•10 min read

I'm Starting to Self-Host My Own 'Internet' (and Why You Can Too)

Two years into building a personal intranet: replacing Netflix with Jellyfin, running local AI models, hosting offline Wikipedia, and reclaiming digital ownership

Self-HostedHomelabAIJellyfinOwnershipPrivacy

I'm Starting to Self-Host My Own "Internet" (and Why You Can Too)

For the last two years, I've been slowly moving away from the modern, rent-based internet.

You know the one:

  • Monthly subscriptions for everything
  • Region-locked content
  • Password sharing bans
  • Licenses changing overnight
  • AI tools suddenly paywalled
  • Services getting worse while costing more

At some point I got tired of renting access to things I used to own.

So I started an experiment: how much of my digital life could I run myself?

Not "disconnect from the internet", but build an offline-first intranet that I fully control.

This post is a progress showcase — and an invitation to do it better than me, because I'm doing a lot of this rogue 😄

What I Mean by "My Own Internet"

This is not replacing the real internet.

It's closer to:

  • A personal intranet
  • Filled with media, knowledge, tools, and AI
  • Accessible offline
  • With frozen webpages (Wikipedia, AskUbuntu, archived sites)
  • And resilient against outages, licensing changes, or company decisions

Think: Internet Archive + Netflix + Steam + ChatGPT — but self-hosted.

Media: Jellyfin Instead of Netflix

I replaced streaming platforms with Jellyfin, a self-hosted media server.

What I have:

  • Over 10TB of series and movies
  • Fully offline playback
  • No region locks
  • No subscriptions
  • Works on TVs, phones, browsers

⚠️ Important: Don't pirate media.

I buy old DVDs and Blu-rays (they're cheap now), rip them, and store them locally. You own what you buy — use that.

Why It's Better

Streaming ServicesSelf-Hosted Jellyfin
$15-20/month eachOne-time hardware cost
Content rotates outPermanent library
Region-lockedAvailable everywhere
Needs internetFully offline
Multiple subscriptionsSingle interface

Cost breakdown:

  • Netflix + Disney+ + HBO = ~$50/month = $600/year
  • My setup: ~$300 hardware + $100/year electricity = breaks even in ~8 months

After that? Pure savings.

Knowledge: Wikipedia & AskUbuntu Offline (Kiwix)

Using Kiwix, I host:

  • A full offline Wikipedia (~90GB with images)
  • An offline AskUbuntu
  • Other documentation snapshots

This means:

  • ✅ Instant access
  • ✅ No tracking
  • ✅ Works even with zero internet
  • ✅ Perfect for outages or travel

It's shocking how empowering it feels to have knowledge locally available.

How to Set It Up

# Install Kiwix server
wget https://download.kiwix.org/release/kiwix-tools/kiwix-tools_linux-x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xvf kiwix-tools_linux-x86_64.tar.gz

# Download Wikipedia (example)
wget https://download.kiwix.org/zim/wikipedia_en_all_maxi.zim

# Run server
./kiwix-serve wikipedia_en_all_maxi.zim

Access at http://localhost:8080 — Wikipedia, fully offline.

Games: Offline Libraries + Streaming to TVs

For games, my setup is:

Playnite → offline game library manager
Sunshine + Moonlight → stream games from my server to TVs

Benefits:

  • ✅ One central library
  • ✅ No launcher hell (Steam, Epic, Ubisoft, EA...)
  • ✅ Works even if Steam, Epic, or others go down
  • ✅ Couch gaming without consoles

Setup

# Sunshine configuration
# Install on gaming PC/server
# Expose port 47989

# Moonlight clients
# Install on: Android TV, Phone, Tablet, Raspberry Pi
# Connect to gaming server
# 1080p/60fps over LAN, minimal latency

Experience: Playing AAA games on a TV in another room, with the PC in my office. No console needed.

AI: Fully Self-Hosted LLMs & Generative Media

This is where things get really interesting.

XandAI + Ollama

I built XandAI, a custom WebUI to:

  • Run local LLMs via Ollama
  • Chat privately
  • Switch models freely
  • No usage caps
  • No data leaving my network
  • No licenses changing. No "this feature is now paid".

