I think self-hosting could be viable for more people if two things would happen:
- ISP's need to give a permanent IP's and more upload bandwidth in "regular", low-cost internet plans or at least a "self-hoster" addition
- There needs to be a protocol standard to communicate with home routers for auto-configuring the network in a safe way to be able to access services and applications on certain devices outside of the local network. I don't think it currently is possible in a robust enough way
With those two things I can imagine dedicated appliances that are accessible enough for non-technical users. But the experience has to be as seamless as video game consoles in order to reach "the masses"
That's a good point. Last I checked I pay $15 for a static IP.
For access, i feel something UX-friendly powered by wireguard could do the trick. My own use is to just flip the "connect to my home server" button in wireguard and then I have access to everything. I leave it on most of the time but still have to toggle it if things get weird. Seems like that ought to be able to be wrapped in something prettier.
I def think a "box you set up" is the right way to do it.
- ISP's need to give a permanent IP's and more upload bandwidth in "regular", low-cost internet plans or at least a "self-hoster" addition
- There needs to be a protocol standard to communicate with home routers for auto-configuring the network in a safe way to be able to access services and applications on certain devices outside of the local network. I don't think it currently is possible in a robust enough way
With those two things I can imagine dedicated appliances that are accessible enough for non-technical users. But the experience has to be as seamless as video game consoles in order to reach "the masses"