Some German cable providers do internal NATting please check that yours does not.

Thy already wrote this will not be powered on 24/7, just lean back and enjoy the pics and story :-)

Fritzboxes are rock stable, and support Wireguard from FritzOS 7.5 onwards, see https://avm.de/service/vpn/wireguard-vpn-zur-fritzbox-am-computer-einrichten/

(Apparently NOT the cable versions!)

What nags me most with them is that you have no separate Firewall controll over their WiFi, and the WiFi range is not really great. So probably consider going with dedicated APs instead.

I think you need a ton of patience, the prices for used hardware are fluctuating by a wkide margin. And all of a sudden one single machine type will be available in quantities, for cheap. Probably when a big player scraps all of their equipment. I’ve had some luck with Harlander, mainly with monitors and a document scanner. Might be worth a check from time to time.

You had me with “Specs are slightly in flux right now”. Beautiful.