Offside secondary backup

[Enquiries]

Hello,
I was thinking about a secondary backup in the form of an N100 and a 3.5" HDD that I can place at a friends place. The requirements are low, power, low noise, reasonable looks and potentially WiFi (here I could compromise). For low power I want the system to be capable for waking up from the internal clock and then pull the backup from the main backup server. Network speed will be limited by the public internet in between the remote backup and the main backup. The bulk of the data will be put on the drive before it is placed at the other place. Disaster recovery would be the physical transfer of the device. I want to use rsync to backup a borg directory.
I am capable of setting up the dDNS and linux OSs for those servers so the main question is about the board and the case. Do those Topton boards wake up from RTC?
I am not locked in on the aforementioned N100 and 3.5" HDD but that seems to be an option to me.
Cheers,
Albert

[ed]

Your idea of an offsite secondary backup using an N100-based setup is solid, especially considering your technical knowledge and the flexibility it gives you.

Regarding your main question: yes, most Topton N100 boards (including the MW-N100 model) do support RTC wake-up, but not all BIOS firmware versions expose the setting clearly. Users have had mixed experiences depending on the board variant and BIOS version, but generally, the RTC wake-up option is under the “Power Management” section of the BIOS. If it’s not visible, a BIOS update (from Topton or the board OEM) can sometimes enable it.

Here are a few points to consider when building your setup:

1. Motherboard & CPU (Topton N100):
• Low power draw (as low as 6–10W idle), passively cooled, fanless or silent depending on case.
• More than capable of rsync and Borg-related tasks, even with SSH encryption.
• Often includes dual or even 2.5GbE LAN if needed later.

2. Case Recommendation:
• Look at the Jonsbo N1 or N2, SilverStone CS381, or Fractal Node 304 for something that fits a single 3.5” drive and has decent airflow. The Kuxyun K2 or K3 mini ITX enclosures with external power supplies are also good for compact, quiet builds.

3. Power Supply:
• Aim for a DC-ATX or PicoPSU with an external 12V brick for maximum efficiency and silence.

4. OS:
• A minimal Debian or Ubuntu Server install with systemd timers for RTC-based wake/sleep schedules will handle your use case well. Add ethtool and systemd-suspend for precise control of network and sleep behavior.

5. Wi-Fi Option:
• If you want Wi-Fi later, use a low-power USB adapter with native kernel support (e.g., based on Intel AX200 or Realtek 8811CU) or a mini PCIe/NGFF Wi-Fi card depending on the board’s slot availability.

If you’re not locked to the Topton, you could also consider a secondhand Intel NUC with SATA bay, or even a fanless Odroid H3+ with 3.5” support and confirmed RTC wake—though prices may push above €400 with HDD included.