Do you have anold phonelying around that you don’t know what to do with? While you couldsell it for a bit of cash to buy a new phone, or donate it to an electronic waste center, you could also give yourself a fun project thatteaches you more about your devices. Instead of ditching that old phone, why not take some time to create a media server with it? I’ll be going over the top four reasons why it’s worth it to turn an old phone into a NAS, so if you’ve been wondering what to do with that old phone lying around, read on.
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1Your own storage network
What is NAS? Allow me to explain
A network attached storage (NAS) is a device that is connected to yourWi-Fi routerthat’s designed for storing files and transferring data between devices on the same network. NAS’s are a great and more secure alternative to cloud storage, as with a NAS, you have full control over everything hosted. Think of a NAS as your own personal cloud drive that provides you near instantaneous access to anything stored on your network.
You don’t need to buy a thousand-dollar enclosure for a NAS server, as you can make your own with just a Wi-Fi router and a USB-powered storage drive. You can also create a NAS out of anold laptop, or even an old smartphone, although you will get the best results by building a NAS with a device that has a high storage capacity.
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2Learn more about your devices
Creating a project that teaches you more about Android or iOS
Instead of throwing out an old phone, you can learn more about how Android or iOS works by turning your old phone into a media server. This process will be different depending on if you are using an Android or an iPhone, but you can create a rudimentary NAS with either and learn more about everything these operating systems can be used for. You’ll be able to take a NAS project a bit further with an Android phone, but you can still create a rudimentary media server with an iPhone, as well as connect your iOS Files to an external server.
3Create a photo storage server
Store your photos off the cloud in a convenient location
There’s a wide range of servers you can run on an old smartphone, and one of my favorite project ideas is to use an old phone to create a file server to host a photo collection. A file server is one of the easier servers to run on an old smartphone as it’s a simple directory where you can upload and download files from.
However, depending on which type of files you want to store on the server, you’ll need a decent amount of storage space. Fortunately, many Android phones can have their storage expanded via MicroSD cards, but iPhone users will have a tougher time hosting a file server due to the lack of internal storage expansion.
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4Create a media server
The most complex server to make with an old phone
Using an old phone to create a media server is, in my opinion, one of the coolest ways to use an old phone to create a NAS. You can use your old phone to stream content around your home to your other devices, such as a PS5 or Xbox. There are a few different apps you can download to turn your old Android phone into a media server, with the open-source home theater appKodibeing the easiest and most popular solution for this.
iOS users can usePlexto turn their phone into a media server, allowing you to cast your favorite TV shows, movies, or music to another iOS device, such as an iPad. However, Plex Mobile isn’t free to use, so you will need to pay a $5 subscription fee. If you are willing to jailbreak your iPhone, you can install a Linux Shell onto it which gives you more options for turning your iPhone into a media server, but you will be voiding your iPhone’s warranty or Apple Care terms in the process.
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5Create a web server
Whether you are learning web development
you’re able to also use an old phone to run a website. If you have an old Android phone, you can use it to create a low-cost web server. This is a great project to save on web hosting costs, but you can only do this with a site that doesn’t receive a lot of traffic, or you’ll find your device constantly locked up. That’s why this is a great project for those learning web development, as you’ll learn more about creating a web hosting server in addition to having a space where you can host your project files for free.
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