5 Raspberry Pi Projects I Stopped Using and Why

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I’ve tested and written about countless Raspberry Pi projects on RaspberryTips, and I usually focus on what makes them worth using. But over the years, I’ve also changed my mind about a few projects I once used regularly.

Popular services like Plex, Pi-Hole, OpenVPN, MotionEye and Samba are no longer part of my tech stack. I’m not saying I don’t need them anymore or that you should avoid them. I’ve just found better options.

Let me explain why I’m no longer using each one, and what I use instead.

Plex – Media center

I used Plex for years to store my media library and watch it from other devices, whether that was my TV at home or a laptop or tablet while travelling.

Over time, some features moved behind paid plans, and I also started having annoying playback issues. In particular, resuming a show sometimes resulted in endless buffering instead of simply continuing where I left off.

That pushed me to try Jellyfin, and I never went back. It does everything I need, has been reliable, and is completely free. I now use Jellyfin for all my media, including music, which I never really used with Plex.

You can read our comparison here: Jellyfin vs Plex on Raspberry Pi: Which Is Best?

Pi-Hole – Ad blocker

I used Pi-Hole for a while, and also tested AdGuard, but I eventually realized it caused me more trouble than it saved.

I now use Brave on all my devices, and its built-in ad blocker does a better job for the way I browse. It blocks most of what I want without adding another service in the middle of my network.

It’s also much easier to manage. If a website doesn’t work properly, I can disable blocking for that page in one click and move on. With Pi-Hole, I had to wonder whether the problem came from the site, the browser, or the DNS filtering.

Pi-Hole is still a great project, but Brave fits my needs better and causes fewer headaches. I explained this in more detail in my full article about why I stopped using Pi-Hole.

OpenVPN – VPN service

I started using OpenVPN because that’s what we used at work when I was a system and network administrator. It was the obvious choice when I wanted a VPN at home.

Then I tested WireGuard for a RaspberryTips tutorial, and I ended up switching completely. The whole setup feels simpler, especially when adding a new user or device. The QR code for mobile devices is pretty cool too!

I use my VPN all the time when I’m away from home, and WireGuard has been totally reliable. I had it running on a Pi Zero, and I barely remembered it was there. It was always available when I needed it, and I haven’t had a reason to go back to OpenVPN since.

I know tools like Cloudflare Tunnel and Tailscale are popular now, but I’m still a bit old school when it comes to remote access. WireGuard works, I understand it, and I trust it. Maybe one of those will be my next switch.

MotionEye – Security camera

MotionEye is one of those Raspberry Pi projects that looks great on paper. With a Pi Zero and a camera module, you can build your own security camera for a pretty low price.

I had fun experimenting with it, but a security camera needs to be reliable.

MotionEye hasn’t always kept up smoothly with new Raspberry Pi models and OS releases, so I’ve occasionally had to wait for updates or find workarounds to keep everything running.

There’s also the cost. When you add the Raspberry Pi, camera, power supply, case, and other parts, the DIY option might cost the same as buying a proper IP camera.

That’s what I do now. I use a Xiaomi camera that cost me less than the Pi stack. It has a mobile app, night vision, can rotate 360°, sends notifications when it detects something, and doesn’t require a recurring subscription.

Samba – File sharing service

Samba is a great project to learn how network file sharing works, but setting it up is not intuitive. Even though I’m a sysadmin and deal with this kind of technology every day, there were too many weird issues.

If you want to keep things simple, at least switch to OpenMediaVault. It still uses Samba for file sharing, but it has a nice web interface for setting up users, shared folders, permissions, etc.

But personally, I now use Nextcloud on all my devices. It isn’t exactly a Samba replacement, but for my needs, having files synchronized automatically between my computers and mobile devices is much more convenient. You also get a bunch of pretty cool extra features.

The trade-off is that Nextcloud needs more resources. Samba can run on pretty much any hardware, but I’d rather use a Raspberry Pi 5, ideally with an SSD, for a Nextcloud server.

Want more cool projects for your Raspberry Pi? You can get my full list here. It includes links to tutorials, plus the hardware (and skills) needed for each one.