- I have a scanner that saves scans to a network share. Having a linux-based SMB server on the local network is convenient and privacy-friendly, especially when the disks are encrypted. Doubt you can get privacy like that with a cloud service to which your printer can connect.
- If you follow the 3-2-1 style of backups, having a fileserver at home is convenient for a solid backup regime across all devices.
- You can use a server for serving local media to watch on the TV or any other device
- In some cases, you can use the same server for advanced security, privacy, ad-blocking, and combining multiple internet connections in order to gain fail-over redundancy and increased bandwidth.
I am able to do all of the above with a really simple home server setup [1].
[1]: https://sagar.se/blog/diy-multi-wan-linux-router/diy-multi-w...