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Media Television Entertainment Hardware

Ask Slashdot: Building a Home Media Center/Small Server In a Crawlspace? 253

Posted by timothy from the make-sure-you-can-retrieve-it-later dept.
An anonymous reader writes "I've decided it's time for me to build a separate machine specifically for use as a Media Center/Small Home Server. My wife and I haven't had cable TV in years, instead relying entirely on Netflix, other streaming sites, and hard copies we've bought over the years. Having just finished ripping our entire media collection (CDs, DVDs, and even our vinyls and VHS with the help of a capture card and some sweet digital voodoo) to a couple HDDs, I'm feeling froggy. Up until now we've been using WDTV Live, and it's been pretty snazzy, but I want to upgrade to a dedicated media machine instead of piggybacking off of my office computer. It'll be a Windows based machine utilizing Plex, and it's going in the crawlspace of the house. The crawlspace in question is unfinished, but I do have a dry concrete slab down there where I can put/mount/assemble something. Cooling won't be an issue obviously, and I am keeping a close eye on hardware specs with regards to moisture. It is still a crawlspace though. What would be a good setup to to house the hardware? Priorities being to safeguard against moisture, vermin, and dirt. Modified PC Tower? Rack? Build an enclosure? Something I haven't considered?

Please assume I'm stubborn and absolutely dead-set on putting it in the crawlspace to avoid the discussion devolving into the 'best' place to put a media machine."
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Ask Slashdot: Building a Home Media Center/Small Server In a Crawlspace? More

Ask Slashdot: Building a Home Media Center/Small Server In a Crawlspace?

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  • the humids will git cha if ya don't watch out.

  • Waste of time (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Chas ( 5144 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:24PM (#49287629) Homepage Journal

    Just build yourself an HTPC machine in an HTPC case and hook it to your TV setup. You have ZERO environmental control in a crawlspace. So something like a computer is going to suck up dust by the megaton, and have humidity issues all the time.

    • Re:Waste of time (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jedidiah ( 1196 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:32PM (#49287695) Homepage

      If you are really really really dead set on essentially leaving your media server OUTSIDE then the thing has to be beefed up to industrial or military grade specs.

      • Re:Waste of time (Score:5, Informative)

        by fuzzyfuzzyfungus ( 1223518 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @06:05PM (#49287925) Journal
        Or a certain amount of expendability(I suppose that that is arguably a 'military grade spec' in many contexts).

        It is repulsive how nasty a computer can get and, on average, keep right on ticking. Even in polite office environments, they fill with that wonderful grey IT dust over the course of a few years. In the non-air-conditioned houses of heavy smokers, it's a great deal worse and they still tend to survive.

        Military or industrial grade stuff, with shock mounts and fanless sealed cases and actual ratings against ingress under power-wash conditions and so on are great if you have really important stuff riding on the continued function of a given computer in a harsh environment; but if it is largely a matter of convenience you might well be surprised how long a more or less entirely normal PC holds out(and, unless you are really overdoing the specs for an HTPC, it may well be cheaper to replace it a few times than buy the hardened version once).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by alexhs ( 877055 )

      You have ZERO environmental control in a crawlspace.

      Plus, he's going to put windows in that crawlspace, like it's going to help !

    • "So something like a computer is going to suck up dust by the megaton, "

      Only if it sucks at all.

  • Please assume... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:26PM (#49287645)

    "Please assume I'm stubborn and absolutely dead-set on putting it in the crawlspace to avoid the discussion devolving into the 'best' place to put a media machine."

    reads like

    "Please assume I'm a useless inflexible idiot"

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by robbyb20 ( 651479 )

      Could also be the wife doesnt want any unsightly computers in the main area and the crawlspace is directly under it and drilling a hole is easy.

      But yeah, being that stubborn is never a good thing.

      • Re:Please assume... (Score:5, Funny)

        by ScentCone ( 795499 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @08:04PM (#49288607)
        Could also be he doesn't want his wife to know where he's physically keeping his pr0n server.

      • Could also be the wife doesnt want any unsightly computers in the main area and the crawlspace is directly under it and drilling a hole is easy.

        A friend of mine bought a replica antique AM radio off of Craigslist and gutted it, then attached a motherboard to the bottom of it and some vent holes in the back. Looks beautiful.

  • Mine is mounted in a cupboard (Score:3)

    by AbRASiON ( 589899 ) * on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:27PM (#49287657) Journal

    Bottom, far corner, that impossible area to get to.
    In summer, unfortunately due to 7200rpm disks (not my choice) they hit 134f, so I've had to add a fan pointed directly at it which will run for about 5 months solid.

