I just wanted to see what other selfhosters backup emergency plan is if the primary internet router goes offline but the internet isn’t out (ie a router reboot would fix the problem), leaving you without access to your stuff even via vpn.
the options I’ve considered so far:
- cellular smart plug to reboot router
I tried a ubibot smart plug (SP1) that is supposed to work with cellular, but the device or sim is bad. I’m currently troubleshooting. The problem with this one is it requires a proprietary cloud service, it’s supposedly self hostable, but it’s a pia to setup and their app port can’t be changed easily allowing for a reverse proxy setup on VPS.
- the other option I am considering is cellular wifi router and a wifi smart plug connected to that device to reboot router
what other options have I overlooked? Also, specific models of devices would be helpful info from others doing this already.
TIA!
Edit: also just thought of possibly a cellular internet backup on my opnsense box, but from everything I’ve read that’s also very involved to setup
Edit2: I’ve setup a homeassistant automation to reboot a zigbee smart plug if 2 external hosts are down for 15 mins, will try this out for a bit. I still need tp troubleshoot why the device goes down in General. Thanks for all the responses and ideas!
You have to say what your installation is like. If it’s typical consumer cable modem crap that locks up and needs a power cycle now and then, the simplest approach might just be to add a remote power cycle mechanism:
https://www.adafruit.com/product/2935
isn’t the cheapest but it’s nicely packaged. That’s just a switchable power strip, so yes you’d need some kind of cellular internet or meshtastic or something to operate it.
In the more serious case where your box is at a data center, you generally open a ticket with the data center and ask them to reboot the box (“remote hands”). Sometimes they will do that for free, other times they charge you.