Advice on portable offline jellyfin server

[ZhenDemon]

Context:
I am currently living at home where I have my gaming PC as my media server (see below for details). However, my living situation will be changing soon and I will be living 5 days/week in a new location with no internet for 6 months, only coming back home on the weekends (has internet). I want to still have access to my media during this 6 month period, however I would like to invest in new hardware that will allow me to transition away from using my gaming PC as my media server. This is a unique situation and doing research is quite difficult given my circumstance. Here's my thought process on how to accomplish this so far, I'm not an expert at this so any advice/tips on whether or not this makes any sense would be greatly appreciated.

Current build:
- Gaming PC running Windows 10 with {app we don't talk about - TDP}, NordVPN, {app we don't talk about - TDP}, {app we don't talk about - TDP}, and Plex as media server with move and TV show libraries on PC internal HDDs (4 TB used).

My goal:
- Have a portable media server that I can bring to the new location during the week. Run Jellyfin as media server without internet and use Roku Tv with Jellyfin app to play movies/shows.
- When required, I would bring the media server back home on the weekends (has internet) to add more movies/shows.

Usage: Movies, TV Shows, and Music
- Only ~1 user (me + very rarely 1 other at the same time), max 1080p quality files (4K files not necessarry)
- Max storage needs are 8 tb for now

My idea for now: Budget max 500$ CAD
- Mini PC (Beelink S12 Pro Intel 12th Gen 4 Core N100) with external usb hardrive (or internal hardive with enclosure?) for libraries to run Jellyfin and play movies/shows on Roku TV using Jellyfin App (all this possible without internet during the week)
- When back at home, the Beelink would be connected back to the internet, where I could update movie/show library.

In summary:
I need a portable media server that can run without internet for 5 days/week for a 6 month period, after which I would like to use that media server as my dedicated one at home, replacing my gaming PC Plex server. The media server would be for personal use (only me). If there are better options than what I've proposed then I am willing to learn, I am by no means an expert, and would prefer options that are user-friendly and easy to implement. Thank you!

[Bobby Vaughn]

Without internet, my Roku is useless. All I get is a screen telling me to connect to internet. The N100 type mini pc seems to work well for Jellyfin, at least for my needs. Connecting the mini pc to the TV with an HDMI cable and something like the Rii RKM709 wireless mouse and keyboard combo might work better for an offline setup.

Edit
You may be able to cast to a cheap device like the Onn Google Tv with only a local network with no internet. I seem to recall that Jellyfin will work with only a local network and I also seem to remember that casting works on Google tv devices on local only setups. I'm not 100% sure though. Would need some testing to confirm

[Bobby Vaughn]

I just tested without internet on a local only setup. Jellyfin server will work and the Android TV app connects and plays local media fine on an Onn Google Tv box. My Roku went to the connect to internet screen.

[ZhenDemon]

Thanks for the info, I didn't think about the Roku needing internet to even get to the Jellyfin app. Not familiar with the Onn google tv box, would I connect that to the Roku then use my phone to connect to Jellyfin and cast from there?

[Bobby Vaughn]

I just had wifi only setup with no internet. I had the windows 11 mini pc connected to the network and the Onn box connected to the Wi-Fi network. The Jellyfin Android TV app on the Onn box streamed over the Wi-Fi network. If you aren't going to bring a wifi router with you, your only real option would be the HDMI from the mini pc to the TV since casting or streaming needs a network connection to work. Here is a link to the Onn Google tv box I used https://www.walmart.com/search?q=onn%20g...oogle%20tv

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A Roku TV may be able to use the Jellyfin Roku app without internet on a local network, IDK. My Roku is an older streamer could be different.

[Bobby Vaughn]

Sorry to keep posting, but it got me thinking. You should be able to set up a mobile hotspot on the PC if it has wifi even without internet and use that to connect to an Android tv device without a router. Either Windows or Ubuntu would have that option in network settings.

[TheDreadPirate]

What would the networking situation be like at this location? Would you at least have a network connection for your devices to use to connect to each other?

I don't know about Roku, but Android TV devices don't need an Internet connection after the initial setup. You'd then install the Jellyfin app and connect to the LAN IP of the Jellyfin server.

In terms of hardware, the Beelink N100 is super capable, small, and power efficient and should more than meet your needs.

If you don't have ANY network connectivity provided by the place you are staying at, you could just bring your own router if that is allowed.

[senorpatata]

Being able to have a media server that doesn't REQUIRE internet is one reason I started using JellyFin. Plex 'works' for a while without internet but after several days of not being able to phone home to the servers it will revoke your PlexPass and disable hardware transcoding and other paid features.

Roku SHOULD be able to work without internet once initialized and JellyFin app is installed.

My current favorite server build is based around a HP Z2 gen4 (i5-8500 / 16gb ram / intel A310 ) This chassis is interesting because it supports Intel vPro / AMT for remote desktop management via Mesh Commander and the case has room for two 3.5" hard drives which can be combined into a single "drive" using the onboard RAID controller. For the remote desktop to work, you'll need to set the iGPU to be the primary and plug in a "monitor emulator" display port dongle. If you REALLY only want to install a single 3.5" hard drive, there is the HP Elitedesk 800 (gen4?) which is a bit smaller than the Z2 but the Asrock A310 LP just barely fits.

I haven't fully tested this aspect but for networking, you should be able to just use a wireless router. I prefer those with at least gigabit wired ports. You should be able to setup a DHCP server on the JellyFin server. Something I've been looking into is how to connect a wireless router to a cellphone in hotspot mode. I believe some of the newer wireless routers have dual wireless radios and as such, you should be able to "remotely" manage the server/router on a laptop while simultaneously connecting to a phone in hotspot mode. If this is incorrect, I have also seen small wifi devices that have a single ethernet port and I believe they can connect to a phone while being connected to a wired switch.

For a while, I looked into setting up JellyFin on a laptop but as of right now, laptops with the right hardware are quite expensive.

[ZhenDemon]

What would the networking situation be like at this location?  Would you at least have a network connection for your devices to use to connect to each other?

I don't know about Roku, but Android TV devices don't need an Internet connection after the initial setup.  You'd then install the Jellyfin app and connect to the LAN IP of the Jellyfin server.

In terms of hardware, the Beelink N100 is super capable, small, and power efficient and should more than meet your needs.

If you don't have ANY network connectivity provided by the place you are staying at, you could just bring your own router if that is allowed.

I've been to this location previously and there is a network, it is a college network so there is no way to alter settings or tamper with anything, and it blocks my Plex server when I tested accessing my Plex server remotely from there and was never successful, hence the need for Jellyfin. I've went ahead and bought the Beelink, and hopefully with the LAN connection or hotspot, that should work. Otherwise I will have an HDMI cable handy to connect directly to the TV. Thank you everyone for your replies.