    It's actually mounted there for noise, I've got quite a small apartment.
    I'm also running FreeNAS on the server, I use a dedicated HTPC with Kodi (XBMC) on it for playback. Quite a nice, quiet, good looking one too.

    I routed wires there with cable ties, drill, hanging hooks etc, it's all a pretty neat install, considering it's in a back corner with my spare blender next to it.
    I've only once had to hook up a monitor to it, due to a poor upgrade from the FreeNAS crew, that should be fixed now. I'd recommend, if you can somehow - at least dangling a very long VGA cable off it or something or a very long USB cable. Even if you almost never use them, that one time you do, could really save hassles.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mattyj ( 18900 )

      For some reason 'small apartment' plus 'spare blender' cracked me up. You could get rid of that second blender and double your media sever capacity!

  • Bad Idea (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I run Plex at home and running a Plex-based media server in a confined space is going to be a pain in the ass for two reasons:
    1. Heat
    2. Maintenance

    Your pirate, sorry "media backup" collection, is going to grow the more you start using this box for household entertainment. 4 terabytes turns into 8 etc, etc. Having easy access to your drive array is important, not to mention disk failure, and general maintenance (like dusting your near-constantly-in-use array).

    And our old friend airflow, again, always spinnin

  • Put it in a secure cage then. (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Something to keep errant critters from getting to it. And probably something to deal with the occasional bug.

    You should also sleeve any cables you have in use, or conduit them if feasible.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by cusco ( 717999 )

      I rarely reply to ACs, but this one is right, especially if you live in the South where tropical cockroaches like to nibble on PCB boards. Cover the air inlets/outlets with window screening, and clean them occasionally. Keep the box up off the concrete, it sweats and the case will corrode where it touches cement. My advice would be to strap it to the bottom of the floor. That will keep it away from rodents and most of the roaches. A fanless case would be preferable, both to keep out dust and because ot

  • NUC in industrial chassis? (Score:4, Informative)

    by jbottz ( 708060 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:32PM (#49287689)
    One option you may try is utilizing an Intel NUC computer in an industrial fanless chassis (something similar to this: http://www.logicsupply.com/com... [logicsupply.com]). The NUC should be fine for a HTPC and the chassis is designed for usage in harsh environments.

    • I was going to suggest to put it in a NEMA enclosure with rating of around 6 or 6p or higher. [nema.org] Maybe with a filter one a side but it appears the box you suggested is about the same (although it doesn't look like it's certified NEMA).

      Alternatively, if he wanted to go with a more powerful system, he could find a NEMA enclosure and bolt parts into it. IT won't likely resemble a real computer and probably need modification. I'm thinking a lot of the older alarm enclosure boxes might be viable too. Something from

  • Sealed system (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:32PM (#49287697)

    Seal all the hardware up in an aquarium filled with mineral oil - stays cool and don't have to worry about what's moving in and out of the case.

  • Plex has changed my entire setup at home (Score:3, Informative)

    by robbyb20 ( 651479 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:32PM (#49287701) Homepage

    But I have to ask, are you set on Windows? I recently transfered mine over to a linux VM(windows 7 vm previously) and i have a bit of a performance increase. I can direct play at home while a friend or family member transcodes 1-2 streams at once for watching remotely.

  • PICNIC (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:35PM (#49287721)

    Please assume I'm stubborn and absolutely dead-set on putting it in the crawlspace to avoid the discussion devolving into the 'best' place to put a media machine."

    Actually there is no need to devolve into that. We don't need to discuss which places are better as you have literally chosen one of the worst places in your house for this. You will have issues with dust. You will have issues with humidity. You will have issues with small animals. There is absolutely 0 chance you will successfully protect your machine from these issues, and the fact that you have already discounted even the discussion of it proves you not only don't really want our help, but that you won't listen to it if we give it.

    All I am going to say is have fun.

  • Don't treat the computer, fix the space. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:40PM (#49287763)

    Look into encapsulating the crawl space. I bought 20 mil plastic for the purpose, insulated the perimeter, and sealed all the vents. Humidity levels are now the same as inside the house, almost always cooler than the house too. The only issue I have at all is that by the middle of winter any areas that are tile feel a bit chilly over the cold ground, but not that bad. Feels really nice in the summer too which takes up more of the year here than winter.

