This thing is awesome! 4" Android In-Wall Smart Home Control Panel

[@camerongray1515]

Buy from AliExpress (Affiliate): geni.us/aVbn7 Note that it seems as though manufacturers are swapping their listings between the Android and Linux versions of these devices. When buying one of these, make sure that the listing doesn't mention Linux or "Alexa Built In" as these devices cannot be unlocked in this way. Ideally focus on listings that explicitly mention Android in the specs or contact the seller to double check. Documentation: - Sideloading Apps: blakadder.com/t6e-sideload/ - Waking Device using Proximity Sensor: blakadder.com/android-panel-proximity/ - Updating WebView: blakadder.com/android-panel-webview/

[@LaurenceReeves]

£84.. ouch

[@MatthewLiut]

Please do a video on the new updated 5 inch single gang US version!!

[@Smatek_Electronics]

As original manufacturer of T6E, I can say you are absolute right. Yes, some factory provide linux OS, it will be really hard to DIY for unprofessional users.

[@mcI98E]

I don't think there is much better than seeing you have done a review of something that I find interesting. You really do have a knack for including all the details anyone interested could ever need, thanks for the hard work.

[@DavidSmith-fh3yi]

Just ordered one to test. I am about to move into a house and think I am using about 10 of your videos to help me, from network cable installation, to now a newer screen display. Already tried HASP and NSPanel so this will be another different way of working, and perhaps with a higher Spouse Approval Factor! Thanks Cameron

[@dejar890]

this looks exactly like the new nspanel pro

[@o0julek0o]

Imagine telling someone from the 1950s that your light switch might show ads...

[@camerongray1515]

Thankfully the ads I mentioned were only when opening the navigation bar app itself to change settings, not when it was being used. Probably better options out there, I just stick with the first one I tried because I didn't need it once it was set up.

[@o0julek0o]

@@camerongray1515 Oh absolutely. I'd personally also massively isolate it on my home network. Love the device otherwise.

[@camerongray1515]

Yeah, I keep all of these devices on an isolated VLAN that can access the required ports on my server but nothing more.

[@judymeyers1508]

That's fucking hilarious 🤣😂😆😭

[@brakahiphop]

😅

[@blakadders]

Props on the heads up on paying attention for the right model with the right hardware!

[@camerongray1515]

And thank you for all the excellent documentation! I had been looking at these devices for a while but was too nervous to spend the money before I knew it would definitely be moddable!

[@blakadders]

@@camerongray1515 you're exactly the reason why I do spend the money or in this case ask for a review sample, so I can show the people what's possible and what's not with new types of devices

[@camerongray1515]

Interesting to hear about review samples, I've had companies approach me before however with a lot of smart home stuff I've avoided it since I've always assumed companies wouldn't want me hacking their products to bits and not showing off their supplied apps and stuff, maybe something I should give a go at some point and see what they say!

[@blakadders]

@@camerongray1515 if they don't like it they won't send you another one but that's ok

[@petethomson]

I got the early bird Sonoff NS Panel (not the Pro) hoping it would be something it couldn't end up being. This IS what I wanted. Thanks for the review, and keeping it simple, I'll be ordering one ASAP!

[@thmo_]

Amazing video, you answered all the questions that popped up for me. I'd love to see another video with the other versions of this device that you mentioned, especially the bigger one! Keep up the amazing work.

[@pineappleroad]

Once again you make me wish i had smart home stuff (I’ve been unofficially banned from owning smart home stuff)

[@SBBUK]

A great video and i was inspired watching it. However, due to the risk of receiving the "wrong" t6e unit, i recommend to go for the sonoff nspanel pro instaad, its a similar device but less risk as theres no difference in versions and can be ordered in the uk

[@drifton]

Great review, looks very interesting! Would be super if you did a "How to" setup with Home Assistant!

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

It's amazing how manufacturers will do anything to make it harder to fully use their products...

[@Smatek_Electronics]

No, you can contact the products original factory (not reseller), I think the factories are willing to provide you technical support.

[@panniechristou9644]

Top Man ! Great Video , good walk through , just finished updating my one with your help and the black Adder website , did a bit of mix and match ! but finally got the whole HA page on show with fully kiosk ! Thanks very much , from a useless brick to a real cool toy !

[@Geoffbell01]

Coffee and toast and sit down and watch another excellent video.

