11 Uses For Your Old Smartphones and Tablets
If you are like many people today, you have an old smartphone that you simply no longer use. You keep it in the box at home, and if it gets lost or broken, you just recycle it. However, there are so many uses for your old smartphone that it can save you money and help you save the environment. One of the first uses for your old smartphone is for a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you have a laptop that has a built-in wireless card but no access to a cell network at home or at work, you can connect to a Wi-Fi hot spot. You can receive and send internet access while staying connected to a group of people who all have wireless coverage.
The second use for your old iphone is as a security camera. Most security cameras today record directly to your computer. The old model probably did not have this option. However, you can connect your old iphone to your computer to watch your home video recordings. Some models allow you to also pause, rewind and record. Even if your security camera does not have these capabilities, you can still enjoy the convenience of recording live events and turning them into valuable evidence against would-be predators.
Another one of the best uses for your old phone is as a remote control for your television. Have you ever been watching television late at night and had to put the volume down because you couldn’t find the remote control? You might not have had a corded remote in your older days, but most newer televisions have a USB port that allows you to use your old phone as a remote control.
One of the final uses for your old mobile phones and laptops comes in the form of baby monitors. Many parents rely on baby monitors to listen to their children when they cannot be there to keep an eye on them. If you have two kids, a baby monitor can be an invaluable tool in staying connected while you’re away from home. Older kids can also benefit from using their mobiles as baby monitors.
How many times has your old device read the estimated time of your call while you’re on the road? It happens all the time. You arrive at work and your old phone tells you the estimated time of the incoming call but doesn’t tell you how long it’s going to be. This is a huge mistake and could potentially result in costly mistakes if it’s not corrected immediately. You can set your new device to remind you to check the time at set intervals while you’re away from home by using the Google Now feature in Android or Apple iPhone devices.
Some people repurpose their old mobile phones as digital cameras. This is actually a much more useful use than most people think. Most of the standard cameras are not that powerful and because of this they don’t give great results. However, if you repurpose the camera so that it can automatically detect light then it will be able to capture far more pictures and videos and thus giving better images than it would be able to without manual settings.
Many uses for old smartphones and tablets can also be achieved if you replace them with a tablet PC. One such example of how to make use of your old smartphone or tablet computer is by downloading Android apps that will run on it. These apps will allow you to run different Android applications on your old device and therefore it can act like a full mobile device.
If you have an older smartphone with no internet access then you could turn it into a wi-fi hotspot. This can help you to connect to a local wireless network rather than having to use the regular mobile network that you now have. Most phones nowadays come with preinstalled wi-fi drivers which means that you can simply download the software that will allow you to connect to a network using your existing wires. Most older phones will not have this preinstalled but it will certainly be available from the manufacturer. Other possible uses include turning your old smartphone or tablet device into your own television by using its wi-fi capabilities as part of a set up.