plans: add media PC replacement plan, update router hardware candidates

New plan for replacing the media PC (i7-4770K/Ubuntu) with a NixOS mini PC
running Kodi. Router plan updated with specific AliExpress hardware options
and IDS/IPS considerations.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/plans/media-pc-replacement.md

@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+# Media PC Replacement
+
+## Overview
+
+Replace the aging Linux+Kodi media PC connected to the TV with a modern, compact solution. Primary use cases are Jellyfin/Kodi playback and watching Twitch/YouTube. The current machine (`media`, 10.69.31.50) is on VLAN 31.
+
+## Current State
+
+### Hardware
+- **CPU**: Intel Core i7-4770K @ 3.50GHz (Haswell, 4C/8T, 2013)
+- **GPU**: Nvidia GeForce GT 710 (Kepler, GK208B)
+- **OS**: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS (Jammy)
+- **Software**: Kodi
+- **Network**: `media.home.2rjus.net` at `10.69.31.50` (VLAN 31)
+
+### Control & Display
+- **Input**: Wireless keyboard (works well, useful for browser)
+- **TV**: 1080p (no 4K/HDR currently, but may upgrade TV later)
+- **Audio**: Surround system connected via HDMI ARC from TV (PC → HDMI → TV → ARC → surround)
+
+### Notes on Current Hardware
+- The i7-4770K is massively overpowered for media playback — it's a full desktop CPU from 2013
+- The GT 710 is a low-end passive GPU; supports NVDEC for H.264/H.265 hardware decode but limited to 4K@30Hz over HDMI 1.4
+- Ubuntu 22.04 is approaching EOL (April 2027) and is not managed by this repo
+- The whole system is likely in a full-size or mid-tower case — not ideal for a TV setup
+
+### Integration
+- **Media source**: Jellyfin on `jelly01` (10.69.13.14) serves media from NAS via NFS
+- **DNS**: A record in `services/ns/external-hosts.nix`
+- **Not managed**: Not a NixOS host in this repo, no monitoring/auto-updates
+
+## Options
+
+### Option 1: Dedicated Streaming Device (Apple TV / Nvidia Shield)
+
+| Aspect | Apple TV 4K | Nvidia Shield Pro |
+|--------|-------------|-------------------|
+| **Price** | ~$130-180 | ~$200 |
+| **Jellyfin** | Swiftfin app (good) | Jellyfin Android TV (good) |
+| **Kodi** | Not available (tvOS) | Full Kodi support |
+| **Twitch** | Native app | Native app |
+| **YouTube** | Native app | Native app |
+| **HDR/DV** | Dolby Vision + HDR10 | Dolby Vision + HDR10 |
+| **4K** | Yes | Yes |
+| **Form factor** | Tiny, silent | Small, silent |
+| **Remote** | Excellent Siri remote | Decent, supports CEC |
+| **Homelab integration** | None | Minimal (Plex/Kodi only) |
+
+**Pros:**
+- Zero maintenance - appliance experience
+- Excellent app ecosystem (native Twitch, YouTube, streaming services)
+- Silent, tiny form factor
+- Great remote control / CEC support
+- Hardware-accelerated codec support out of the box
+
+**Cons:**
+- No NixOS management, monitoring, or auto-updates
+- Can't run arbitrary software
+- Jellyfin clients are decent but not as mature as Kodi
+- Vendor lock-in (Apple ecosystem / Google ecosystem)
+- No SSH access for troubleshooting
+
+### Option 2: NixOS Mini PC (Kodi Appliance)
+
+A small form factor PC (Intel NUC, Beelink, MinisForum, etc.) running NixOS with Kodi as the desktop environment.
+
+**NixOS has built-in support:**
+- `services.xserver.desktopManager.kodi.enable` - boots directly into Kodi
+- `kodi-gbm` package - Kodi with direct DRM/KMS rendering (no X11/Wayland needed)
+- `kodiPackages.jellycon` - Jellyfin integration for Kodi
+- `kodiPackages.sendtokodi` - plays streams via yt-dlp (Twitch, YouTube)
+- `kodiPackages.inputstream-adaptive` - adaptive streaming support
+
+**Example NixOS config sketch:**
+```nix
+{ pkgs, ... }:
+{
+  services.xserver.desktopManager.kodi = {
+    enable = true;
+    package = pkgs.kodi.withPackages (p: [
+      p.jellycon
+      p.sendtokodi
+      p.inputstream-adaptive
+    ]);
+  };
+
+  # Auto-login to Kodi session
+  services.displayManager.autoLogin = {
+    enable = true;
+    user = "kodi";
+  };
+}
+```
+
+**Pros:**
+- Full NixOS management (monitoring, auto-updates, vault, promtail)
+- Kodi is a proven TV interface with excellent remote/CEC support
+- JellyCon integrates Jellyfin library directly into Kodi
+- Twitch/YouTube via sendtokodi + yt-dlp or Kodi browser addons
+- Can run arbitrary services (e.g., Home Assistant dashboard)
+- Declarative, reproducible config in this repo
+
+**Cons:**
+- More maintenance than an appliance
+- NixOS + Kodi on bare metal needs GPU driver setup (Intel iGPU is usually fine)
+- Kodi YouTube/Twitch addons are less polished than native apps
+- Need to buy hardware (~$150-400 for a decent mini PC)
+- Power consumption higher than a streaming device
+
