There are many ways to reuse or give a second life to a mobile device you no longer use daily and have stored away in a drawer. One of them might be more interesting than others, as it will allow you to monitor the status of your Windows PC .
The Windows 10 system monitor
All operating systems include a system monitor that allows you to view various parameters related to the computer's operation in real time. In other words, this monitor lets you see the load on the CPU and graphics card, how much RAM is being used, and the read and write operations on the installed storage drives.
In other words, these monitors give information that helps at certain times to have a much more precise picture of the equipment's operation and, if necessary, detect possible errors if you notice that something is not going as it should.
In Windows, to open Resource Monitor, simply click the Start button and type "Resource Monitor". Once the result appears, click again or press Enter, and a new window will open with information about CPU, memory, disk, and network usage , as well as general information about active processes.
The only problem with such a monitor is that the information is displayed in an unattractive way. In order to know exactly how everything is working, it's great, but if all you want is to have a quick and global vision, it's less intuitive. So you have to look for solutions and if they can be external, so as not to occupy your screen with more information, all the better.
From Raspberry Pi to mobile
One solution to these system monitors is the Raspberry Pi. We'll show you how to use a Raspberry Pi and an external display to build a panel that provides detailed information on these parameters, which are of great interest to some users.
This solution was quite interesting because you could build exactly what you wanted. And it is that you could choose the screen to use with said plate, where to place it, etc. And all this at a cost that is quite affordable for most.
Even so, there is another additional option that could be much more interesting and that would not cost you an extra euro. Because you already made the expense at the time and right now it is a device that is possibly unused in a drawer at home.
That's right, we're referring to using a mobile device as a Windows System Monitor . This can be done whether it's a smartphone or tablet running Android, iOS, or iPadOS. For these operating systems, there's an application that, through the use of another application acting as a server, can receive and display data related to computer usage.
How to use your mobile as System Monitor
There are several applications capable of displaying information obtained from the Windows System Monitor. Some are more comprehensive than others, but the choice will depend on individual needs. Even so, Pitikapp might be the most recommended of them all for achieving what we're describing.
This application, available for both Android and Apple's mobile operating systems (iOS and iPadOS), is one of the most complete and also offers the best staging. Or what is the same, when consulting the information it collects, it is the one that will have the best design. So it will be much easier for you to know if the CPU is working at full capacity or not, etc.
Of course, what you'll be interested in here is learning how to use your mobile phone or tablet as a viewer for the Windows System Monitor . To do that, simply follow these steps:
- The first is download Pitikapp for your mobile or tablet. Depending on the operating system, you will have to download the version corresponding to Android o iOS / iPadOS
- With said app downloaded and installed, the next step is to do the same with the Windows app that will act as a server and send the information to the mobile device. Can download Pitikapp server from here
- Once you have both apps installed on the respective devices, all you have to do is start them
- First start the server application on your Windows computer to be monitored and select the data you want to display in the settings
- Next, with the mobile device connected to the same local network, start Pitikapp on it
- Yes, both devices are on the same network they will be found and you will automatically see the data from the computer on the mobile through Pitikapp
As you can see, the configuration and use of this solution for monitoring your computer with your mobile device is very simple. So much so that with a few clicks you already have everything running smoothly and without having to copy operating systems to SD cards, connect screens to a development board, etc.
The downside is that while the whole process is simpler, you do lose some options when it comes to customizing screen placement, etc. But that's something everyone will have to weigh up. The truth is, using Pitikapp is very easy, and considering that you can expand the amount of data displayed using MSI Afterburner , there's little to criticize.
In addition, it is a great option to give a second life to that mobile device that you stopped using. And if you're a bit handy, you can even make some modifications to make it fit better into the aesthetic you're looking for. Or to use it as a peripheral, because it could also be reused as a remote control in the style of elgato's Stream Deck.
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