  • either really cheap or really expensive (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Chirs ( 87576 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:45PM (#49287777)

    If you're dead set on putting it in the crawlspace, then either:

    1) Go cheap enough that it's essentially disposable and you can replace it when it dies.
    or
    2) Go expensive with SSD storage and passive cooling in a totally sealed case. (To minimize environmental issues.)

  • Crawl space (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:51PM (#49287825)

    While I don't have a server in my crawl space yet I do keep several other components down there. This includes my wireless router, HDHomeRun tuner, VOIP, and a small switch. They've been in the crawl space for about 4 years now. I live in a dry climate and haven't worried about humidity or corrosion. Here's what I've run into:

    -dust: We live near some farms and their is always a layer of dust in the crawl space. My devices are fanless and I haven't noticed problems.
    -spiders: Webs everywhere. I hope they don't get inside any equipment.
    -power: We have an existing light fixture in the crawlspace so I installed a GFCI outlet tied into that. I'm not an electrician so I just hope I don't burn the house down.
    -access: It is a nuisance to get into the space. The access is just a hole in the floor in a closet. I have to drop down and crawl in the dust to get physical access. But I rarely have to do this.
    -network: I wanted my devices hardwired on my Gbit router and so I ran my own Cat 5 wiring and install ports in the walls, etc.

    Dust and access are what have made me hesitate to put a server down there. I have enough dust problems with the desktops in the house that having to go down into the crawlspace to periodically clean or otherwise get physical access isn't appealing.

    In the next house I'm making sure I have a switch closet!

  • Dust, critters, and humidity (Score:5, Informative)

    by Zitchas ( 713512 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:53PM (#49287845) Journal

    OK, granted I know nothing about where you live, but there's those things to consider.

    First, info: What kind of crawl space is it? To me, crawlspace brings to mind everything from the enclosed space under a prefab home to interior unused space (or only used for wiring) in large structures.

    1) Do you know what the year-round temperatures are in the crawlspace? Depending on type, they can have a lot of variation.

    2) Ventilation. If you're sticking a heater down there (which is what this is going to be) it's going to warm up a bit.

    3) Insects: Some sort of metal cage to keep out insects would be highly recommended. Something along the lines of a server cage, but with mosquito sized mesh.

    4) Small mammals: This is probably best handled by a medium grade wire. Chicken coop wire sort of stuff.

    5) Humidity: sorry, can't think of anything, other than be careful.

    6) Dust: How are you going to dust it? Or prevent it from getting dusty?

    Ideas:
    - First off, for keeping it safe, probably be best to have some kind of dual-mesh cage to keep it safe. Outer layer made out of chicken mesh (something like a guinea pig cage would work well too) with a mosquito mesh netting inside it. Should keep the bugs and small animals out, but you'll need to do something to protect the cables.

    - As far as heat goes, I'd recommend two things: Firstly, use a fan-less cooling system. Less dust build up, fewer moving parts to break, and less maintenance. Secondly, I'd recommend using a heat sink rated for a lot more heat than you planned. More surface area to dissipate heat. Then you won't have to worry so much about the dust.

    • I'm not sure chicken wire will reliably keep out rats. I once had a rat in my basement, and it caused no end of problems for me. The little bastard actually ate through my sump pump's power wire (in addition to other stuff). I found this out when my sump pump well produced a lot of small flies from what I assume was the rat's electrocuted, rotted corpse.

      Seriously - don't underestimate the ability for rodents, especially rats, to gnaw through strong metal for no discernible reason.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by moj0e ( 812361 )

      One more thing to keep in mind: Mold. The heat from the computer plus the humidity in a crawlspace can cause mold. We once housed a server in a small room with a previously unknown leak in the wall. The heat from the server caused so much mold, that everyone in the bottom floor of our office had to be moved until the mold was contained.

  • Sunken cabinet in the floor? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by reactor451 ( 878081 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @05:58PM (#49287875)
    If you're OK with doing some minor renos, how about building a sunken cabinet that extends into the floor? You could seal it off from the rest of the crawlspace to keep out the vermin/moisture. And you could also build something to hang some rackmount cases from so that the front panels would be facing up. This way you could get a 1U to run your OS with Plex on it, and then have a 3U case for your NAS. Oh and probably room for a batter backup too! You'd be able to put some sort of a cover over and put carpet on it so it would be hidden. But when you need to replace a drive or upgrade your system you'd have relatively easy access. This sort of setup might make cabling easier for you as well.
    • This sounds like a possible solution, but what about cooling? if you start using rack mounted kit, heat starts to build up pretty quick. Maybe something slightly less densely packed with some fans pulling air in from as clean a source as possible?

