A German software engineer named Tuan Anh Bui has built ScreenWall, a free web platform that turns old phones, tablets or even ancient monitors into wall-mounted smart displays without requiring any app installation. The tool aims to give discarded devices a second life as clocks, weather stations, status boards or photo frames, appealing to anyone with unused hardware sitting in a drawer rather than heading to landfill.

Currently in beta, ScreenWall lets users pair a device by scanning a QR code or entering a six-digit code, then drag it onto a chosen widget within a "wall" workspace; it comes with demo widgets such as a clock and weather display, and supports custom JavaScript widgets and JSON data sources. It uses the Screen Wake Lock API to stop screens sleeping, but testing by The Register found reconnection quirks: closing the browser tab or letting a device sleep disconnects it, often requiring a fresh QR scan that can scramble the layout of the display wall, so users are advised to keep the tab open for smoother long-term use.