So I am new to homelabs and just have a couple of questions as I am still learning about computers. I wanted to set up a homelab that I could do all of the usual stuff on.
Currently my house has some smart qualities, but everything is run through "she who shall not be named" and/or independent apps and I would like to make it all in one and run a little smoother through Home assistant.
I currently run about 6 camera through wyze and while it has been fine, their constant ads and having access to my cameras through their network isn't my favorite. So I would like to run some POE powered cameras on my own server.
We have a very small DVD and Bluray collection that is ever growing and I would like to digitize some of the DVDs to make them easier to watch and access them at home or on the go. I was thinking of going with Jellyfin for this side of things and maybe tailscale or a reverse proxy to access when I'm out, same for the cameras.
I would also like/have to have a small data setup to house all of this info. I was thinking about going with a DAS since they are cheaper than a NAS, but then I got a Z240 from work and decided to try and make a DIY NAS out of it.
Currently I have a Elitedesk 800 G5 mini with an I5-9500 16gb of ram and 256ssd , a HP Z240 I5-6600 with 8gb of ram and a 256 ssd, and then my "gaming computer" which I put together several years ago to play things like Bannerlord, NCAA14 revisited, BeamNG and FL 2026. It is a Z440 with a E5-2667 v4, 64 gb of DDR4 2133 and only 2TB of storage.
My question is with what I have currently, what would be the best way to proceed? Really I just want the homelab to run itself as much as possible with as little tinkering as possible. I just want/need room for the data to be stored and then to be able to access it remotely (myself or my wife). I was thinking of using the G5 with a Linux OS (proxmox being the normally recommended), Using the Z240 as a NAS and put an HBA in it to run SAS drives running something like Unraid or TruNAS. Then just leave my Z440 as it runs perfect for what limited gaming I do.
I have continued to read and read but just like my other hobbies (cars and bikes) there are so many little nuances and differences that I have myself all upside and twisted on what works and what doesn't. Thank you all in advance for letting me know if I'm on the right track, need to tweak things, or that I'm a complete idiot!!