Old Chromebooks Can Be Reused as Second Screens, Smart-Home Hubs and Media Servers, Engadget Says

Engadget said Chromebooks are among the more appealing low-cost laptops, but no computer suits its owner forever. The report said an out-of-date Chromebook's screen is often still serviceable. With Duet, which requires a small subscription fee, the machine can connect to a PC or Mac and mirror or extend the display. If a second monitor is not needed, the screen can serve as a digital photo frame by loading photos, setting it not to turn off automatically and running a full-screen image or slideshow. The report said such reuses can save money by adding functions that would otherwise require buying another device.

For smart-home use, Engadget said the simplest option is to open Google Home in a browser or through the Android app. A Chromebook can also monitor and control Home Assistant running on separate hardware such as a PC or Raspberry Pi. Because Home Assistant's interface is designed to run in a browser, even an old Chromebook can provide a dedicated display, possibly with a touchscreen, for controlling the whole setup from one place.

Running Home Assistant directly on the Chromebook is a more advanced option. Engadget said it requires significantly more work, starting with installing Linux and then the Home Assistant app. The report pointed to Chrultrabook and MrChromebox as popular guides. The processes are not beginner-friendly, but they open the possibility of other advanced uses even if the owner does not need a smart-home controller.

Linux also allows the machine to act as a file server, and Engadget said a small media server is the best fit given the Chromebook's limited hardware. After installing Linux, a user can copy files to the Chromebook, set up a media server app such as Plex or Jellyfin and leave the machine running so other devices can access the files.

The report described another specialized use: turning a Chromebook into a dedicated retro-gaming machine with Batocera, a Linux app that runs various emulators. Engadget said many emulators can run on low-powered Chromebook hardware. A faster PC might run them better, but a dedicated laptop provides a portable option that does not take up space on the main computer. The report noted that emulators are technically legal, while using them to run pirated games is not.

For owners who do not want to install a new operating system, Engadget said ChromeOS includes an official feature called Linux on ChromeOS, also known as Crostini. It provides a Linux virtual machine intended mainly to let Linux developer tools run on Chromebooks, though other apps can run inside it. The report said a virtual machine is more taxing than native Linux, so performance and compatibility can be extremely limited on older devices.