this post was submitted on 16 May 2026
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Not a lot you can do with phones unfortunately. You could set them up as basic fileservers using CopyParty or Syncthing. Don't use it for anything critical - these are not backup solutions.
Set up Tailscale to access it outside your network.
I've been told that government auctions canbe a good source for cheap used PCs but I never had much luck there. I suspect that they get snatched up quickly and stripped for parts. Try eBay or Mercari?
Can confirm government surplus auctions or sales are a great source for cheap PCs and that they do get snatched up quickly (guilty!) The only catch is they never come with hard or solid state drives. I'm assuming those just get pulled and destroyed.