I am working on my spa pool area and would like to incorporate a control panel of some type. It will control a media player, pause/play toggle, mute toggle, next track, random play. Also toggle some lights or change up a wled effect.
It will be out in all weathers. Wifi is available.
I have looked at ruggedised tablets, but they seem overly expensive and perhaps overkill, I don’t need to control the whole house.
I am thinking some httm buttons/esphome and a waterproof box with a glass/plexi front, perhaps even a small oled to provide feedback.
This might not be exactly what you had in mind but it might be worth a look.
I first learned of its existence from the Locus Map forum. That’s a backcountry navigation app used by cyclists and hikers. Imagine a phone attached to a bike’s handlebar and you want to, say, pan the map. Not so easy or precise (or safe) when you are moving. So someone came up with the idea of using a Bluetooth media controller attached to the handlebars. Much easier to stab the controller’s buttons with a thumb; the commands are received by the navigation app and used to pan the map (or do other things).
Anyway, it might fit the bill assuming the availability of a Bluetooth connection and some form of existing integration.
I used an M5Stack Core2 and linked to Home assistant using MQTT - Only problem is finding a weather proof enclosure - I have to bring it inside when not in the pool.
