Beyond the Toy Projects
The Pi 5 is a legitimate computer with 2.4GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A76. Here are 10 projects that solve real problems in a weekend.
1. Pi-hole: Network-Wide Ad Blocker (1 hour)
Block ads on every device — phones, smart TVs, tablets — without installing anything on each device. DNS-level filtering. Cost: ~$60 total.
2. Home Assistant Hub (2-3 hours)
Control Zigbee, Z-Wave, WiFi, Bluetooth, Matter devices. Everything runs locally — faster, private, no internet dependency. Add a $20 Zigbee stick to control devices without brand-specific hubs.
3. WireGuard VPN Server (1 hour)
Secure remote access to home network. Route traffic through home connection on public WiFi. PiVPN makes setup trivial.
4. NAS with OpenMediaVault (2 hours)
Connect external drive, install OMV. File sharing, automatic backups, media streaming at fraction of Synology/QNAP cost.
4K, ultrawide & gaming monitors
monitor&tag=wikiwax-20" class="ww-deal-btn" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">View Deal →5. RetroPie Gaming Console (1 hour)
Pi 5 handles Atari through PS1 and N64 at full speed. Beautiful TV-friendly interface with 8BitDo controller ($30).
6-10: More Projects
6. Grafana Dashboard: Monitor network, servers, weather, smart home. 7. Frigate NVR: AI-powered security camera recording (detects people, vehicles, animals). 8. Nextcloud: Private cloud replacing Google Drive/Dropbox. 9. DNS-Over-HTTPS: Encrypt DNS queries from ISP snooping. 10. BorgBackup Server: Automated deduplicated backups for all family computers.
Cost
Pi 5 + microSD + PSU + case = $92-$117. Most projects combinable on single Pi. Saves hundreds vs commercial solutions.
Disclosure: WikiWax may earn a commission from qualifying purchases through affiliate links on this page. This does not affect our editorial integrity or the price you pay.