  • froggy? snazzy? Your adjectives are painful (Score:3)

    by epyT-R ( 613989 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @06:05PM (#49287927)

    Some suggestions:

    1. the crawlspace needs to be moderate in temperature and relatively dry. Deserts, tundras and saunas are best avoided.

    2. You'll want a UPS if this thing's going to have a RAID storage setup. A RAID is not a backup. If it is very large, you'll want some way of storing at least one backup offsite that doesn't involve your internet connection. A safety deposit box works well. I know someone who just duplicates his array to a second set of disks once a month. If he's not doing the backup the disks are in the safety deposit box.

    3. Hi res media? You'll want wired gigabit connectivity (or better for the backbone) if you plan on a lot of simultaneous HD. Some here will state that wireless 11ac/ad is good enough for everything but that really depends on the area you live and how your home is constructed. Firmware,driver and hardware combinations can also be issues. Plan for both, but a wire provides much more consistent performance which is important when viewing is the primary activity (ie the big screens).

    4. You might consider two separate boxes, one for the system and one for the drives depending on the size of your space. This would make the backup plan a lot easier. Typical connectivity is done with e-sata. I suppose usb3 would work alright too.

    I didn't cover every detail but this is how I'd approach it generally.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by vux984 ( 928602 )

      . I know someone who just duplicates his array to a second set of disks once a month. If he's not doing the backup the disks are in the safety deposit box.

      So if something goes badly wrong with the computer during the creation of the backup set, he's got nothing.

      If you one is going to the trouble of a safety deposit box. Have at least 2 separate sets of disks in it, and rotate which set you use from month to month. That way all 3 sets are never in the same place, and NEVER all hooked up to the same computer at the same time.

  • dead set (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I realize you're dead set on keeping it your media center in the crawlspace.

    But have you considered moving your TV and couch into the crawlspace as well?

  • You'll get bugs (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Culture20 ( 968837 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @06:20PM (#49288019)
    If it's warm and the crawl space isn't, it will draw bugs like the dickens. Maybe research those blue light LEDs and see if they really kill arthropods as well as they claim. Then you'll have mice. If the humidity doesn't kill the machine, all the mouse urine will.

  • Marine (Score:3, Interesting)

    by HiThereImBob ( 3935253 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @06:23PM (#49288031)
    I'd look at marine computers, generally anything built for a boat is designed to survive your scenario (con: they are almost always more expensive). Here is an option:

    http://www.stealth.com/Waterpr... [stealth.com]

    Product description for those too lazy to click:

    Sealed to IP67/NEMA 6 specifications The new Stealth WPC-525F is a rugged PC that is completely water-tight, surviving liquids, chemicals, dust and dirt intrusion and meeting IP67/NEMA 6 environmental specifications. Designed without cooling fans the rugged aluminum chassis acts as a heat sink to dissipate internal heat and provide noise free operation. The durable small form PC operates from a wide range of DC input power (6 - 36VDC) making it a perfect fit for mobile and transportation based applications. Stealth products are ideal for demanding applications within the Industrial, Commercial, Scientific Research, Military, Public Safety, Utility, Marine, Transportation, mining and Telecommunications markets

    If it were me, I'd probably just plug a 2.5" external HDD into a raspberry pi and huck it into a sealed 5 gallon bucket. But then again, I wouldn't be putting my computer in the crawlspace to begin with, so good luck.

  • While I think the basic premise is a little silly, I imagine a $200 fanless laptop is powerful enough to run Plex (I run Plex Server off an old Mac Mini, and never have had any problems).

    Depending how much space you need, get a solid-state SSD or even SD card, put some kind of basic protection about it (a cheap laptop bag?) and throw it in your crawlspace.

    My Plex server runs fine over wifi (with the router right next to it), but I still have it connected to Ethernet. I imagine that could be a problem with

  • ...cuz them Russian nukes and emp's are coming :D I'm honestly not as worried about the humidity and dust as I am about the accessibility. I don't care what server you are running, eventually you are going to want to hit the reset button (especially during setup). Make sure you can easily access it for a quick reset, dedusting, upgrade etc..
  • I am assuming that your stuborness also applied to inability of using a Linux based server with Plex as more reliable, secure and just as easy to use and configurable alternative to Windows. Afterall most all media equipment nowadays is either Android or Linux based for very, very good and sensible reasons. One hardware sugestionwould be an industrial space Linux based already installed, designed for harsh environments. Thy also are very reasonably priced. is

  • I'd suggest getting one of the little miniature solid state fanless machines with a big solid state external drive. Less holes for gunk to get into, you can enclose it more tightly.

