Using a Raspberry Pi as an Information Radiator
pivotallabs.com
pivotallabs.com
Laptops and especially netbooks with broken screens also work great for this if you need a little more computing power and can double as HTPCs and Wi-Fi hotspots [1]. You can often get one for less than the price of a RasPi or free. Remove the upper lid completely to get a ZX Spectrum/C64 style keyboard computer [2] for easy on-the-spot administration. The built-in battery acts as a UPS, which is also nice.
The downside is that, unlike the Pi, they can make noise. Still, that can be remedied.
[1] If you can find wireless drivers that support host mode. No small feat under FreeBSD.
[2] Here's mine: http://imgur.com/u9i9fUx. It's an Asus Eee PC 1001PX. Currently out of commission because it got replaced by a self-built AMD E-350 Mini-ITX system with a PicoPSU.
Using an old laptop with a old and depleted or soon to be depleted (especially when charged 100% constantly) wouldn't make me feel that comfortable, hardly something it was made for either.
The laptop itself is can be kind of neat as a home server, it usually has decent power consumption and if the screen works you don't have to dig out a keyboard and screen in case of an emergency. But you might want to leave the battery out, and this assuming that is is sensible to use the power brick 24/7. Which I wouldn't assume.
A more performant alternative is the Intel NUC, the coming i5 version also has hardware support for VNC alleviating the need for a screen/keyboard even for the most severe emergencies.
>and this assuming that is is sensible to use the power brick 24/7. Which I wouldn't assume.
True. I'd be hesitant to let this little Asus run 24/7 like this (it was intended as an information appliance/HTPC akin to the ones in the article anyway, not an always-on home server).
Regardless of the above I've got to note that it need not be an old laptop. I bought my 1001PX near new off an online auction. Its owner had only used it for a couple of months before breaking the screen. This isn't a singular case, either, and I have since seen similar units for sale (though I wouldn't advocate buying them in bulk).
>the coming i5 version also has hardware support for VNC
Now that's pretty cool! For all the potential security risks I'd like to see this feature catch on.
Regardless batteries found in laptops don't like being 100% charged for prolonged periods, just as they suffer if you leave them at 0% for prolonged periods. Also, you need to condition them.
And added to that an old battery. Typically I'd say that a laptop is considered old at the earliest about 2 years after its purchase, that's when the battery wear typically (although greatly dependent on usage) starts to really show and the deterioration starts to excel.
You really shouldn't trust even a new consumer laptop battery, but an old borderline to depleted battery that runs 24/7? In a home?
As to the concerns discussed below about running one of these 24/7, I can say mine has been up for 58 days straight with no issues so far. Ubuntu should shut the thing off if it detects overheating.
I'm the PM so feel free to shoot any questions/complaints/feedback my way.
These things are fantastically useful, all we need now are cheap monitors and you could definitely set up a (albeit somewhat weak) computer for the change in your piggy bank!
$30-40 for an Android 4.1 device with Wifi that plugs straight into your TV, and can be controlled with a USB mouse/keyboard. Storage on microSD. They claim to have dual-core ~1.2 GHz ARM processors and ~1 GB of RAM (but with stuff coming out of there you can never be sure if the specs are real)