Using a Deactivated Cellphone As a Workshop Tool

Most of us have a draw full of old deactivated smartphones

Why Do This

I know I love the apps that help in the workshop but don’t like having to use my good activated phone amidst dust, oil and general workshop conditions. Turns out it is possible to use the deactivated phone as a very useful all-purpose tool in the shop.

Typical uses:

Camera

Video recorder

Video screen for downloaded plans and instructions

Watching YouTube videos

Spirit level

Calculator

Conversion calculator

So What Does It Take to Do This?

For the best results you will need WiFi. Most of us have
our cellphones setup to access our domestic WiFi router. I expected this would still work even with the phone deactivated from the wireless phone provider, wrong, there are several things you may need to do to get the wifi working again.

The first thing to check if you have MacAfee or similar is ensure it has not locked the phone (I removed it but you need the PIN to do that or to unlock the phone)

We Have to Make It a WiFi Only Phone, Each Phone May Be a Little Different But the Following Should Work:

Go to settings and select aircraft mode, this will stop
the phone searching for a cellphone radio network connection, saving power.

Connect to WiFi Router

Select WiFi and turn this on, and connect to your router

Back to Settings

Go to Settings Network and uncheck the Data option. Then
also uncheck the Roaming option. This also removes data connections that are lingering. This varies depending on your device, so search for the Settings area and locate the Network or Wireless option. Keep clicking through until you find the Roaming option.

The Fun Part

Now load any apps that you may need, you can clear out a lot
of the old stuff to make room for the new apps.