    Of course, if you take that route, you lose most of the reason you'd need to put it in the crawlspace to begin with, like noise and heat. If the big reason you want it down there really is space instead of noise...try the attic instead. Crawlspaces get more water than you'd expect, no matter how sure you are that they're dry (

  • I don't have a crawl space. (Score:3)

    by onkelonkel ( 560274 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @08:09PM (#49288643)

    I don't have a crawl space, but I have a similar question. What is the best way to install a server in my shower? thx.

    • Get a cheap and disposable system because it is going to die soon. It must have a non-coated metal case. Don't ground the case but hook it up to a neon transformer for at least 10 Kv with respect to the shower head (and building ground) to keep the water out as effectively as possible.

  • Well, to do an honest assessment, you've still left a number of things out.
    1. Is this an open crawlspace or an enclosed one? My current house has a 'crawlspace' with a dirt floor that isn't considered a basement because it's simply not high enough. Meanwhile, down in Florida most are relatively 'open', only protected by a veneer.
    2. Where do you live? What's the high temperature? Low temperature? How much ventilation?

    Generally I don't worry about condensation for running equipment - it'll be slightly

  • How did this get promoted up to the point where it makes the slashdot front page?

    Slow news day, Timothy?

    The question is utterly ridiculous. What a waste of time.

  • Put the unit in a totally sealed enclosure, like maybe a plastic storage bin with a good gasket. Go water cooling for everything (power supply and HDDs too). Cut a hole and run the cooling out of the enclosure (power and networking come out here too, seal the hole with RTV silicone or something) to a radiator (like a small car radiator or AC condenser), probably with a low speed fan on it. Add it to your home maintenance schedule to go down and clean out the radiator/fans every month or three. This is o

  • I run Plex on a Vortexbox server I built (Score:3)

    by mark_reh ( 2015546 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @08:59PM (#49288839) Journal

    I originally built it to serve audio to my squeezeboxes, but recently started using it to stream video via Plex. I used a Shuttle XS35 V2 (I built it a couple years ago when that was a current model) with 4GB ram and a 1TB HDD (for now). The Shuttle box is fanless- a good idea in a dusty crawl space, and completely silent. It is also very small and light, so you might even find room for it in the house. It can be mounted behind a TV easily. Total investment $300.

    Vortexbox is a media server specific linux distro that works very reliably and is designed for remote management via a web server. It includes Logitech Media Server, Plex, and a bunch of other useful apps.

    I have it connected to the network by ethernet, and it streams to two PS3s (with paid app) and one Roku. My wireless network (820.11g) is too slow for 1080p streaming but handles 720p just fine. One PS3 is in my theater system and is wired to the network and 1080p streams fine.

  • Network Attached Storage (Score:5, Insightful)

    by t33jster ( 1239616 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @09:41PM (#49288995)
    I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned using a decent NAS instead of a PC for your hardware already. A 4 bay NAS from QNAP or Synology would store your media and serve it up via Plex or some other DNLA server. The footprint is small enough that all of the good points about not putting expensive electronics in a crawlspace become moot. HTH

  • QNAP TS-something-something with Linux (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jddj ( 1085169 ) on Wednesday March 18, 2015 @09:45PM (#49289019) Journal

    I'm using a TS-119+ [hothardware.com] with a 2TB disk inside. It's sitting in my wiring closet.

    It's running MythTV for my TV/UPnP server, MythWeb for programming, Mediatomb to serve photos/videos via UPnP, and mt-daapd as an iTunes Music Server. I use PS/3s for the TV front-ends, and Roku Soundbridge 500s, 1000s, and 2000s for the music players.

    It's about as close to silent as you get - I think it's fanless (you can see I'm not concerned enough about noise to find out). And it uses about 6w when it's idling.

    I got into NAS solutions after I figured out running my MythTV system 24x7 was like leaving a 100 watt lightbulb on all the time, even when I didn't need it. I measured my old beige-box PC with a watt meter: a continuous 95 watts. And loud fans.

    The QNAP delights me. All I could ask for that it doesn't do well is transcoding. There's just not enough CPU for it. But that'll come in time with some other NAS unit, or with offloading it via scripting to a full PC or Mac, when I get around to it.

