If you glance over this blog, you will see that I am an avid Android fan. After setting up numerous Linux proot desktops on phones, I wanted to see if I use a phone as a server and run my blog from an Android phone. Since you are reading this, I was successful. I was inspired my a few Mastodon posts earlier this week to give it a go. First, I stumbled on a post from @kaimac who is running a site from an ESP32 microcontroller. In the comments of that post, I saw a mention to compost.party created by user @computersandblues that runs completely on an Android device and a solar panel. Last, @stevelord who is essentially running a homelab on a TP-Link router with OpenWRT installed. I think a lot about power consumption of my homelab and I also love using old hardware for random projects to give them new life. I was truly inspired by the above works, so I got right down to business. The hardware I looked through the devices I had laying around and I chose a Google Pixel 5 my brother-in-law gave me after he upgraded. The Pixel 5 is carrier locked to Verizon, which is notorious for making it impossible to also unlock the bootloader and install custom ROMs. At first I wanted a device that I could install PostmarketOS to run a proper Linux server. In the end, I’m glad I didn’t go that route. Another reason I chose the Pixel 5 is because it supports USB-OTG and can use docks with hard-wired internet. I didn’t want to run the site on wifi and having an ethernet connection was mandatory. Last, it is the most current phone I have. This device is open to the internet, so I wanted to make sure it is an updated as possible. Solar powered blog! This summer I’ve been testing using a 100w solar panel I got from Harbor Freight Tools so I can learn more about how it all works before diving into larger projects. I have that panel connected to a Jackery 160w power station to keep it charged up and we use it to charge our mobile devices. I got the Jackery last year as a power bank I use wh...
First seen: 2025-09-03 00:53
Last seen: 2025-09-03 16:56