The Useful Family Hub. Part 2

Keir Thomas explains how to turn a Raspberry Pi or old PC into a Swiss army knife for the family’s computers and handhelds

In last week’s instalment of this two-part feature, we looked at setting up a Raspberry Pi (or old PC with Linux installed) so it becomes a useful hub for all the computers or handheld devices on your home network. For example, we explained how to turn it into an ad blocker, NAS, AirPlay audio relay for Apple devices and even a personal cloud.

PoE Pi

Power Over Ethernet for your Raspberry Pi

I’m amazed it took this long, considering the amount of uses the Raspberry Pi has already been put to. But there’s a Kickstarter campaign running, with ten days left to go (at the time of writing), for an add-on board for the Raspberry Pi that brings Power over Ethernet.

The project has been created by Pi Supply, a dedicated shop and resource site for all thing Pi related and one that has some pretty interesting products currently in stock.

Synology DiskStation DS715 2-Bay NAS

A compact NAS that packs a decent punch

Synology has, in the past, offered a wide and varied selection of NAS units for both business and home users alike. The quality is generally very high and, of course, the added benefit of the built-in Synology DiskStation Manager software has lured in many a customer.

Sharkoon Shark Zone M20 Gaming Mouse

Who says gaming mice have to cost an arm and a leg?

Gaming mice come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very basic and can hardly be classed as a gaming peripheral. Others go the other way and are far too extreme for most users' needs, even the hardcore gamer. Often, finding something in the middle that’s pitched just right can be something of a chore. Sharkoon, though, may have the answer.

Sharkoon Skiller Pro Gaming Keyboard

A membrane keyboard capable of standing toe to toe with any mechanical switch type

We’ve already had the pleasure of testing and reviewing the Sharkoon Skiller, a keyboard  that impressed us with its functionality, feel and above all else, price. Now it’s the turn of its elder brother the Skiller Pro, so we were interested to see what the extra Pro element had to offer to an already good keyboard.

QNAP TS-453mini

It may be small in name, but it’s a bit of a beast

QNAP, we’ve often felt, has an advantage over some of the other big name NAS manufacturers. This is mainly due to the QTS 4.1 operating system, the range of add-on apps and packages, the sheer processing power inside its units and the addition of an HDMI port and virtualisation software.

HP Envy 7640 Multi-function Inkjet

HP smartens up its multi-function printer act with the Envy 7640

Whenever I see inkjet printers designed for business and incorporating fax technology, I age visibly. Inkjet technology simply isn’t appropriate for the high-volume printing that businesses often engage in, and fax needs to be consigned to the same historical bin as hand semaphore. The fact is that people still buy these products, so a market exists for devices exactly like the Envy 7640.

Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One 23

Lenovo supports its M-Series Tiny Desktops with a special monitor

When I recently covered Lenovo’s M73 Tiny system, it also sent me this device, the Tiny-in-One 23. At first I thought this was an all-inone system, but it’s actually something subtly different that’s designed to work alongside the M73 Tiny, and all the other M-Series ‘Tiny’ models that Lenovo makes.