[@martinzipfel7843]

Hey Cameron, saw your video and bought one of the devices. This is awesome. I followed Blakadder's guide and it was really simple to get it to work. For the price def a good and neat alternative to mounting a tablet to the wall although the amount of screen real estate forces one to get creative in order to make it functional and good-looking.

[@Wootts007]

hi mate, will these displays run spotify or amaon music directly from the divice? thanks

[@martinzipfel7843]

@@Wootts007 Can't give you a definitive answer as I have not tried it out but in theory, they should. However, you might be a little disappointed with the performance. It is not as snappy as your latest Samsung phone ;)

[@Smatek_Electronics]

We are original factory of the panel, we can tell you that all our models have no Spotify@@Wootts007

[@keirSpitfire]

ooh these seem good. Nice video my man, good explanations and camera work. :)

[@jamiebiggs3634]

Not sure if your panel is the same but I found in the display settings show status bar. Which actually enables the navigation bar

[@thebiggerbyte5991]

Excellent as always. Inspiring me to upgrade my smart home stuff next year, and these look like a super device.

[@tylerkeeton17]

Super cool! Really make me itch for getting home assistant setup… keep putting it off, lol!

[@dant5464]

Android devices have several partitions, like boot, system (the OS), cache (iirc used during system updates?), recovery (options to flash, factory reset, etc often accessed by holding a volume key while powering on), userdata, etc. The 4 out of 8 GB you can see will be userdata.

[@kbhasi]

The cache partition is also used to store cached content for apps, like cached online data for mobile apps of online services

[@Diamonddrake]

I grabbed on of these because of this video, followed the blackadder tutorial and it was just as it is in your video. Not sure if the price is right but it really is a neat thing. I wasn't able to find the video where you talk about how you set up that attractive dashboard though. Looks great!

[@CavanSounds]

I don't usually comment on videos but this was a great video. I'm definitely buying a few. On a side note. You used another app to use the proximity sensor. You can use fully kiosk to make use of the proximity sensor aswell. I use it in a pub for a makeshift jukebox for the staff to use

[@camerongray1515]

Thanks! The only option I could find relating the proximity sensor is "Turn Screen Off on Proximity (PLUS)" however this didn't seem to do anything. I suspect it may be due to the proximity sensor giving strange, almost inverted readings where the distance read seems to increase the closer I get to the device. It has the "motion detection" feature however this uses a camera rather than the proximity sensor so I can't use that here unfortunately.

[@CavanSounds]

@@camerongray1515 yeah, i've just had a look at the fully kiosk software, your absolutely right, it was a motion sensor using the camera. not proximity sensor. well that's me told ha ha. Still a great video. will have to set it up. i have been wanting to use something similar for a while but could never find anything that i liked, this seems great. i may go for the bigger display though. for the oldies in the house

[@MrJordanwain]

I fancy having a larger version of this to be a mini CCTV display as well as the smart home side.

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

People use tablets for this. Attaching those to the wall, resolving battery issues are two major hurdles

[@sunil237]

Hi Cameraon, loving your ideals behind the smart switching. It's exactly what I want to do as well. Would you have any recommendations on newer hardware as your video is 2 years old now

[@jameshayes2941]

This is brilliant! Been looking for a screen like this and you just found it for me. Cheers!

[@tramcrazy]

A really awesome new addition. I feel like buying one now! You should definitely add more functionality eg for the AV system.

[@sahs3811]

Interesting, I’m retiring my house soon so this could be an option in the bedrooms !

[@RossCanpolat]

That thing is awesome, i just wish it was bigger. I get the usecase but on a per-room build its going to be quite costly. I wish there was something more "tablet" sized that runs of an 86mm wall box or even off a 2-gang.

[@garytill]

there are the S8E models with the 6" widescreen and thermostat knob, they are androidable in the same way, however I haven't seen anything about how to use or integrate the knob or its secondary display just yet. there is also a larger version of that device where the main panel is removable and can sit on a desk but no word on hackability of that larger model. a cheap tablet would be better in that case due to high cost.

[@laxett]

Thanks Cameron! Fantastic video. Is there a reason you'd pick this over the NSPanel Pro?

[@zzdestroyallhumanzz1134]

What a great moddable product. If only it had a integrated switch circuit, so it could also replace my light switch i would be golden.

