I turned my old Pixel into a TV box and security camera — and only one was worth it
Getting the most out of my 8-year-old Pixel 3 XL.
An aging Google Pixel 3 XL was repurposed as both a surveillance camera and a replacement for an Android TV box. The camera experiment utilized the Pixel as the camera node and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 as the viewer, connected through AlfredCamera. The setup provided near-zero latency but had limitations such as compression, fixed field of view, power-hungry app, and potential overheating.
Despite these issues, the simplicity of the setup sparked ideas for using the Pixel as a portable surveillance camera in various scenarios, such as monitoring pets, children, or belongings. The TV box experiment involved connecting the Pixel to an external display, Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, external speakers, and a laptop using scrcpy.
This setup allowed for deep control over the Pixel-to-monitor pipeline, enabling smooth playback with minimal latency. While the TV box experiment required a more complex setup, both projects demonstrated the potential for repurposing old Android devices for new purposes.
Written by urgent.news from Android Authority's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
