Why Your Old PC is the Perfect Smart Home Server

If you've upgraded your computer recently, your old desktop is probably just sitting in a closet. We’re here to tell you that’s a waste of a great resource. We’ve turned three different "obsolete" PCs into the most reliable part of our own smart homes through the years.

1. It's Free

Why spend $300 on a dedicated NAS (Network Attached Storage) or a powerful mini PC when you already have a motherboard, CPU, and RAM ready to go? An old computer from five years ago is still more than powerful enough to run many smart home automation platforms like Home Assistant or OpenHab.

2. Storage for Days

Unlike a small Raspberry Pi, an old desktop case has plenty of room for hard drives. We use our old PCs for storing weeks of high-def recordings from our iSpy security cameras and for regular backups of our own photos and movies.

Conclusion

Putting an old computer back to work is one of the most rewarding projects we've ever done. It saves money, keeps electronics out of the landfill, and gives you a powerful hub that you fully control. Give it a try—you might be surprised how well your old machine still runs.