3 Raspberry Pi projects that improve my home

Raspberry Pis can be a lot of fun to tinker with and make strange and amusing trinkets with, but they can also be the workhorse of devices around your home. In fact, it's so easy to get caught up in the weird and wonderful that it's easy to forget that these are little computers you can use to perform useful things around your home. And once you start using the Raspberry Pi to enhance your home, you really can't stop thinking of ways to use it. So, here are some ways I use a Raspberry Pi around the home.

3 Using a Raspberry Pi as a server

Inexpensive to set up and run

The one thing I really like about the Raspberry Pi is that you can leave it running off mains power 24/7 and it won't rack up a nasty electricity bill. They're cheap to power (I think it would cost around $15 a year to keep one going all the time, but I haven't sat down and done the math), so they're perfect for any job where I want a computer to always be on.

This makes the Raspberry Pi ideal as a small server I can have running as long as I like. Of course, I won't be using it to do seriously system-intensive stuff; it is a Pi, after all. However, my SBCs have played their roles as a NAS for extra storage, and even a Minecraft server I could log onto using any device in my home.

I think if you have an SBC sitting around and you're not sure what to do with it, attaching it to your network and letting it do its thing is a great way to put it to work without being too complicated to set up.

Staying safe for less

Did you know that your humble Pi can actually keep you safe? It sounds crazy at first, but once you get into the world of turning your SBCs into security devices, you realise how much you can do with them without needing to shell out for an expensive third-party product.

For example, you may not know that you can hook up your Raspberry Pi as a makeshift security camera. And while you can use this to keep an eye on your belongings while you're out, what's stopping you from pointing the camera at something else you want to monitor while you're out and about? For example, if you want to see which one of your cats is devouring all of the food, you can set up a camera and keep an eye on those food bowls no matter where you are. A camera-based project doesn't have to be a Ring alternative.

Plus, you don't need to use the Pi as a camera in order to enhance your security. You can have it keep an eye on your network for bad actors, or you can use it as a VPN gateway.

1 Using a Raspberry Pi as an emergency backup system

Just in case something hits the fan

I think the best part of having an SBC on hand is that you're never caught without a device to use. If you work from home like I do, relying on a single device to get your work done probably gives you the chills. All it takes is one component in your PC to go kaput, and you're stuck without a workstation, during a weekday, with the onus of getting a new one ASAP.

However, having an SBC around removes that anxiety for me. Sure, a Raspberry Pi probably won't become my daily driver for getting work done, but if my main computer does give up the ghost one day, I can always use it as a stand-in while I wait for a replacement to come in. Plus, you can use the Pi to back up your important files so you don't lose anything important during a crash, making these little SBCs the perfect plan B for anything catastrophic.

Getting the most out of the humble Pi

In truth, you can use a Raspberry Pi around the home in countless ways, many of which I didn't cover here. You could use it as a smart home assistant, a games console, and many more cool things. However, the above are the ways that I, personally, get a lot of value out of my SBCs, and I hope it gave you some inspiration as to how you can use your own.