How to convert your existing desktop PC into a headless home cloud gaming server for Deck streaming

For various reasons (saving space being the big one) I plan to pack my monitor, keyboard and mouse away and go back to using my PC as a headless streaming server again when my Deck arrives. The idea is your desktop can go basically anywhere, provided you have a power socket nearby, and you'll be able to connect from anywhere inside your home. I used to do this in my old flat which was too small to have a desk and it worked well enough that I genuinely think I'll be OK without my current setup given that the Deck has the extra inputs needed to make more games playable vs. what you can do with an Xbox controller. In case you're interested in doing the same, here's what I'll be using and why:

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1. HDMI or DisplayPort EDID spoofer - you need this to tell your graphics card to not switch off when you don't have a monitor connected, otherwise when you connect you'll just see a black screen. Maybe things have changed recently but this was a requirement when I last did this. I have a fit-Headless GS which tops out at 4K at 60Hz, there might be models now that go up to 8K at 60Hz but the Deck obviously only needs 720/800p at 60Hz. You just plug it in, Windows sees it as a screen, you set your desired max resolution to stream at the same as you'd set the resolution on any other connected screen (obviously after logging in remotely) and that's it.
2. USB server - for connecting basically any USB device to your PC from a distance. I use a Raspberry Pi 3 running VirtualHere but it's available on tons of devices, I've never had latency issues with it even over the powerline network (although I've only used it with an Xbox controller/wireless dongle, keyboard and mouse) and it was extremely useful when I needed it. I can think of some use cases where you might want to dock your Deck to a TV and use it to play streamed games (over ethernet) with a racing wheel or whatever, if they won't work natively with the Deck.
3. Powerline network adaptors - I use TP-Link stuff and have done for years without issue, most recently I got a TL-WPA7617 kit to provide 5GHz WiFi coverage in my bedroom. Pro tip: if you set the SSID and password on two different WiFi access points to be the same, your devices will automatically connect to the one with the stronger signal - in most cases (hardware support varies). I'd still keep 2.4 and 5GHz networks separate, though, and hide the 5GHz network from people you live with who don't care about the difference! In theory (I have no idea if it's true or not), these adaptors should have less latency than a WiFi mesh network repeater which is WiFi in, WiFi out. These adaptors are Ethernet in, WiFi out.
4. Compact 45W chargers - Minor detail, but don't underestimate the convenience of having more than one charger! I have one in every room (I mean, I live in a flat with only two rooms so that's not exactly hard). I've never had a bad experience with any Anker product, charger or otherwise.
5. A decent "media keyboard" - I have both a Logitech K400 Plus and a K830. Obviously useful for the times you need to do some "PC stuff", which you will eventually need to do because your PC is (most likely) still going to be Windows. NOT for gaming with because the trackpads kinda suck and the keyboards aren't much better. This might sound odd but if you have nothing but a Deck to connect with and need to press some keys on the remote PC that don't exist on the Deck's on screen keyboard, you will need a physical keyboard with a Windows-friendly layout. Connect the dongle to the PC through the USB server.
6. Lapboard and mouse - If you think you'll want to play with a keyboard and mouse with the Deck docked to your TV, a good lapboard is a must, there's no way around it. They don't make them anymore but I have a Roccat Sova and it's 95% as good as being at a desk. It and similar alternatives are absolutely massive, though, so I will still have a media keyboard which is easier to keep handy. This applies even if you aren't streaming too, of course, you could plug it into a dock.
7. Remote desktop on multiple devices - Even if you do set your Deck up to get access to your server's desktop it's good to have multiple routes in case something breaks, I personally use Chrome Remote Desktop but have also used Splashtop and Parsec in the past.
8. Wake on LAN - If you don't want to leave the server running 24/7, you can use Wake on LAN to turn it on remotely. I have an app on my phone and a script on a Raspberry Pi to do this.
9. SSH - if you want to get deep, you can use SSH to script all sorts of things. I personally only got as far as using it to make a remote off button (and used Wake on LAN to make a remote on button) using a Raspberry Pi, some Python code and a couple of buttons. You can also use SSH to know if the PC is on or not - if you can't connect via SSH, it's probably off (I can't remember if a PC primed for WoL will respond to pings when it's off...?), which could be used to make a remote status indicator.

I think that covers it, I'd be interested to know if you've done anything differently or had bad experiences with this stuff because I personally haven't, although I did need to learn a fair bit quite quickly to make it work how I wanted it to. Also I know just enough about security to know that I don't know enough about security to want to extend any of this stuff outside of my home network, in theory that could be done, just don't ask me how.

Submitted by Such-Cod-7046 | #Specialdealer Special Offer Online Shopping Store 2016