Models I run:

  • Llama 3.3 70B (general purpose)
  • Qwen 2.5 Coder (programming)
  • Mistral (fast responses)
  • DeepSeek V3 (reasoning)

Cost comparison:

ServiceCost/MonthMy Setup
ChatGPT Plus$20$0
Claude Pro$20$0
Gemini Advanced$20$0
Total$60/month$0/month

One-time investment: RTX GPUs (~$800-1500), pays for itself in 1-2 years.

ComfyUI

For images and video:

  • ComfyUI running locally
  • Full control over models
  • No censorship layers
  • No cloud costs
  • Generate as much as you want

Once you generate media locally, it's hard to go back.

Models I use:

  • Stable Diffusion XL
  • Flux (for high-quality images)
  • AnimateDiff (for video)
  • ControlNet (for precise control)

Infrastructure Overview (Mid-Level, No Overkill)

I'm running multiple machines, managed via FileBrowser and Open Atlas Node.

Servers

🎮 Gamer Server

  • Ryzen 7 7700
  • RTX 4060 (8GB)
  • 32GB DDR5 RAM
  • 4TB SSD
  • Purpose: Game streaming, general tasks

🤖 AI Server

  • Ryzen 7 7700
  • 2× RTX 5060 (16GB each = 32GB VRAM)
  • 64GB DDR5 RAM
  • 1TB SSD
  • Purpose: LLMs, image/video generation

🎬 Media Server

  • Intel i5-10400
  • 32GB RAM
  • 12TB HDD
  • 1TB SSD
  • Purpose: Jellyfin, file storage, backups

No fancy rack. No enterprise gear. Just purposeful machines.

Network Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Home Network                   │
│                                             │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐ │
│  │  Gamer   │  │    AI    │  │  Media   │ │
│  │  Server  │  │  Server  │  │  Server  │ │
│  └────┬─────┘  └────┬─────┘  └────┬─────┘ │
│       │             │              │        │
│       └─────────────┴──────────────┘       │
│                     │                       │
│              ┌──────┴──────┐               │
│              │   Router    │               │
│              └──────┬──────┘               │
│                     │                       │
│         ┌───────────┴───────────┐          │
│         │                       │          │
│    ┌────▼────┐            ┌────▼────┐     │
│    │  Phones │            │   TVs   │     │
│    │ Tablets │            │  Laptops│     │
│    └─────────┘            └─────────┘     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │
         │ Tailscale VPN
         ▼
    External Access

Management Tools

Open Atlas Node: Central dashboard for monitoring all servers

  • CPU, RAM, disk usage in real-time
  • Remote command execution
  • Web-based SSH terminals
  • User management

FileBrowser: Web-based file management

  • Upload/download media
  • Organize libraries
  • Share files with temporary links

Check out my guides:

Access Outside Home (The Hardest Part)

The hardest challenge so far: availability outside my network.

Current Solution: Tailscale

I use Tailscale:

Pros:

  • ✅ Easy setup (5 minutes)
  • ✅ Secure (WireGuard-based)
  • ✅ Works behind CGNAT
  • ✅ No port forwarding needed
  • ✅ Free for personal use

Cons:

  • ❌ Latency is noticeable
  • ❌ Bandwidth limitations on free tier
  • ❌ Not great for 4K streaming

You feel it especially with media and AI.

Alternatives I'm Exploring

  1. Cloudflare Tunnel: Free, zero-trust network access
  2. WireGuard VPN: Self-hosted, lower latency
  3. Nginx Reverse Proxy: Direct access (requires static IP)

This is still an ongoing problem to solve properly.

Hard Lessons Learned

1. HDDs WILL Fail

I learned this the hard way.

Lost ~2TB of data when a drive died unexpectedly.

Now I follow 3-2-1 backup:

  • 3 copies of data
  • 2 different storage types (HDD + SSD)
  • 1 offsite backup (external drive at family's house)

2. RAID is NOT a Backup

RAID protects against drive failure, not:

  • Accidental deletion
  • Ransomware
  • Fire/flood
  • User error

You need:

  • Cold backups (disconnected drives)
  • Redundancy (multiple copies)
  • A recovery plan (tested!)