[@JOEJOETHEJOEY]

Is it possible to install this by replacing an old 'dumb' light switch dimmer? My house wiring only has an in and out circuit for each bedroom. If I just use this smart panel in its place, how can I power the lights as well on the ring? Can the touch panel also behave as a physical switch to complete a circuit for just that room's light?

[@feelgeorge]

Just came across your channel. Amazing content. keep doing what you are doing

[@vipulagarwal7478]

Fantastic video, thanks for sharing. I was planning to wall mount a Fire HD 8 but couldn't shake the feeling of lithium battery charging 24/7 and hiding the USB connector without a mount casing. Do you recommend a version that has a bigger screen (8inch or larger)?

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

There's solutions for the battery issues but they require quite some tinkering...

[@arriewarrie]

Great video! Can you possibly link to or give the brand and model number for the lightswitch used below the panel with the key lock?

[@Andrew-ds5yw]

Thanks Cameron! Are there any 4 inch android panels like this already unlocked? So I could just add shelly app or home assistant without any unlocking?

[@johansj]

Great and inspiering video Cameron. Thanks! Any chance you can share the yaml for your dashbord?

[@VW_Fan]

Another good video. This device would be much better if it was POE.

[@larrygilbert7273]

Brilliant! Great presentation, too.

[@ReX-jo6hb]

It seems that also the 6" version (Tuya S8E 6" Multi-mode Gateway Dimmer Switch) can be unlocked, but what happens to the rotating dial and its display after running Android and Home Assistant?

[@ladams5356]

Genius. Any links to 8” or landscape versions

[@gutwallst6645]

Man, you talk crazy fast ⚡⚡👍

[@alangaughran]

Great to have video. We can then look at a picture of a box forever! Ever considered speaking a little more slowly?

[@ABALAF]

If I understand, can I install the smart life, home assistant., reolink, right? And use this like a table.

[@snugglesjuggler]

I had this in my mind when building my house 15 years ago so I went for 130cm wall box distance from the floor instead of a 100cm distance that is standard for old school switches. Really happy about my choice. And even though small kids won't be able to reach the panels, that's also the point . That small kids should never have the need for fiddling with a panel in a autonomous house. Give them a separate restricted controller or let them use Nest or Alexa for voice commands instead.

[@stevanr2401]

I bought one after watching this video and am having lots of fun with it. I've set it up with HA through Fully Kiosk and also have Plexamp running on it to control my music through a headless Plexamp on an RPi. I designed and 3D printed a desk stand for it and uploaded it to Thingiverse for anyone interested. I can't post the link here as my posts keep disappearing but if you go to Thingiverse and search for Avatto, it should come up.

[@EsotericArctos]

The S6E as far as I know is virtually identical to the T6E, but has two physical relays inside to provide switching. I think some S6E's have ethernet, but I haven't seen any T6E's with ethernet

[@Smatek_Electronics]

Hi, We are original factory of the panel, T6E is with European back base, no Ethernet and replay; S6E is with Asian back base, there is Ethernet + 2 Replays.

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

​​@@Smatek_Electronicswhy aren't you making a version suitable for use with Home Assistant out of the box without all this hacking? Do you think there won't be sufficient demand?

[@schneider1492]

So I'm guessing British outlets have screws on the sides and are a bigger box? I don't see how that would fit in an American outlet unless maybe it was sideways, even a two or three gang box has the screws on the top and bottom

[@mrjack711]

Thanks for the in-depth video. Would you consider trying out the S8E 6 inch version?

[@camerongray1515]

Eventually yeah, just need to wait until I have the budget and time to look at it but it's definitely something I'd like to check out.

[@hansgruber8957]

I have Shelly devices controlling lights etc through out the house. Would this be compatible with Shelly? Shelly have launched something similar but it's availability in the UK seems quite limited.

[@tonyf1410]

Great video mate! Really appreciate it.

[@georgehavey]

Would love to see a video on your light-switch set up. Controlling smart lights with physical switches has been a constant battle of mine. My current solution has been to wire them permanently to on and then replace the switches with momentary switches soldered to IKEA zigbee controllers but has not been without issue.

[@chrisalbertson5838]

The solution is easy. Use Lutron Caseta switches and Lutron Pico remotes, They have the "feel" of real hardware like people are used to going back to the 1930s ad don't resemble Chinese tech at all.

