The issue of sustainability is a major part of today's pressing problems. The consumer society's "if it breaks, buy another" principle is simple for us consumers, but storing the resulting waste is a much bigger problem, and a waste, because we could save a lot of materials and money by repairing that device for pennies.
Smartphones are a great example, perhaps the most frequently replaced digital device. The lack of software support and the disproportionate cost of repairs often lead to the purchase of a new device, and the old mobile is thrown in the bin, or better still, at a designated collection point. Smartphones are effectively mini-computers that can be useful even if they are outdated or have a non-functioning touch screen. Let's look at some examples of what you can do with your discarded Android (or iOS, or even Windows Phone) device.
IP camera
Instead of spending tens of thousands on an IP camera, even the oldest Android or iOS devices can be transformed into surprisingly useful surveillance devices.
Smart speaker
You can also modernise your old sound system by connecting a phone or tablet you no longer use. An easy example is the Spotify app, which also gives you remote control.
Smart home control panel
If you have an old tablet, it can be a useful little wall control panel for our smart home. You can even set the camera to activate only when you move, saving energy and extending the life of the display.
4G - WiFi access point
Most of today's devices can create a portable WiFi hotspot, and this feature allows you to use your unplugged device as a quasi-router
Digital photo frame
Digital photo frames are not very common nowadays, although the idea is not bad in principle, but by reusing a smartphone or tablet you can even use such a device to display an automatically updated family photo album without interaction.
Mini "TV"
Whether it's a tablet or a phone, it's easy to use as a remote media player, even as a TV.
Media server
USB-OTG support allows you to reuse your replaced devices as a media server using an external HDD or Pendrive, a DLNA server, or even a Plex server from an old Android device
Web server, for testing
If you do web development and web programming, you probably run a test server on your local machine, usually XAMPP for Windows. Well, an old Android device can help you with that too, as they can also be used as a web server. Even if it's not suitable as a company server, it can be a simple solution for testing.
It's clear that our devices, which are no longer widely used as smartphones, are performing well in other areas. In addition to the examples listed, there are many other applications, such as as a dedicated "GPS", a music player, and so on.
What do you use your "resurrected" smart devices for? I look forward to your answers in the comments section below this article and in the Facebook post.
