JoeB-

Supermicro and ASRock Rack both make standard form-factor mini-ITX and micro-ATX server-class motherboards with dedicated IPMI ports that would fit in a shallow-depth rack-mounted chassis.

...which for me is uptil 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.253 (I cannot edit this, it's an ISP router)

Are you certain that you cannot set the DHCP range on your ISP's router? I suggest researching this option a bit further, including contacting your ISP tech support. I have never heard of an ISP-provided router not allowing customers to change the DHC range.

Other options include:

1. disabling the DHCP server on your ISP-provided router and enabling the DHCP server on your Pi-hole with a limited DHCP range as needed, or
2. replace the ISP-provided router with your own router, which could save money if the ISP charges a monthly rental fee.

Single host - Just Docker run + Portainer - Also using Macvlans so most containers have hostnames and static IPs on my LAN. K8s is cool, but I have no need for container orchestration.

Choosing a service to NOT selfhost is a subjective descision.

I host 18 Proxmox VMs and 20 Docker containers at home. I also was selfhosting a WebDAV server for synchronizing my Joplin notes between devices and Vaultwarden for managing my Bitwarden vault, but decided to push the Joplin synchronization target to Dropbox [free] and to use Bitwarden's free cloud solution for my passwords and secure notes. I did this because I will need immediate access to these two critical sources of information should my house burn down, or get blown over by a tornado. I have extremely strong passcodes for these and trust the hosts.

This was strictly a personal decision. YMMV.

OP, your poll needs an "All of the above" option. That would be my choice.

In a nutshell, I have no interest in the feature bloat being introduced into Plex. I want a simple media server. Jellyfin provides this, and includes basic features like hardware transcoding and live-TV. I migrated from Plex [free] to Jellyfin a couple of years ago and haven't looked back.

I also am in the Apple ecosystem and pay $10 USD per year for the Infuse app, which is more polished IMO than both the native Jellyfin and Plex clients.

Two reasons…

1. CCA is a cheap, problematic product that gives the false impression of cost savings.

2. CCA can be a fire hazard if used for PoE.

Two options that come to mind are:

1. outdoor wireless mesh, or
2. wireless bridging.

In either case, these will need power.