[WIP] MediaBox - Portable, Off-the-Grid Media Server & Homelab

WIP

What is it?

I don't know about you, but I have a lot of data. Personal photos, sensitive documents, memes - Important stuff that I couldn't afford to lose. A lot of that is copied to the cloud nowadays, though of course the cloud is inaccessible without an internet connection. Sure, you can expand data storage on your phone by popping in an SD card, but those only go so far in capacity, durability, and speed. What if I could bring all my data with me everywhere I go? And I do mean all of my data - Which happens to include all of the current 40 million Wikipedia articles and 60 million Gutenberg Library books, among other things. (What? They're free!) That way, the next time [RELATABLE EXAMPLE] I'm out camping with the boys and Brayden drops another dumb take, I'll have the means to roast him - No internet required.

MediaBox is my DIY project that packs a small computer inside of a rugged carrying case and allows users to connect to it over WiFi with any device that has a web browser, like phones, tablets, and laptops. It's extremely power efficient, and can run on battery power, or off a solar panel. Deploy it where people are and let them connect on whichever device they choose! But MediaBox isn't just a portable storage solution - It's a full-blown media server and homelab you can take anywhere. I've built mine to be a particular way, but you can serve any content you'd like with a bit of tinkering. I live in a pretty rural area with frustratingly unreliable internet access, and sometimes the service stops working for days on end, which is insufferable for an adict like me. While I can't put the entire internet in my pocket, I can store away some of its most important parts for when the blackouts return. While I'm at it, I could prepare for the end of the world. I bet all this data could be useful for teaching the next generation after the apocalypse...

On the subject of education, massive and easily portable information repositories like this could be of great use in areas of the world with limited internet access. This is not a novel concept - Kiwix, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing offline access to free educational content[1], has worked with foreign agencies to supply interactive educational content to classrooms through the same sort of tiny, power-efficient computer chips like I used here[2]. The explosion in popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT) has brought an unprecidented level of availability, versatility, and community support for computers as small as your thumbnail, allowing projects like this to come to life even at the hands of this clueless CompSci student.

What's it do?

In a nutshell, from the web browser of a device in close proximity you can:

1. *Play audio and video (music, TV shows, movies, etc.)
2. *Read E-books (and comics, manga, etc.) from your digital library
3. *Search through offline wiki archives (Wikipedia, The Gutenberg Library, MD Wiki, Wikiversity, and more)
4. *Access interactive educational content for K-12 and beyond
5. *Play retro video games using an emulator
6. *Chat with the machine with an AI chatbot
7. *Interface with the system through utilities like a desktop interface

The beauty of MediaBox is how easy it is to share it all with those around you. Its super simple to operate, with just 3 easy steps:

1. [1] Connect to the WiFi hotspot manually, or scan the QR code on the box. Accept the connection and you'll be directed to the homepage (http://10.0.0.1)
2. [2] On the homepage, choose a service to access
3. [3] Login to the service, if needed, with guest credentials

MediaBox is pieced together from well-supported commercially available parts, allowing for infinite customization and expandability with a little technical know-how (I've documented my steps further down).

What's in the box?

Full Parts List

image: excel spreadsheet breakdown

Services Breakdown

image: homepage

Setup Instructions

Afterthoughts

References

1. [1] Explore offline Wikipedia and educational content with Kiwix. Kiwix. (2024, September 2). https://kiwix.org/en/
2. [2] guy, T. other K. (2024, May 13). How does one bridge the digital divide in Guinea?. Kiwix. https://kiwix.org/en/digital-schools-in-guinea