This is a guest post by Grayson Williams<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have given in to the hype and have finally bought a Raspberry Pi.\nNow the question is: What do you do with this little device? Well, the answer\nis A LOT can be done using a Pi. It can be a desktop PC, a web server, or even\na radio station- anything computer related! \nThis post highlights 8 awesome uses of a Raspberry Pi for people of all\nages and tech prowess. Most of these projects run best on <\/a>Raspberry\nPi 4 sets<\/a> because this new model\nhas better speed and performance compared with earlier models. Your experience\non the new model will be smooth and your project will be more energy-efficient\nand cost-effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now let\u2019s get right to it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apache is a modern technology that can serve HTML files over popular\nweb protocols such as HTTP and HTTPS. It can also serve modules such as PHP.\nThis versatility and dynamism makes Apache the most popular web servers for\namateur programmers. It is also one of the best available servers for the\nRaspberry Pi. And although there are faster servers than Apache, a good example\nbeing Nginx web server, this technology accounts for almost half of all web\nservers in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Apache, you can use Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi 3B to create a web server for your local network. This server dissipates negligible heat which means two things: Lower electricity bills and no need for a cooling fan even if it runs for a whole day. You can rely on the server to serve web pages over the internet as well, with the Pi holding multiple web page copies as you load them over the internet. When used on a local, dedicated network, the server can be extremely fast. You will not experience internet slowdowns at all. Follow this guide<\/a> to create your Pi server. The tutorial focuses on how you can set up Apache, create its VirtualHost file, and install PHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, you can create a touchscreen using a Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi\n3B. You can then transform that touchscreen into a Raspberry Pi Tablet. Here is\na simple guide<\/a> that explains how you can make\nyour DIY Pi tablet using a 7\u2019\u2019 touchscreen display, Raspberry Pi, and a raspi\nofficial camera module. It also explains how you can load android OS onto\nraspberry Pi. Note that the Pi tablet will require you to install a USB sound\ncard because plugging in your headphones directly to the Pi board doesn\u2019t\nproduce the clearest of sounds. It sometimes has too much cracking and popping\nsounds. Another worthy investment is a battery bank for charging your\ntablet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Retro gaming encompasses almost all games you played on the Nintendo\nEntertainment System growing up. You know, Super Mario Bros 3 and such. If you\nwant to relive that experience, you can use the Raspberry Pi, through the\nRetroPie project, to create a retro game platform. RetroPie is software built on\ntop of Raspbian and what it does basically is to imitate out-of-date, probably\nobsolete, gaming consoles. It allows you to emulate not only arcade games but\nalso titles whose original release was on a host of 8, 16, 32, and 64-bit\nsystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The RetroPie software comes pre-installed in Raspberry Pi 4, which\nallows smoother emulation, but it can be adapted and run on any Raspberry Pi\nmodel. If you want to revisit your past, <\/a>this guide will help<\/a>. You no longer need to\ndownload or configure BIOSes of any retro gaming machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warning: Downloading and\/or storing an electronic copy of copyrighted\ngame ROMs from the internet is illegal and punishable by law. Be careful with\nthe retro games you choose and seek the consent of the original maker in case a\ngame is copyrighted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you have an outdated printer that refuses to connect to your PC\nwirelessly. Knowing that e-waste is the hardest to dispose, plus you probably\nhave a unique attachment to the printer, your better option would be to revive\nit using Raspberry Pi. Or it could be that you just wish to turn an old printer\ninto a wireless printer for your home or office network. Making your old\nprinter wireless is priceless because, on top of eliminating the need to spend\non a pricey printer, the flexibility that comes with the wireless technology is\nmassive. Wires and cables belong in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All you need to go wireless is Samba file sharing software, your Pi\n(Wireless-enabled Pi models are Raspberry Pi 3 B\/B+, Raspberry Pi 4 B, and\nRaspberry Pi Zero W), CUPS modular printing system, probably a USB cable, <\/a>and this guide<\/a> to get started. When properly\ninstalled, your printer will be operating smoothly on MacOs and Windows\noperating systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can create time-lapse animations using a Raspberry Pi. It involves\ntaking pictures using a Pi camera and then writing a script that tells the\nstory behind the images. You will need some basic understanding of time-lapse\nphotography, Python, and ImageMagick to combine the script and the images into\nanimated GIFs. Learn more about this here<\/a>. The good thing about this project is\nthat you can use the final product as a d\u00e9cor item in your living room. You\nwill just need to mount a Raspberry Pi onto your wall, mount a photo frame around\nthe Pi, and use the setup to display a new random animated GIF after every few\nseconds. It doesn\u2019t get more awesomely, incredibly goofy than that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a simple project for kids as young as 8 years. Just buy your\nkid the Kano Computer Kit and Raspberry Pi 4 and then guide them to build their\nfirst computer. It is easy, fun, and adventurous. What\u2019s more, you only need to follow this guide<\/a> once and you will be ready\nfor the best bonding time you have ever had with your kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other fun Raspberry Pi projects you can do with your kids include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smart home security is a necessity these days. You need to know who is messing around your home when you are at work or out of town. That is why you need to create a motion capture security system using the Raspberry Pi Camera Module. You will need a USB storage device for storing captured images. A high capacity microSD card can do if you don\u2019t have a USB. Now\u00a0follow this procedure<\/a>\u00a0to create your first DIY home security system. Also, to ensure safety you can also use a\u00a0NordVPN\u00a0which will enable you to encrypt your data.\u00a0(Take a look at this\u00a0NordVPN Review<\/a>\u00a0if you\u2019d like to know more.)\u00a0“<\/strong>1. Setting up an Apache webserver<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Pi tablet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Retro gaming<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Reviving your faulty printer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Create animated GIFs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Simple computers for kids<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Motion capture security system<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n8.<\/strong> Wi-Fi extender<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n