://github.com/OpenMediaVault-Plugin-Developers/installScript/raw/master/install | sudo bash.
• Note: This will take 15-20 minutes and will reboot the Pi.
• Access the web interface at http://[Your-IP] (Default: admin / openmediavault).

{{doneWhenLabel}}: OMV dashboard is accessible.

{{whyLabel}}: This allows you to access your Pi's hard drive as a network folder on Windows, Mac, or Linux.

{{howLabel}}:

• Connect an external USB 3.0 HDD/SSD.
• In OMV: Go to Storage > Disks to wipe the drive, then File Systems to create an EXT4 partition.
• Go to Services > SMB/CIFS to enable the service and create a 'Shared Folder'.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: The shared folder is visible and accessible from another computer on the network.

{{whyLabel}}: Jellyfin is the best open-source alternative to Plex, allowing you to stream your own movies and music without subscriptions.

{{howLabel}}:

• Use the OMV-Extras 'Compose' plugin or run a Docker container for Jellyfin.
• Map your OMV shared media folder to the /data directory in the container.
• Access at http://[Your-IP]:8096 to set up your library.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: Media files are indexed and streamable via the Jellyfin web app.

{{whyLabel}}: SD cards can fail; having a backup of your configurations (especially Home Assistant and Pi-hole) is critical.

{{howLabel}}:

• Use Rclone to sync your configuration folders to a cloud provider or a second local drive.
• Schedule a 'Cron job' to run sudo apt update and backup scripts weekly.
• For Home Assistant, enable the 'Google Drive Backup' add-on for easy recovery.

{{doneWhenLabel}}: A backup script is scheduled and the first backup is successfully stored.