Published May 8, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Bryan Wolfe has spent 15+ years writing about the tech people actually use — and occasionally the tech they probably shouldn't. With bylines at Yahoo, MakeUseOf, TechRadar, and Digital Trends, he brings an MBA-sharpened perspective to consumer tech, AI tools, and digital productivity. He's based in State College, PA, where he also runs GoingSolo.Life, a solo travel brand for the independently minded. You probably have an old iPhone sitting unused in a drawer. It may be a couple of generations behind, but if the screen and Wi-Fi work, it could be your best smart home controller yet. I’ve been using my old iPhone 16 Pro Max as a dedicated home controller since I upgraded last fall, and I genuinely wonder why it took me so long to figure this out. Dedicated smart home tablets and displays can cost between $100 and $300. Your old iPhone? It’s probably already been paid for and has simply been collecting dust until now.…