+### Option 3: NixOS Mini PC (Wayland Desktop)
+
+A mini PC running NixOS with a lightweight Wayland compositor, launching Kodi for media and a browser for Twitch/YouTube.
+
+**Pros:**
+- Best of both worlds: Kodi for media, Firefox/Chromium for Twitch/YouTube
+- Full NixOS management
+- Can switch between Kodi and browser easily
+- Native web experience for streaming sites
+
+**Cons:**
+- More complex setup (compositor + Kodi + browser)
+- Harder to get a good "10-foot UI" experience
+- Keyboard/mouse may be needed alongside remote
+- Significantly more maintenance
+
+## Comparison
+
+| Criteria | Dedicated Device | NixOS Kodi | NixOS Desktop |
+|----------|-----------------|------------|---------------|
+| **Maintenance** | None | Low | Medium |
+| **Media experience** | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
+| **Twitch/YouTube** | Excellent (native apps) | Good (addons/yt-dlp) | Excellent (browser) |
+| **Homelab integration** | None | Full | Full |
+| **Form factor** | Tiny | Small | Small |
+| **Cost** | $130-200 | $150-400 | $150-400 |
+| **Silent operation** | Yes | Likely (fanless options) | Likely |
+| **CEC remote** | Yes | Yes (Kodi) | Partial |
+
+## Decision: NixOS Mini PC with Kodi (Option 2)
+
+**Rationale:**
+- Already comfortable with Kodi + wireless keyboard workflow
+- Browser access for Twitch/YouTube is important — Kodi can launch a browser when needed
+- Homelab integration comes for free (monitoring, auto-updates, vault)
+- Natural fit alongside the other 16 NixOS hosts in this repo
+- Dedicated devices lose the browser/keyboard workflow
+
+### Twitch/YouTube in Kodi
+
+Several approaches, can mix and match:
+- **sendtokodi** addon + yt-dlp — paste/send URLs, plays via yt-dlp backend. Supports Twitch and YouTube.
+- **Kodi web browser** — launch a full browser from within Kodi (falls back to keyboard input)
+- **Tube addon** / YouTube plugin — dedicated YouTube browsing within Kodi UI
+
+The browser fallback with the wireless keyboard means streaming sites will always work even if Kodi addons are flaky.
+
+### Audio Passthrough
+
+Kodi on NixOS supports HDMI audio passthrough for surround formats (AC3, DTS, etc.). The ARC chain (PC → HDMI → TV → ARC → surround) works transparently — Kodi just needs to be configured for passthrough rather than decoding audio locally.
+
+## Hardware
+
+### Leading Candidate: GMKtec G3
+
+- **CPU**: Intel N100 (Alder Lake-N, 4C/4T)
+- **RAM**: 16GB
+- **Storage**: 512GB NVMe
+- **Price**: ~NOK 2800 (~$250 USD)
+- **Source**: AliExpress
+
+The N100 supports hardware decode for all relevant 4K codecs:
+
+| Codec | Support | Used by |
+|-------|---------|---------|
+| H.264/AVC | Yes (Quick Sync) | Older media |
+| H.265/HEVC 10-bit | Yes (Quick Sync) | Most 4K media, HDR |
+| VP9 | Yes (Quick Sync) | YouTube 4K |
+| AV1 | Yes (Quick Sync) | YouTube, Twitch, newer encodes |
+
+16GB RAM is comfortable for Kodi + browser + NixOS system services (node-exporter, promtail, etc.) with plenty of headroom.
+
+### Key Requirements
+- HDMI 2.0+ for 4K future-proofing (current TV is 1080p)
+- Hardware video decode via VA-API / Intel Quick Sync
+- HDR support (for future TV upgrade)
+- Fanless or near-silent operation
+
+## Implementation Steps
+
+1. **Choose and order hardware**
+2. **Create host configuration** (`hosts/media1/`)
+   - Kodi desktop manager with Jellyfin + streaming addons
+   - Intel/AMD iGPU driver and VA-API hardware decode
+   - HDMI audio passthrough for surround
+   - NFS mount for media (same pattern as jelly01)
+   - Browser package (Firefox/Chromium) for Twitch/YouTube fallback
+   - Standard system modules (monitoring, promtail, vault, auto-upgrade)
+3. **Install NixOS** on the mini PC
+4. **Configure Kodi** (Jellyfin server, addons, audio passthrough)
+5. **Update DNS** - point `media.home.2rjus.net` to new IP (or keep on VLAN 31)
+6. **Retire old media PC**
+
+## Open Questions
+
+- [x] What are the current media PC specs? — i7-4770K, GT 710, Ubuntu 22.04. Overkill CPU, weak GPU, large form factor. Not worth reusing if goal is compact/silent.
+- [x] VLAN? — Keep on VLAN 31 for now, same as current media PC. Can revisit later.
+- [x] Is CEC needed? — No, not using it currently. Can add later if desired.
+- [x] Is 4K HDR output needed? — TV is 1080p now, but want 4K/HDR capability for future TV upgrade
+- [x] Audio setup? — Surround system via HDMI ARC from TV. Media PC outputs HDMI to TV, TV passes audio to surround via ARC. Kodi/any player just needs HDMI audio output with surround passthrough.
+- [x] Are there streaming service apps needed? — No. Only Twitch/YouTube, which work fine in any browser.
+- [x] Budget? — ~NOK 2800 for GMKtec G3 (N100, 16GB, 512GB NVMe)