[@camerongray1515]

Sorry, only just saw your comment! I made a video about it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6WkYZxqarB6i5o. Essentially it's just a retractive switch module connected to a Sonoff mini that communicats with my smart home system. Another option instead of the Sonoff would be the Shelly i4 which would allow up to 4 switch inputs (e.g. 4 standard switches or 2 "centre off" switches that click in both directions)

[@camerongray1515]

The Lutron Pico Remotes look great but if I understand correctly they're relatively locked down to controlling their own switches/dimmer packs or for use with their own smart hub. My system is completely locally hosted using open standards so they aren't really suitable.

[@FAOGozalo]

Great video, thanks! Quick question, would you be able to run the Google Home App from this?

[@camerongray1515]

I haven't tested it but probably not unfortunately - while this runs Android, it doesn't have Google Play Services installed which are required by a lot of apps that use Google's specific services and I suspect Google Home would be one of such apps

[@garytill]

@@camerongray1515 might be able to get it working with microG services, which can replace the first party play services to allow some apps to work without the official play services, but not all.

[@VAX1970]

Great video once again .. very interesting project.

[@Nevexo287]

Awesome stuff as always, thanks!

[@LeeZhiWei8219]

Nice device you got there. I wonder if custom firmware would run on it?

[@HiltonT69]

This looks better than the new Sonoff devices.

[@camerongray1515]

Interestingly this seems to be based on the same platform as the NSPanel Pro which appears to be made by a company called "Smatek". However from what I've seen, the NSPanel Pro potentially has a lower quality screen and with the newest firmware versions, needs to first be linked to Sonoff's app to enable a form of "developer mode" to enable ADB.

[@PhilippMarschall]

Nice work :-) and the dashboard looks really nice as well! Is there any video or blog out there where you go through your cards, themes and so on?

[@camerongray1515]

It's not something I've done yet, realistically I'm not an expert on Home Assistant. Most of my logic is in Node-RED and I purely use Home Assistant as a dashboard and way to integrate with third party APIs through the plugins.

[@fabroh]

Awesome video, I'm buying one to test! I'm going to use it for media controls and as a doorbell intercom. A couple of questions, the S8E variants look nice, is there any way to control the small screen and use the rotary encoder? also, is there a variant with a included relay thats not over 100usd? (bc importing fees) Thanks

[@camerongray1515]

I haven't tried an S8E yet so honestly I don't know, it's something I'd be interested to try in the future once budget allows however I don't have any information beyond the particular model I used here. As for the versions with relays - I haven't really looked into them however you'd also need to make sure that you'd be able to control the relay in some way from within Android if you aren't using the original apps. Instead you may be better off getting some sort of Shelly/Sonoff device to use as a relay and then keep the T8E purely as a user interface.

[@Smatek_Electronics]

Hi, We are original factory of the panel, S8E knob is for lighting brightness control and temperature control.

[@stevejones8392]

Awesome video, really inspired me to look at these. Random question, if these are good to replace a standard light switch, do these devices need a neutral connection?

[@camerongray1515]

It will need a neutral yes. If you don't have a neutral at the switch then you'd either need to run one down to it, or, if you were just planning on linking out the switch wire anyway so that the light is permanently on (this device doesn't contain any sort of relay) then you could technically adjust the wiring at the ceiling rose to send a permanently live and neutral down to the switch and then have the light wired to be permanently on. Of course, if in doubt, make sure you contact a qualified electrician for this sort of thing. I'm fortunate in that my lighting is wired using the 2 plate method so I have a neutral at all of my switches.

[@stevejones8392]

@@camerongray1515 Thank you for taking the time to reply!

[@georgehavey]

Another interesting project would be to try and get 5v + GND off the backplate to power a small tablet

[@4sayken]

Great video mate

[@fabriziomagli1875]

congratulations, but can I also see the Shelly devices above?

[@camerongray1515]

Not quite sure what you mean? I don't currently have any Shelly devices

[@alvanis9849]

Can you view camera feed on the screen from a camera that is connected to home assistant?

[@Pico_Farad]

Thank god for captions

[@retropctech2407]

That thing is awesome. I'm searching for something exactly like this, just PoE powered instead of mains powered.

[@camerongray1515]

PoE powered would have been an absolute dream! However it does seem to just take 5v so it would likely be possible to get rid of the external power supply and feed 5v directly into the pin header using one of those PoE to 5v splitter devices. You'd still be using WiFi for the data transfer but would at least be able to power it from a PoE source. You can also get these with Ethernet built in so I imagine that with some modification you could remove the mains PSU from the rear case but keep the Ethernet port in place then use a PoE splitter device to feed 5v into the device to power it and then also connect up the Ethernet for data transfer.

