Google were kind enough to design a reliable phone in the Pixel 2XL where the battery did not fail like previous Nokia and Motorola phones I had through the early 2000's, but Google were not prepared to secure it 7 years later... As an IT professional I can understand there can at least be commercial reasons for that approach.... Sigh...
With that to one side.... I now have a new phone (yes, I went back to the same well.... That's not important... here or at least what I am wanting to discuss...). What would people suggest for:
Making use of an old phone in a "smart" way around the house, presumably as a "smart" display for a dashboard or similar display/control option where there is not currently that option, but would like to hear any other ideas. In my case I have an ~6" display to play with...
Securing this device... Again, assuming it will be to guard it against the Internet more generally, likely through the use of VLAN's, but am open to other ideas...
Personally I have not settled on a spot in the house where I might try to use it, but am expecting it will be as a display / control mechanism of some kind, but don't want to limit peoples imagination for what it could be used for....
Most of that was in my mind.... though not all... Thanks @djgutheinz.
I am already using Fully Kiosk on a tablet for displaying the EcoWitt dashboard during the day/evening, so could easily transition to using this on my old phone.
That is a good point re a "Wi-Fi phone"... I had not thought about that... will investigate that some more... But the Internet access might force my hand....
It will likely sit next to my main spot on the lounge to offer easy control of the home when sitting there....
An old Android phone can do nearly anything an Android WiFi tablet can do, except with a smaller screen. Although the cellular modem might be disabled, the WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity still works. Apps can still be installed. If you continue to use Android, make sure it is updated as far as possible, but it won't run newer versions of Android.
If you wish to install an alternative OS on the phone, you can do so. There are a number of alternatives:
I have a small tote full of old phones that I would love to repurpose. Like you, I have little if any use for them, especially with all of the larger pad dashboards around my house.
I have older Moto phones and used them for Lan announcer to pipe audio into my wired intercom. Yes intercom they were still putting them into houses in the 90s. I factory reset disable everything except for Wifi side load the app and also block the phone from talking to the internet. It may frenzy every once and a while when it tries to call back to Moto or Google services but that only lasts for a few minutes.
Just be aware that I have had "time bombs" go off in older devices that disable functionality after a period of time with no access to the google mother ship or manufacture's services. This is why in robotics where we use the Android OS we no longer use Cell phones for controllers.
I have Amazon Alexa and other devices that connect to my router. I have each of them on Zigbee smart switches. I ping the devices every 20 minutes using the community app Hubitat Ping Device available through the Hubitat Package Manager. It is designed for this specific purpose. If the ping does not return TRUE, I have a rule that will turn the smart switch off for 30 seconds and then back on to reboot the device. That normally reconnects the devices. I also PING my cable modem, router, and DNS server to check for Internet connectivity.
or at least what I am wanting to discuss...). What would people suggest for:
