Right over the next few months I`m (fingers crossed) be moving into my very own pad. I want to set up a computer where every room can stream off music and videos. Poss also use it as a router? 1 How do I got about doing it? 2 What spec does the Server have to be? Can it be made from old pc bits?
Really the only essential thing if you want to use it as a router is it have two network jacks.. obviously. Older PC bits will work fine if you are just streaming music and video, but nothing too ancient. Obviously, the more ram and space the better, although 1gm ram is plenty. You can use simple file sharing to stream files, or you can use a media manager and stuff... google about it. Microsoft is soon to release a product called Home Server (or something like that that will do what you want...) Hope that helped
Hell yes! That's more powerful than all 3 of the web servers I administer... and one of them is an Ubuntu mirror!
I know that comp has Sata drives so if i use that for storing Music and stuff I could stream it over Wifi ? What about converting DVDs? Looking into poss having CCTV using it too
That machine should be fine for ripping DVDs, but what format do you plan to convert them to & what do you intend to play them on in the receiving rooms (dedicated media player boxes, or something like a laptop)? If you keep them as VOBs, then the wifi will need to be a good uninterrupted 11g signal to have adequate bandwidth. Things are easier with AVIs. For the player, if you go the media player box route, make sure it'll handle the formats you convert to. Again, that PC should be fine for streaming purposes - if it says anything, I've got a tweaked NAS (network hard drive) that runs linux on a 266Mhz MIPS processor (about equal to a Pentium2/3, I think) happily serving DVD Vobs over a 11g wireless link. I wouldn't use the PC as a router, though - wireless routers are pretty cheap these days.
i agree with limey, wireless is the best option, may cost a bit more than buying a wired router, but a hell of a lot easier, i must have about 100metres of cabling going round my house for my network, and if anything goes wrong its a nightmare to try and fix as have to trace every cable as far as spec wise, if you want a media server, the most important thing imo is harddrive size, the bigger the better, my server currently have 2x 320gb internal, and a external 500gb. also best option for playback through your tv would be a old xbox with media centre, will play any media format you can throw at it, and streams over the network fine, and also has the advantage of high def output at either 480p, 720p or 1080i so looks amazing on a decent hd panel
Funnily enough I've been looking at doing exactly the same thing, but not for DVD. I've tested it all out and believe it or not I found an old 800Mhz PC with 500Mb ram actually was more than sufficient for my needs. I only require access to files, a few MP3's and the like. Mostly it is storage for my eldest daughter and a printer hub for us both in different parts of the house. No more "can I borrow your PC or send you a file to do my homework". Nothing taxing or hi-tech. The most expensive thing was the wireless adapter, the rest came from a skip at my brothers work lol. I'm going to add a larger HDD, but that's it.
funnily enough i am planning the same also... plus i want to build a home based web server for my home run busines and suchlike.. but aside from teh webserver i intend having it all running on wireless netwrok.. that way i can still ink to my Xbox (when i get one! , PS2, PS3 (when iget one also! lol)
...or get a router and an ethernet hard drive. OR... one of the new routers WITH hard drive built in. As for CCTV, again, ethernet / wireless CCTV! WAY cheaper on power consumption, quieter, and takes up less space! And, unless you have the bits, probably cheaper!