[@retropctech2407]

​@@camerongray1515 Hmm a PoE Splitter is a great idea. And you might even be able to use ethernet on the "wifi" only version. The USB Port internally is labeled with OTG. So there is a chance that a USB Ethernet adapter could with it. Maybe there are combo devices like a PoE splitter with an integrated USB NIC and a Micro-USB Port (probably those are originally designed for the RaspberryPi Zero, as it also uses MicroUSB for Power and Data). The port placement of the MicroUSB port might be a bit of an issue though. Maybe fixable with a Right angle adapter though.

[@camerongray1515]

That sounds like a great idea, looks like the device you mentioned actually exists! thepihut.com/products/poe-to-micro-usb-adapter-for-pi-zero-ethernet-power-ieee-802-3af-compliant. Assuming you can get an appropriate right angle usb adaptor, this could be a great option! It just so happens that I have an unused CAT6 run floating in the wall behind that touch panel (I ran it in when I was making changes to the lighting wiring just in case) so I might actually give this a go in the future!

[@garytill]

@@retropctech2407 There are displays similar to this that have integrated LAN (and relays accessible via gpio in android, and even ones with audio power amps to drive speakers), but i am unsure of whether they connect via USB internally. haven't come across any affordable POE integrated ones yet, but a POE+USB Ethernet dongle like the ones made for PI zero etc will work.

[@s.h.1891]

amazing video I want to ask about the zigbee gateway is it still working in tuya app? if No, how I can add a zigbee device,? have I buy a separate gateway hub?

[@camerongray1515]

I don't use any Tuya stuff so can't really comment, although I imagine most of the Tuya stuff on this will stop working when the Tuya services are disabled.

[@s.h.1891]

@@camerongray1515 thank you for your response 🌹🌹

[@s.h.1891]

@@camerongray1515 your way is good solution for HA Dashboard.. Thank you very much

[@Smatek_Electronics]

Hi, We are original factory of the panel, the Tuya version is with Zigbee gateway.

[@Craig-i7b]

Have these now been locked or not ?

[@bsargent]

Bought the device from Avatto (the link in your comments) but it actively rejects any connection requests using abd - both over Wifi and using the OTG cable. Any way to work around this? Thanks

[@TheGregoYatzee]

Curious if this has any phone home to China built in? So many of this type of non brand devices seem to.

[@thedoctor0587]

Hi Cameron - fantastic video (as always)! Just wanted to check that affiliate link you posted - the item listing now indicates "Work for Alexa". Was this the case when you pulled the trigger on it? Hope so - it's a decent price right now!

[@camerongray1515]

Yeah, that just indicates that it can be controlled from an external Alexa device, the ones to take care with are the ones that actually have Alexa support built in (where the device itself will act as a voice assistant) as those seem to be the ones that come with Linux.

[@thedoctor0587]

@@camerongray1515 Nice one pal! On order now - very much looking forward to getting everything set up when it arrives!

[@alexthepunk]

Can you suggest a tutorial on display a dashboard without the HomeAssistant menu buttons on left?

[@camerongray1515]

I'm using the "Kiosk Mode" addon for Home Assistant - This will hide the navigation bars when the dashboard is loaded with "?kiosk" appended to the URL.

[@alexthepunk]

@@camerongray1515 thank you!! that's the answer I've been looking for!

[@FRETW1ZARD]

Bit of a long shot but does this thing have any water resistance? I’m looking for a Bluetooth audio source for my bathroom.

[@camerongray1515]

Unfortunately not

[@haknys]

Sorry for asking stupid questions, but apart from the no-battery and the easier (physical) installation, why not use a 10 inch pad? Stock android, known hardware, warranty, bigger screen, faster (?). Thanks for the video. Interesting. :)

[@camerongray1515]

No battery and the overall form factor are the main reasons. I feel this is a much neater looking device than a wall mounted tablet and realistically, for the type of stuff this does (lighting control for an individual room), a larger screen is unnecessary

[@philipdavis_ie]

Is it possible to side load the Google Home app (and login to a Google account) for this to be used as a wall intercom for a Google Hello doorbell?

[@camerongray1515]

Unfortunately I doubt it - while these run Android, they don't include Google Play Services which is required by a lot of regular Android apps, likely including Google Home.

