While the Raspberry Pi 5 is the most feature-rich board in the popular SBC family, not everyone wants to spend $50 just for extra power. For budget-conscious hobbyists, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W represents a solid compromise between price and performance.
But what about the original Raspberry Pi Zero model? With its underpowered processor, lack of proper IO provisions, and low memory, it's by far the weakest device in the Raspberry Pi lineup. As it turns out, there are still a surprising number of projects you can create with this adorable little SBC.
5 Surveillance camera
However, you have to expect low FPS when recording video
If you have a leftover webcam and a Raspberry Pi Zero, you can turn it into a surveillance system using motionEyeOS. Unlike the Raspberry Pi 5, this budget SBC comes with a compatible motionEyeOS image that you can simply flash to a microSD card without having to go through the hassle of installing it with various commands on top of the Raspberry Pi OS.
The reason the RPi Zero is at the bottom of the list is because you will undoubtedly run into performance issues if you try to use motion detection or other advanced features, but for remote monitoring of footage this is not an issue if you lower the resolution of the video stream.
4 Lightweight web server
Very useful when learning programming
Self-hosted web servers are the perfect intermediate project for programming enthusiasts who want to get into web development. Since the Raspberry Pi operating system supports various code editing tools, you'll be surprised at how well the Wi-Fi version of the RPi Zero can host simple web servers.
For newcomers, a Flask web server is an easy way to get familiar with Python and the backend aspects of hosting websites. Meanwhile, experienced programmers with knowledge of HTML, PHP, and MariaDB can try their hand at hosting a more complex LAMP server on the Raspberry Pi Zero W.
3 Time lapse camera
You can even use a cheap camera module for this project
Once you have a camera set up to take pictures of an object at regular intervals, you can combine them into a time-lapse gallery. Fortunately, none of these tasks require cutting-edge hardware, and since the Raspberry Pi Zero has a CSI camera port, it's possible to build a cheap time-lapse camera for well under $15.
Be careful when handling the plastic clip on the CSI connector, as even the slightest force can cause it to break off and jeopardize the entire project.
2 Retro slot machine
Perfect for GBA emulation
While you shouldn't expect the Raspberry Pi Zero to run PSP, Dreamcast, or other home consoles, it's a different story when it comes to classic gaming systems with 2D titles. As long as you limit the low-power board to NES, Game Boy, and other dinosaur consoles, you won't run into any performance issues when emulating your favorite titles with Retropie.
Additionally, hardcore tinkerers can attach 3D printed cases and buttons to the Raspberry Pi Zero, turning this small board into a portable arcade game console!
1 Pi-Hole
Undoubtedly the best project for the Raspberry Pi Zero
One project that many Raspberry Pi Zero W lovers still use to this day is the oddly named Pi-hole, which can block ads on all devices running on your home network. A Pi-hole setup works as a DNS-level sinkhole and also allows you to configure custom block lists to prevent your devices from accidentally launching malicious websites.
And as if that wasn't enough, Pi-hole also lets you monitor the activity of clients connected to your home network. That's quite a lot of features for an open source utility that is arguably one of the easiest projects to build with your RPi Zero.
Bring your Raspberry Pi Zero back to life with fun projects
If you don't mind putting up with the Raspberry Pi Zero's performance limitations, you can also try your hand at a few other projects. For example, you can try setting up LibreElec on the SBC, as long as you're willing to overlook the SBC's abysmal transcoding performance. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty with soldering, you can connect some GPIO pins to the Raspberry Pi Zero and turn it into a DIY weather station. Those who have a wired printer in their computer area can put their tinkering skills to the test by building a wireless print server with the RPi Zero.