An old Android phone as a free home hub for an AI agent
Published
How can AI replace a paid smart-home hub or Alexa, and tapping through separate apps?
- Replaces: a paid smart-home hub or Alexa, and tapping through separate apps.
- How it works: a spare phone stays plugged in on home Wi-Fi with wireless ADB on, linked to the agent's cloud computer over Tailscale.
- The agent drives WiZ bulbs over the local network: scenes, and a nightly 10 PM to 4 AM schedule that retries on a slow network.
- It controls a Sony Bravia over Simple IP Control and ADB ("play Blinding Lights on my TV").
- What to connect: a spare Android phone, Tailscale, ADB (wireless debugging), devices with local-network control (WiZ, Sony Simple IP Control), and an agent with its own cloud computer. Cost: a phone from a drawer.
- Known limits: a reply warns about battery swelling in a phone charging 24/7; a smart plug that cycles charging helps.
- Who it's for: tinkerers and people who already run an AI agent and want it to act on things at home or in a small office, not just chat.
From the Morning Tokens issue of Oct 26, 2026