3. Storage is Where Most People Cut Corners

Don't.

Buy quality drives:

  • WD Red or Seagate IronWolf for NAS
  • Samsung or Crucial for SSDs
  • Budget for replacement every 3-5 years

4. Power Consumption Adds Up

Running 3 servers 24/7:

Estimated monthly cost:
- Gamer Server (idle): ~50W × 24h × 30 days = 36 kWh
- AI Server (idle): ~80W × 24h × 30 days = 58 kWh
- Media Server: ~40W × 24h × 30 days = 29 kWh

Total: ~123 kWh/month
At $0.12/kWh = ~$15/month

Still cheaper than subscriptions, but factor it in.

What Changed for Me

I'm Protected From:

  • ✅ License changes
  • ✅ Platform shutdowns
  • ✅ Internet outages
  • ✅ Price increases
  • ✅ Region locks
  • ✅ Privacy invasions

I Realized I Could Live Offline

If not for work, I could completely disconnect.

Everything I use daily:

  • Entertainment (Jellyfin)
  • Knowledge (Kiwix)
  • AI (Ollama + XandAI)
  • Gaming (local library)
  • Files (FileBrowser)

All work without internet.

I Now Go Online Mostly for Work

Everything else?
My network handles it.

This flipped my relationship with the internet:

  • From dependency to choice
  • From consumer to owner
  • From renting to owning

What's Next

Short Term

  1. Self-hosted podcast app

    • Fully offline listening
    • Sync when online, consume offline
    • Considering: Podgrab

  2. Automated backups

    • Rsync to external drives
    • Cloud backup for critical data
    • Automated testing of restores

  3. Better remote access

    • Reduce latency
    • Enable 4K streaming remotely
    • Possibly Cloudflare Tunnel

Long Term

  1. Solar power for servers

    • Reduce electricity costs
    • True independence

  2. Mesh network across family homes

    • Distributed backups
    • Shared resources
    • Resilient network

  3. Community guides

    • Help others self-host
    • Share configurations
    • Build tools for easier setup

Cost Breakdown: 2 Years In

Initial Investment

ItemCost
3 servers (used + new parts)~$3,000
Hard drives (12TB total)~$400
SSDs (6TB total)~$600
Networking (router, switches)~$200
Total~$4,200

Ongoing Costs

ItemCost/Year
Electricity (~$15/month)~$180
Drive replacements (amortized)~$100
Internet (already had)$0
Total~$280/year

What I Replaced

ServiceCost/MonthCost/Year
Netflix$15$180
Disney+$11$132
HBO Max$16$192
Spotify$11$132
ChatGPT Plus$20$240
Claude Pro$20$240
Cloud Storage (1TB)$10$120
Total$103/month$1,236/year

Break-even point: ~4-5 years
After that: Saving $1,000+/year

But the real value isn't the money.

It's:

  • Ownership
  • Privacy
  • Control
  • Resilience

Final Thoughts

This is not about nostalgia.

It's about ownership, resilience, and freedom.

Self-hosting isn't just cheaper — it gives you leverage back.

Who This Is For

✅ You're tired of subscriptions
✅ You want control over your data
✅ You enjoy tinkering and learning
✅ You have basic technical skills
✅ You value privacy and ownership

Who This Might Not Be For

❌ You need maximum convenience
❌ You don't want to maintain anything
❌ You have slow/unreliable internet
❌ You can't invest initial hardware cost

Getting Started

If you're interested in building something similar:

Start Small

  1. One server (old laptop or cheap used PC)
  2. One service (Jellyfin or Kiwix)
  3. Learn the basics (Docker, networking)
  4. Expand gradually

Resources I've Written

Communities

Questions?

I've shared guides and write-ups on this blog, and I'm happy to answer questions.

📧 Contact: av.souza2018@gmail.com

If you're building something similar — or planning to — you're not alone anymore.

This is a living experiment. I'm learning as I go, making mistakes, and improving the setup constantly. If you have suggestions or want to share your own journey, reach out!

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