[@philipdavis_ie]

@@camerongray1515 Cheers for the reply, the hunt continues!

[@pXnEmerica]

Would be ok for bedrooms, it's pretty pricey though. I settled on a Dell touchscreen/PI for my main control center, but was fortunate to find the screen used for a good deal. I'd probably want to build a fresh android install instead of trying to hack the stock rom up, who knows what's going on in the background, it's now on your internal network.

[@camerongray1515]

It's pricey but it's a relatively niche device and realistically I couldn't find any comparable options for a similar price. My idea is to have a screen like this in any room that contains some sort of smart lighting so something small and unobtrusive is important. As for the security, flashing a custom ROM really comes down to if the bootloader is unlocked which I have been unable to validate, personally I work on a principle of not trusting any sort of IoT/embedded device whether it is from a "known" manufacturer or not. Therefore these devices alongside most of my other IoT devices all run on an isolated network that can only access the minimum required services, therefore I'm not too worried about the security side of things.

[@arogachevski]

Hello! adb devices - unauthorized. What could be the reason?

[@JoaoRodca]

a matte screen would be much better for a device like this

[@leandrobozo]

Do you have somewhere the code for homeassistant to set it up as yours?

[@iand299]

Is it possible to hard wire this 12v DC. I’m planning my campervan build and want to do away with the multiple displays for batteries, water level, and control lights, diesel heater, water pump etc through home assistant but needs to be 12v DC majority of the time unless inverting to 240v (thirsty draw) or on shore power.

[@iand299]

A display like this would be ideal, alternatively an android tablet but not certain if I’d need to have a raspberry po as the hub/server. Would ideally like to acquire Bluetooth or wifi devices/switches and run from an android device rather than a hub/server

[@camerongray1515]

I haven't tried it myself however the pins between the rear power supply and front panel appear to just be 5v and GND so I suspect you could use a simple 12v to 5v converter to feed power into the appropriate pins. At the very least it's definitely possible to power it from the MicroUSB connector so you could probably solder onto that if the pin header didn't work.

[@swimmerboy]

Can you share the link regarding the devices with larger screen?

[@camerongray1515]

This would be an example of one of them (Affiliate): bit.ly/3UD43Cv. However I obviously haven't tested it so I can't confirm whether it will definitely run Android and come with ADB enabled. I'd like to think that it would and if my budget allows in the future I'll likely get one to try out, however it's very much a case of "buy at your own risk"

[@swimmerboy]

@@camerongray1515 thank you Cameron. For me, the knob is a bit much. I thought it was something round 6x6 instead of 4x4. Just curious about the extra real estate. Even sonoff has a US version with more screen size than "eu peasents"

[@camerongray1515]

Yeah, I'm not sure about the knob either. There's other devices out there that also claim to run android and don't have the knob but they aren't mentioned on the Blakadder documentation so I can't really speak for how moddable these may be. They often have built in audio amplifiers so searching for things like "Android wall amplifier" tends to bring them up

[@0x0081]

Is this a sonoff NSPanel pro ripoff or is it the same device but rebranded and cheaper ?

[@justintemp]

What screwdriver is that you have? You don't need to turn your hand and appear to remove the screw using just your thumb spinning the screwdriver? That would be very helpful for those with wrist problems

[@camerongray1515]

It's just a cheap precision screwdriver set from Lidl/Aldi. Basically for that you need a screwdriver with a piece that rotates on the end of the handle, you'd then push against this rotating part to provide the required pressure against the screw head then turn the rest of the screwdriver with your fingers.

[@justintemp]

@@camerongray1515 thanks. Might see if I can find one

[@Liam-js6di]

Any experience whether the Ethernet port on the larger models supports PoE? And if there’s a way to use the large dial they come with? If yes, that device is exactly what I’m after!

[@camerongray1515]

These are both questions I'm not sure about, I don't think they have PoE support but as for the dial I'd really need to get one in person to look at. That said, someone else commenting here had a very good idea I'd be keen to try out - you can get MicroUSB ethernet controllers that also take in PoE to power the connected MicroUSB device, they seem to be designed for Raspberry Pi Zeros. With an appropriately small right angle adapter, it may be possible to use one of these with the USB OTG port inside the device and essentially get rid of the entire mains power supply part.

[@somebastard]

I’ve got one of these, but my dashboards are nowhere near optimal for a display this size. What theming gave you used to produce this layout in HA?