docs/plans/nixos-router.md

@@ -42,10 +42,24 @@ Needs a small x86 box with:
 - 4-8 GB RAM (plenty for routing + DHCP + NetFlow accounting)
 - Low power consumption, fanless preferred for always-on use
 
-Candidates:
+**Leading candidate:** [Topton Solid Mini PC](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008981218625.html)
-- Topton / CWWK mini PC with dual/quad Intel 2.5GbE (~100-150 EUR)
+with Intel i3-N300 (8 E-cores), 2x10GbE SFP+ + 3x2.5GbE (~NOK 3000 barebones). The N300
-- Protectli Vault (more expensive, ~200-300 EUR, proven in pfSense/OPNsense community)
+gives headroom for ntopng DPI and potential Suricata IDS without being overkill.
-- Any mini PC with one onboard NIC + one USB 2.5GbE adapter (cheapest, less ideal)
+
+### Hardware Alternatives
+
+Domestic availability for firewall mini PCs is limited — likely ordering from AliExpress.
+
+Key things to verify:
+- NIC chipset: Intel i225-V/i226-V preferred over Realtek for Linux driver support
+- RAM/storage: some listings are barebones, check what's included
+- Import duties: factor in ~25% on top of listing price
+
+| Option | NICs | Notes | Price |
+|--------|------|-------|-------|
+| [Topton Solid Firewall Router](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008059819023.html) | 2x10GbE SFP+, 4x2.5GbE | No RAM/SSD, only Intel N150 available currently | ~NOK 2500 |
+| [Topton Solid Mini PC](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008981218625.html) | 2x10GbE SFP+, 3x2.5GbE | No RAM/SSD, only Intel i3-N300 available currently | ~NOK 3000 |
+| [MINISFORUM MS-01](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007308262492.html) | 2x10GbE SFP+, 2x2.5GbE | No RAM/SSD, i5-12600H | ~NOK 4500 |
 
 The LAN port would carry a VLAN trunk to the MikroTik switch, with sub-interfaces
 for each VLAN. WAN port connects to the ISP uplink.
@@ -89,6 +103,12 @@ The router is treated differently from the rest of the fleet:
 - nftables flow accounting or softflowd for NetFlow export
 - Export to future ntopng instance (see new-services.md)
 
+**IDS/IPS (future consideration):**
+- Suricata for inline intrusion detection/prevention on the WAN interface
+- Signature-based threat detection, protocol anomaly detection
+- CPU-intensive — feasible at typical home internet speeds (500Mbps-1Gbps) on the N300
+- Not a day-one requirement, but the hardware should support it
+
 ### Monitoring Integration
 
 Since this is a NixOS host in the flake, it gets the standard monitoring stack for free: