Running OpenClaw locally with Jetson Nano and gaming laptop using Ollama
A developer documented their solution for running OpenClaw locally to avoid cloud API costs and reliability issues. They encountered problems with cloud LLM services including Gemini and Clawd banning pro plan usage, Claude server downtime, and accumulating $200 per week in OpenAI API charges.
Hardware setup
The system uses two devices:
- Jetson Nano running OpenClaw
- 2022 MSI gaming laptop running Qwen 3.5 9B via Ollama
Implementation details
The gaming laptop wasn't designed for 24/7 operation, so they configured wake-on-LAN functionality to power it on only when needed. They used LM Studio to help select and test the appropriate model before settling on Qwen 3.5 9B.
The system implements hybrid routing: most tasks use the local LLM, but more complex tasks are automatically routed to OpenAI's API. This approach maintains functionality while significantly reducing costs.
Results
The setup now runs 24/7 and has saved substantial money compared to cloud-only solutions. The developer noted the configuration process was time-consuming and created a step-by-step video documenting the entire procedure.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
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