2018-04-22, 02:10
Hi, I'm thinking of buying a Raspberry Pi as a dedicated Kodi box (plus for a couple of other cool uses, see below). I'm pretty new to both the Pi and associated network considerations, so please bear with me.
How do I best set myself up, given the following constraints/realities:
- Hardwired router in my office, about 50' (mostly line of sight) away from my living room TV
- Laptop (Windows 10) in my office, hardwired to the router but of course also wifi capable
- WiFi only in my living room. Decent but not spectacular signal strength (usually ~50-60 dB). My landlord won't allow any new wiring, plugs etc
- Ancient TV, no ethernet port and only two HDMI ports, both taken (Chromecast and my cable company's PVR)
Currently, I'm streaming Kodi from my laptop using a static IP, Chrome ==> Cast to ==> Chromecast, and the Kore app on my android for remote control. It works ok, but is kinda clunky.
So, first question, can a reasonably late model Pi pull triple duty: (1) Kodi server (2) Retro game machine for the kids (RetroPie) and (3) Hardware to attach a fairly basic NAS to?
Second question, how do I best deal with the "no ethernet in LR" issue? Another physical router next to the TV? Connect with PowerLine or gamble with wifi? Or, could I simply plug the Pi into an availabe ethernet port on the router, leave always-on, and just toggle AV sources on my TV on demand? And how well might that work with a little Kodi-orientd 3rd party remote remote? The remote would always be querying a static IP, but I assume the wifi signal signal between remote in LR and Kodi box in my office must be strong(er?) to be reliable. I'd like everything to run smooth a silk, am worried about potential wifi latency though.
Or is there something blatantly obvious that I've overlooked?
How do I best set myself up, given the following constraints/realities:
- Hardwired router in my office, about 50' (mostly line of sight) away from my living room TV
- Laptop (Windows 10) in my office, hardwired to the router but of course also wifi capable
- WiFi only in my living room. Decent but not spectacular signal strength (usually ~50-60 dB). My landlord won't allow any new wiring, plugs etc
- Ancient TV, no ethernet port and only two HDMI ports, both taken (Chromecast and my cable company's PVR)
Currently, I'm streaming Kodi from my laptop using a static IP, Chrome ==> Cast to ==> Chromecast, and the Kore app on my android for remote control. It works ok, but is kinda clunky.
So, first question, can a reasonably late model Pi pull triple duty: (1) Kodi server (2) Retro game machine for the kids (RetroPie) and (3) Hardware to attach a fairly basic NAS to?
Second question, how do I best deal with the "no ethernet in LR" issue? Another physical router next to the TV? Connect with PowerLine or gamble with wifi? Or, could I simply plug the Pi into an availabe ethernet port on the router, leave always-on, and just toggle AV sources on my TV on demand? And how well might that work with a little Kodi-orientd 3rd party remote remote? The remote would always be querying a static IP, but I assume the wifi signal signal between remote in LR and Kodi box in my office must be strong(er?) to be reliable. I'd like everything to run smooth a silk, am worried about potential wifi latency though.
Or is there something blatantly obvious that I've overlooked?