Hey everyone - this seems like the best place to ask this question. While i think i know the answer, i’m a little lost in the sauce. Let me explain where i am at before i ask the big Q (that i am sure everyone will get a chuckle at, but it is what it is - would rather ask stupid questions than do stupid things). And yes, this would be mildly embarrassing, but its better to know you are the dumbest person in the room, vs thinking you are the smartest ;).
I am sort of in a 'I dont know what i dont know phase and, i guess, about to start digging further into the documentation pages for HA.
Original Desired Outcome: Run the HOAS on the N100, connect to touchscreen (combine these two together) and then attach to a wall for easy view/use.
Obviously new user - so here is the current set up:
N100 (cheapo Amazon beelink) - running latest rev of HAOS (dl’d from the HA ‘Installation for Genericx86-64’ section). Install went fine - imaged drive with balena so zero issues.
Got the N100 powered up, connected to local network via lan, access to the web interface from a windows computer. So already started setting up network shares from local server for backups and media storage etc. However, i am finding that the HOAS is just acting as the server? So if i want a wall mounted touchscreen i need a client device? So anything that can access the HA via browser or is there another OS/APP that can be installed on a client device??
For some reason i thought i would be able to use the HOAS install as the ‘interface client’ as well - via connecting a Touchscreen monitor (also purchased for this project). Or is there another application i can install on another device - like a Pi or tablet to allow me to wall mount the device for using HA from that interface? I dont mind just leaving the n100 to serve the HA instance and then access it from elsewhere (guess i get to buy more hardware hehe) - but i am not really seeing a ‘front end’ other than the web accessible. I would have assumed if its a server/client relationship that there would be something to install into another device for access (since the webbased home assistant interface seems more like an admin portal than a ‘Dashboard’). Or is a Dashboard something i would need to build myself, either via a custom coded yaml/or application, or some sort of HA webinterface configured view?
Modified Desired outcome - leave N100 attached to network in server ‘area’ of the house - then have another device mounted to a wall accessing a dashboard of some sort.
Feel free to rip in and thanks for any information - good or bad haha.
Good deal - I was on the right track then. Further question there: Going the cheap android tablet route, I wouldn’t really need fully kiosk would i? I could just navigate to the local instance via the installed browser.
Looking up Fully kiosk now to compare feature sets and capabilities. - Thanks for the asist.
Alright - so been playing with this a bit more. Still waiting on a tablet (received one yesterday - Screen was DOA - could get it to power on (and hitting the power button would give a ‘blip’ from the speaker) and it could be seen by my PC when connected via USB-C). So awaiting an RMA for that.
I think i will install the fully kiosk on the tablet - but i also think i will use the tablet for editing dashboards and such - so i can be lazy and hang on the couch with the tablet vs a laptop. So dual functionality lol.
I am going to create a wall mount for the tablet and also one for a keyboard (to mount under it) so if i want to use a physical KB while on that tablet - i can leave both on the wall and type away. Probably use a folding shelf design to lean the KB away from the (at bottom) to angle it for use. But we arent there quite yet haha.
Other set up i have gotten working - integration with spotify - using the SpotCase and SpotifyCard V2. I think i am going to remove this and try getting the SpotifyPlus hacs and card installed (i like the look and more functionality that it has). But havent played with that yet.
I installed a shelly 1pm mini gen 3 for controlling the front of house lights - and built some automations to turn those on and off (works well). Used this sequence to get it all working: Set up the new Shelly Device in the shelly app (via WIFI)> (note that i did find i needed to very specifially select my device type - ie Shelly 1pm Mini gen 3. Just selecting shelly 1pm mini did not work haha.
Then set up the device for a static ip - in the device IP web interface (got UP from the shelly app when set up.
Added the integration to HA, from Shelly - Home Assistant.
Then was able to immediately add the new device to HA. Then just added a card via ‘add to dashboard’ and then select entity and searched the new entity name. I did add a name field, via the code editor - to give it a better naming convention than the full device name.
After confirming control via this card. I built Automations for sunset -30 mins and sunrise + 1hr. All in all, it took longer to install (and rummage for spare home spec wire) than it took to get set up and configed.
thanks again and hope everyone else is running automated.
I have a few more shelly devices coming - to get some more lighting around the house connected and build up some scenes. After that will see about getting the TV connected, so can hook into some automations/scenese when we watch a movie in the evening to - turn on/off specific lights (should be pretty simple once i figure the tv part out).
After that, might work on some garage door automations - to close the door if left open too long and no one actively in the garage.
I did get Hubspace working for front door - however the automation i set to lock it after my phone leaves the ‘house’ zone did not work. So i need to troubleshoot that as well.
All in all, some progress and a bunch of learning. Will be looking at what others have done for automations and HA use cases and see what might interest me.
and thanks for any information - good or bad haha.