[@camerongray1515]

I'm using this theme: github.com/basnijholt/lovelace-ios-dark-mode-theme. However I think the main thing that I've done is that I've created specific dashboards dedicated to this device rather than trying to squeeze a larger dashboard onto a small screen. My Home Assistant setup is also a bit unconventional where dashboards are made up of virtual devices created as "helpers" in Home Assistant. These essentially make up a UI that then passes events to Node-RED which carries out the main logic and communicates with the actual devices. I've never been a fan of how Home Assistant handles automations and I find that Node-RED matches my way of thinking much better so I keep my logic in there and use Home Assistant as a dashboard and as a way to easily communicate with devices that have cloud based control such as my Viessmann boiler and my Nest thermostat where Home Assistant has prebuilt integrations.

[@somebastard]

@@camerongray1515 Nice one - thanks for getting back I'll likely do the same as I work out the best use cases, I'm thinking of using one to control heating and TRVs from one panel.

[@InspiredScience]

Thank you for the video. I think I probably would have just dremeled the recess to make it larger and fit the MicrUSB if I desired in the future. However, it's still far more helpful for you to show how to do this without cutting into it :)

[@camerongray1515]

I did consider dremeling it however due to the height that I have it installed at, you can see the bottom of it when sitting back on the couch or lying in bed so it would look a bit unsightly. That said, I'm actually considering the feasibility of looking into replacing the USB connector with a version that would stick out perpendicular to the PCB to allow a USB PoE adapter to be plugged into the rear while it's wall mounted - the idea being to be able to power and provide network connection to the device over a MicroUSB connection instead of using the mains PSU.

[@InspiredScience]

@@camerongray1515 - Brilliant! I'll watch for the future update video :)

[@marky1010]

I guess this is a no go if you don’t have a lighting circuit with a neutral wire as part of it.

[@camerongray1515]

Yeah, it'll require a neutral. However your lighting circuit will have a neutral, it just doesn't go down to the switch and will usually stop at either the light fitting (if it's a traditional ceiling rose) or a junction box above the ceiling (in the case of downlights). Depending on the construction of your building it may be possible to replace the 2 core cable that carries the Live and Switched Live down to your switch with a 3 core cable to carry a Live, Switched Live and a Neutral. Alternatively, if you're using smart bulbs and are happy to have the light essentially wired permanently on, then it would likely be possible to adjust the wiring at the ceiling rose/downlight so that the cable going down to the switch would carry a permanent Live and Neutral down to the switch point allowing you to replace the switch with something like this. Of course you'd want to consult an electrician unless you're competent and know what you're doing but it's not entirely impossible.

[@marky1010]

@@camerongray1515 thanks for the detailed reply! much appreciated

[@JOEJOETHEJOEY]

​@@camerongray1515looks like exactly what I need to do for my wiring. Could you do a video to show how this can be done?

[@zstation64]

Any chance of a proper link to AliExpress, the one you posted is blocked by AdGuard/PiHole (which I can't bypass because reasons)?

[@nickharvey5149]

Is this a satellite console off your main HA server, or an HA server in isolation of your other HA kit in other rooms?

[@camerongray1515]

It all runs from a single HA instance running on my server, however the dashboard that this displays is custom built for this device.

[@ELeCTriicChiiCKen]

Two questions: 1) Do you have any security concerns about plugging this into your home network especially with the unknown 4gb partition on the memory? 2) I appreciate this was a really good price but could you have gotten similar value with a second hand small android tablet or phone that you could incorporate into a dock and mount to your wall?

[@camerongray1515]

Security is a valid concern, not really down to the unknown 4gb of data as I suspect this is just storing the OS itself, however I never trust devices like this where the firmware is unknown (same goes for most other cheap smart home devices). Therefore this runs on an isolated VLAN which has a dedicated WiFi SSID and only has the bare minimum access required. A wall mounted tablet is also an option however I feel like this is simply a neater and more aesthetically pleasing option, especially since I will ultimately have these in several rooms. I'm not a huge fan of how a lot of tablet wall mounts look. Tablets also contain lithium batteries and usually won't boot with the battery removed - I don't like the idea of having ageing lithium batteries mounted to the walls in my rooms sitting permanently charging. It's relatively common to find tablets with swollen batteries due to them being left plugged in and charging 24/7.

