What is this?

[sputnikzztop]

KHello. I found this device in my house yesterday. I think it is a raspberry pic of some sort, modified. It is buzzing quite a bit. What is it doing please?

 

[rgd1101]

Sorry we can't see what you are talking about

 

[Albionm00n]

Greetings!

Is it possible to include a picture and maybe more info about it? For example, where did you find it, does it appear to be attached to anything, etc...That way, someone here may actually be able to identify the tech and be able to inform you about it more completely and accurately.

 

[sputnikzztop]

I thought I had uploaded a pic but it isn't showing up? It is in the dining room, plugged into the mains

 

[junii421]

Picture please?

 

[Albionm00n]

I thought I had uploaded a pic but it isn't showing up? It is in the dining room, plugged into the mains

Hmmm, given the location, it could be any number of legitimate pieces of home tech. It could be a smart thermostat, or something of the sort. Is there any sort of cover to it? Is it tapped to the mains in a professional manner, or does it look hobbed in? I am a journeyman electrician and home remodeler, and am only making a guess, so if you can attempt again to get a picture posted, that would speak a thousand words.

 

[sputnikzztop]

I don't know how to upload a photo on here I have copied it but no option to 'paste' appears

 

[rgd1101]

You don't upload it here, upload to imgur.com then post the link

 

[sputnikzztop]

Oh thankyou. Never heard of that. I have managed to upload onto that site. The link is
Http://imgur.com/ozgwOcS

 

[Albionm00n]

OK, that is definitely a Raspberry Pi. It appears to be connected with an Ethernet cable (yellow) and what I believe is USB cable attached (red cable). It is also powered on which is indicated by the lights on the unit. Is that the power cord coming from the wall? I can only assume it is, and the fact that it just ports into the wall and not an official device or junction box is a little strange. What are the yellow and red cables connected to? Do you live alone and how long have you lived in the house? My first guess is that the Pi was setup for media use, but that is just a guess. Are there any other boxes or connections nearby? My guess is that maybe there was a media setup in that room at one point, but that is assuming you are new to the residence and is something left by an earlier tenant. Of course, this is all speculation. Bottom line, it is a Raspberry Pi, but as to its purpose, I can only guess. I would recommend tracing the yellow and red cables and let us know what you find, and that should help us understand better what you have there.

 

[sputnikzztop]

Ok. The red cable is plugged into the mains, on an adapted socket. The yellow thick cable goes into the back of a junction box thingy on a shelf. Other cables are plugged in there too - one is to do with the printer, one is the phone charger stand. It is right by my home hub for phone and internet

 

[Albionm00n]

Ok. The red cable is plugged into the mains, on an adapted socket. The yellow thick cable goes into the back of a junction box thingy on a shelf. Other cables are plugged in there too - one is to do with the printer, one is the phone charger stand. It is right by my home hub for phone and internet

OK. My first guess by that information is that it was potentially being used in order to network the printer for shared use, which is a very common use of the Pi, and I believe the junction box thingy is just that, an Ethernet splitter. I am leaning toward home network use as the purpose of the Pi primarily, but it could also have been serving other functions through the network such as a file server or media server, which are also very common uses for a Pi. I am unsure as to the phone charger stand...is it a stand for wireless charging? Is it home made? The Pi can also be used to fashion a Qi charger for wireless charging of capable cell phones. If it is connected to your internet router hub it may also have been used as a black hole for internet ads, or serving a purpose for internet networking throughout the home as an extender/repeater. These are of course just guesses, but I do not think the Pi is something to be concerned about, and maybe is something that is already (which it seems to be) adding function to your system or has the potential to do so. There are a great many cool things that can be done with a Pi, but it is commonly used for the above mentioned scenarios.

Out of curiosity, did you just move into the house? Do you have roommates? Is there anyone with prior knowledge of the house and network that you can reach out to to find more information? Just a little confused about you having something that is obviously operational, but no idea how or where it could have come from, that is connected to a system that you seem to use, so I am just trying to fill in the blanks to understand your situation and query.

Hope this helps!