  • 1) If you are stuck with windows, consider getting one of these:
    http://www.microcenter.com/pro... [microcenter.com]

    2) If you are willing to use an android based solution, perhaps a raspberry pi 2 would be plenty for you and only costs $35 plus whatever shit you have around in your house

  • I use a Zotac mini PC, mounted on the wall directly behind the TV itself. USB hub zip tied to the unit, with a 2TB 2.5" USB powered HDD, USB connection for the remote IR pickup and USB dual TV tuner. Runs Windows 8 media centre. Job done. No mess. Works perfectly. I use this model: http://www.zotac.com/products/... [zotac.com]

    Boots from off to fully functional in a few seconds (SSD OS drive). Self records series by itself, the kids can use it, the wife can use it, even the babysitter can use it. Plus it has full Wind

  • Everyone is going off on the humidity - that's the least of your problems. Assuming that it's a non-condensing atmosphere (i.e. fog), the warmth in the box will keep any additional condensation from happening and the box will run fine.

    High temperature may be an issue. I live in Phoenix, and putting a server outside is, well, not the worlds best idea. If you live somewhere where the high temps in summer are less than 90 degrees, you're probably fine f

    • I agree with all this and think this is a fun project idea. I'd go cheap, because you'll fail, and then you fix it and repeat. So you should have something reliable backing this thing up.

      That said, make a case out of furnace hepa filters and duct tape. You can just mount everything on a board to be one wall of the 6-walled box. Hang that from the ceiling with wire to reduce visits by crawlers. Spray some raid around the top where the wire (and any cables) hits the board.

      Just to be certain about the hum

  • A crawl space is not computer friendly what-so-ever. You have humidity, dirt, dust, a water pipe leaking or busting wide open, critters, bugs, possible flooding during a heavy rain storm that can happen in a crawlspace. I would highly suggest you put the computer in a closet, a purpose built cabinet, in a different room and have it networked to a NUC that connects to the TV. The ONLY way I can see any computer surviving a crawlspace for any length of time is if the case is hermetically sealed. Which isn't

  • I've done something similar for years (going on 6 years) with a lower powered one.
    It works great. sits above my furnace (not on it). Auto restarts on a power failure, etc.

    My crawl space isn't dusty nor wet as a lot of posters suggest to protect against -- and after 6 years, it doesn't owe me anything -- still going strong.

    https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Com... [asus.com]

  • I have a pair of WD TV Live boxes in my house and love the little gadgets. I've used them for four or five years and have yet to see a video file they wouldn't play so for me, transcoding is not a requirement. My media server is an HP Atom N270 netbook with 2GB RAM running Debian Unstable and I use minidlna to serve up video and audio; I also use this machine to manage network backups to an external hard drive. Works like a charm.

    Although the netbook has a GUI installed I never use it, preferring to mana

  • Hardly seems worth the bother of going to all the trouble that would be necessary to put the media server in one of the worst possible and least accessible locations one could choose.

    I'd almost rather put it in the attic. It would need more cooling, but at least you could get to it.

    Is your crawl space accessible from inside the house?

  • Critters love to go in crawl spaces. Some fine chicken wire would keep the mice out, but I'm not sure what you're going to do about the bugs. Raising it up on a platform on some slippery thin metal legs might help a bit, but anything that flies will go straight into the intake vent. Or how about hanging it from the floor boards at the ceiling of the crawl space?

    Are you really that cramped for storage space that you have to put a computer into the crawl space? Can't you put something else in there in sea

  • The climate control and critter isolation work you'd have to do isn't worth the time and effort. Sealed wires, conduit, and pipe go under a house - maybe a sump pump, too, but that's it. A server? What possible benefit would there be putting it there? Frankly, if I had to crawl under my house every time I needed to fix a computer, I wouldn't have any working computers.

  • If this house is made of wood then you are creating a high fire risk. The space you put the system in should be sheathed with drywall, ideally doubly, since computers burn and can then catch nearby wood on fire burning down the entire house. Most houses are built of 2x construction which is basically a tinderbox. This is the reason the interiors are sheathed with sheetrock. It's not to look nice, it's to stop fires.

    A better idea would be to build of concrete or stone.

  • If you can seal your crawlspace, not that difficult, and if you have heat and AC ducts also in the crawlspace, you can insert a dump valve in the crawlspace (that's a weighted valve that will allow some air movement in the ducts to leak out) you have in essence made your crawl space part of your home. It will be heated and cooled as is the remainder of the house. It will not be as warm or as cool, but it will be better than being left to the changes in the weather. To do this, you install plastic on the

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