Don't Be Fooled By Raspberry Pi Money Making Schemes: Here's How To Spot Them
There's a wide range of Raspberry Pi models, each with different specs and a price tag. But they all have one thing in common: they are versatile single-board computers. Because of its versatile architecture, a Raspberry Pi can run multiple operating systems, including Raspberry's own Raspberry PI OS and many Linux variants. This makes it suitable for many different applications. Some cool things you can build with a Raspberry Pi include an arcade machine, a car backup camera, or a laptop.
But let's say you have an extra old Raspberry Pi lying around, and you want it to do more than collect dust. There are a few ways to make money using a Raspberry Pi. But beware, as there is predatory software out there masquerading as money-making schemes. This article discusses the possible ways to make money on a Raspberry Pi, how to spot fake software, and what money you can realistically expect to make from some of these programs.
How do people make money with Raspberry Pi?
A Raspberry Pi can earn you passive income in a few different ways. One of the most popular ways is by sharing your excess bandwidth. This can be done by making the device available to peer-to-peer connections and charging users for accessing the data. You can also set up your Raspberry Pi as a VPN and offer the service directly to customers or through a third-party service.
Another way to make money with your Raspberry Pi is to set it up as a cloud service. This allows you to charge users to store or retrieve data that is stored on your device. You can do this directly or through a third party. One thing you will need before getting started with this is an external storage device hooked up to your Raspberry Pi to store the data.
With the crypto craze in full swing, some users looked to their Raspberry Pis for crypto mining. Because a Raspberry Pi is a full-fledged computer, it can solve complex algorithms and award crypto to the device's owner. Users also have the option to use the Raspberry Pi as a mining proxy node that charges crypto miners that connect through them.
Are Raspberry Pi passive income apps a scam?
As with any computer, there are many Raspberry Pi money-making services out there that are scams. At first, they may seem completely legitimate, but once you go to withdraw your funds, a payout can be denied. By then, you've already given them your resources for an extended time and even get you to bring in more customers with its bogus referral plan. These scam services can also be used to harvest and sell your information.
One way to discover whether an app is a scam is to check user reviews. But be careful with reviews posted on the service's website, as they can be fabricated. One place to find reviews that are not regulated by a service is a site like Trustpilot.
EarnApp is a popular bandwidth-sharing app for Raspberry Pi that has a 4.1 out of 5-star rating and 500 reviews on Trustpilot. Hundreds of reviewers claim that they have made money with the app. Honeygain is another highly rated program that claims to provide customers with a passive income. Although it does not have an official Raspberry Pi app, there is a workaround to get it working on the device. There's no guarantee you'll have success with a highly-rated app, but having positive testimonials about the service on third-party websites is usually a good sign.
Is making money with Raspberry Pi worth it?
Garnering passive income with a Raspberry Pi is possible, but it won't make you rich. EarnApp, offers customers, in some instances, $0.165 per active day for using the service. So, at the end of the week, you are looking at around a dollar.
A dollar a week may sound nice, but it's not free. You will still need to pay for electricity to run a Raspberry Pi 24/7. This also does not include the other services you'll need, such as the internet service you subscribe to that provides the data. If you are selling cloud storage, you must also buy a hard drive. With all expenses accounted for, breaking even selling your data through a Raspberry Pi can be very hard.
Bitcoin mining is not practical on a Raspberry Pi because the device cannot compete with ASIC and other powerful miners. Raspberry Pis can farm CPU-based crypto. However, you may receive only pennies in exchange. And like with data sharing, you likely won't make a profit.
Safe ways to make money with Raspberry Pi
Skilled individuals can make money with a Raspberry Pi without needing to take a chance on potentially predatory programs. If you are an expert in Raspberry Pi, you can get paid to consult on sites like Upwork. You can also program software tailored to Raspberry Pi. There is a wide range of potential software and tools that can be created for the Raspberry Pi, so there is sure to be something that's appealing to you. You can then sell the software you created online. Selling custom Raspberry Pis can also earn some cash for Raspberry Pi hobbyists.
Another way you can make money using a Raspberry Pi is to turn it into a gaming server. You can use the Raspberry Pi to host gaming sessions on games like 'Minecraft' and charge users for access. However, you may still need to pay advertising fees to get your server noticed by potential paying customers.