Luckily, the internet provides plenty of choices when it comes to bringing security to your home, office, or local business.
A good option out there right now is Agent DVR, which is the successor to the company’s original software, iSpy.
You can also use it to teach children to code, as there are plenty of online resources.
Run by the Giving Center, a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Charitable Organization, Computers with Causes gladly accepts old laptops and devices and even accepts donations from corporations.
If sending your device to an online agency doesn’t sound appealing, consider the folks in your life who may be doing without.
If your old laptop is collecting dust, it’s time to give it a makeover by drawing inspiration from Dr. Frankenstein. Even if your gadget isn’t working as well as it once did, it probably still has enough battery life to be useful. It can still be useful if it starts up and functions.
The following list should provide you with many ideas for updating your old laptop, but it is by no means an exhaustive list of all the things you can do with it. There are numerous ways to repurpose an old machine, whether it’s for personal use as a security system, a retro gaming setup, or to show someone you care by teaching them a new skill.
Reusing an old laptop is not only a great way to get more use out of it, but it’s also a great way to make sure the device isn’t falling into a landfill or being thrown away entirely, much like finding new uses for an old CD or DVD player. Therefore, think about some of these options before you decide to put a price tag on your old machine and sell it at a yard sale. You might discover that your laptop is more useful than you initially believed.
The likelihood of your old laptop having a built-in webcam is fairly high. If not, it’s very simple to find one at a reasonable price, and one with a respectable resolution can help you transform your laptop into a full-fledged security station. Fortunately, the internet offers a wide range of options for adding security to your house, place of business, or workplace.
Agent DVR, which is the replacement for the company’s original software, iSpy, is currently a good choice. This open source security program is compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS, and many of its features are freely accessible through private use. Agent DVR has some helpful tools for anyone interested in security, including the ability to remotely access your security camera without having to record your streams, change your router, or integrate the system with a wide range of home assistants.
Blue Iris is a well-liked premium option, but ZoneMinder is also free and open-source if you’re searching for alternatives. With the remote management features available on all three, you can watch your live security feed from almost any web-browsing device. This could be a great way to give an old laptop new life for anyone seeking peace of mind or just wanting to see what’s happening in a place when they’re not there.
Video games that were available only at arcades or pizza places, or that came on cartridges, were considered by many to be the pinnacle of gaming. You can probably still play a lot of old games on your laptop, especially if they don’t require 3D graphics, even if it’s been a few years. Emulators, which are programs that let you play games on computers or phones designed for other game consoles, are now available for even the iPhone.
If you want to play your own legally backed-up games on your laptop, there are many free emulators available. For Windows, Mac, or Linux, RetroArch is an excellent open-source emulator with a sizable user base. Additionally, the RetroArch team offers a wealth of resources and support documentation to help you get going.
Although the majority of emulators let you play from your keyboard, upgrading to a high-quality controller can significantly enhance your new emulation device. If you have a PC, connecting a PS5 controller to it is fairly simple. Similar steps can be taken with Xbox controllers or Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons.
An old laptop can open up a world of possibilities because you may not care much about what happens to it. Instead of discarding the machine completely, you can use it to teach another person or yourself a useful new skill.
For anyone with kids, using an old laptop for educational purposes can be a great way to teach them how a device works without endangering your daily driver. They can try disassembling and reassembling the machine with the correct tools and safety gear, which will help them develop their engineering and problem-solving abilities. It can also be used to teach kids to code because there are many online resources available. Kodable is a good premium resource with a seven-day free trial, and Scratch from MIT is a fantastic non-profit resource that is suitable for almost any age and provides a lot of support.
Teaching the kids isn’t the only thing you can do with an old laptop; you can also learn new skills for yourself. For instance, you can use Google to experiment with Vibe coding or install Ubuntu Linux on a Chromebook without having to worry about your primary computer. You can experiment a lot with a laptop you don’t use every day because you can push the boundaries of a device without worrying about breaking anything.
The Wild West and the internet have always been similar in that you never know who or what you might encounter. It can be quite useful to have a gadget that is solely focused on keeping you anonymous online, as protecting your privacy online is getting more difficult every day. This is where Tails, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to online privacy and anonymity, comes in.
Tails is a portable operating system designed to help protect against surveillance and censorship. The operating system’s primary characteristic is that it always starts from scratch, so everything you’ve done before will be automatically erased each time you shut down. For those who are concerned about their privacy, this is made possible because everything you do is recorded in memory rather than being stored. It is possible for you to choose what you wish to save and enable persistent storage.
Tails may be installed by cloning it from another system, run in a virtual machine, or be accessed from a burned DVD or USB key. Linux, macOS, and Windows are all compatible. It is important to make sure that your laptop is not older than ten years, that it is not 32-bit, and that it does not have an ARM, PowerPC, or Apple M-series processor. The operating system also comes with a number of apps, such as office programs, a password manager, and the Tor browser for web browsing.
Giving your old laptop to a charity can be your daily good deed if none of the aforementioned suggestions are alarming you. If you want to keep the donation local, you’ll need to do some research, but there are still plenty of online organizations that are willing to take in used laptops and devices. The current market value of your gadget may even qualify you for a tax deduction.
You might want to look into Computers with Causes if you’re thinking about donating a laptop. Computers with Causes is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization that is run by the Giving Center. It is happy to accept used laptops and other devices and even takes corporate donations. In addition to assisting returning service members with their education and career training, the non-profit organization uses the hardware to construct computer labs in underfunded schools. In the event that you are searching for alternatives, Digitunity and Compudopt both accept donations.
If the idea of sending your device to an online agency doesn’t appeal to you, think about the people in your life who might be living without it. Perhaps you have a family member who has been struggling, or perhaps a friend has a child who is just starting high school and could use some extra help. Even better, you could combine your donation with one of the above suggestions, like donating your old laptop to a nearby animal shelter after turning it into a security system.
