I have two spare phones and an older laptop that are still usable. Is there a practical way to use them alongside my main laptop for extra computing tasks or useful home services? I'd like to make the most of the hardware, but I'm open to repurposing, donating, selling, or recycling them if using them together isn't realistic. What are some worthwhile projects or everyday uses?
1 Answer
You generally can’t combine the devices into one seamless pool of extra processing power, especially with phones and an older laptop. However, they can still be useful individually. A lightweight Linux setup could turn the old laptop into a Pi-hole ad and tracker blocker, print server, file server, or other small home server. The phones could work as dedicated music or podcast players, remote controls, Wi-Fi calling devices, security cameras, or simple dashboards. If you don’t want to maintain them, donating, selling, trading, or recycling them are all reasonable options.
That makes sense. I was hoping to combine their resources, but repurposing them separately gives me a few good options.