[@ELeCTriicChiiCKen]

@@camerongray1515 Thanks for the reply. This screen does look really good and blends in really well in my opinion. That's very interesting, haven't heard of VLAN before so I'll look into that! Definitely earned a sub from me :)

[@MrUnemployedjoe]

May as well just buy a small android tablet and install home assistant in it, and put it on the wall ! Because that is all it is in the end.

[@camerongray1515]

Of course that's an option, but then you need to factor in wall mounting and powering the tablet while keeping everything neat. A tablet will also contain a battery which isn't ideal for something that'll be left plugged in charging 24/7, batteries in this situation have been known to fail and swell up.

[@Sorrentino_Gianni]

Why you choose browser + kiosk mode and not the home assistant app?

[@camerongray1515]

Mainly because I use the "kiosk-mode" Home Assistant addon to hide the menus and tabs within home assistant itself, this requires me to add "?kiosk" to the end of the URL so needs to be done in a browser. With the Home Assistant app, the UI on the panel would allow access to all other aspects of Home Assistant whereas I wanted this locked down to a single dashboard dedicated to the room that the device is in. Then additionally, Fully Kiosk Browser provides an interface to let me enable/disable the screen and then receive state updates when the screen is woken by Automagic which is super useful for my screen on/off behaviour.

[@DMillsy79]

Looks cool but my lights ring doesn't have neutral

[@MattTube]

Home Assistant just needs to make a screen that opens a browser... This is crazy we have to do so much!

[@ulrar]

Wait, what are you using in that light switch ? You casually mention it's a sonoff something that lets you control a smart bulb using a physical button, is that a Zigbee switch that supports decoupled mode and binding ? I've been looking for a holy grail like that forever, only two I know of are ubysis which requires a neutral wire, and Inovelli Blue which can't be used in Europe. As for the panel device itself it looks neat, but like all of these it requires a neutral wire which is definitely not standard in most country's switch boxes unfortunately. Wish it was

[@camerongray1515]

It's a Sonoff Mini running Tasmota and connected over WiFi to send the switch input states over MQTT. I've also since come across the Shelley i3 which looks like a good alternative. Unfortunately all of these devices will require a neutral. At least in the UK it's becoming common to loop the permanent feed via the switches to give a neutral at the switch which I have here. Without this there are a couple of options but you'd probably want to consult an electrician to ensure what you're doing is safe and compliant with your country's regulations. You could of course run a neutral down to the switch, potentially by replacing the 2 core cable from the light fitting/junction box with a 3 core and use the third core as a neutral. Alternatively you could adjust the wiring at the light fitting/junction box to wire the light so that it is permanently powered (assuming you'd be using smart bulbs) and then use the cable down to the switch to carry a permanent live and neutral rather than the permanent live and switched live it was carrying before (of course sleeving the wires appropriately to indicate what they're being used for).

[@Sierra-Whisky]

Can you please check out the Android version? A few months ago these devices are being released with an ancient version of Android, so I was wondering if there has been an updated to a supported version that's receiving security updates. But given the fact that webview is ancient too, it probably lacks any update at all :(

[@camerongray1515]

It's running Android 8.1 so yes it's still out of date, however with a device like this I'd never expect it to really be able to get any sort of firmware or security updates. Even if it did, the chances of me actually ever bothering to update the firmware on these devices in every room regularly is basically zero. With devices like this running firmware of an unknown origin, I'd simply never treat it as a trusted device and keep it running on an isolated IoT network where it has very locked down access to other devices.

[@Sierra-Whisky]

@@camerongray1515 I totally agree. At the same time those are the exact reasons why there should be regulations for devices like these. Just to make the internet a lot safer.

[@jonny11bonk]

It's really similar to the Sonoff NSPanel Pro.

[@camerongray1515]

As far as I can tell both this and the NSPanel Pro are based on the same base device made by a company called Smatek. Apparently the screen on the NSPanel Pro is potentially a bit worse quality (although I haven't confirmed this) and the latest firmware version needs you to link it to the Sonoff app to enable a "developer mode" to gain ADB access but other than that they will work basically the same.

[@Smatek_Electronics]

Hi, We are original factory of the panel, I can tell you the both panels are with same "parents"🤭

[@MrKlawUK]

so that massive back section is just a 240-5v transformer? Makes you almost just fancy chasing a 5v USB power supply into the wall and you could almost surface mount it

[@camerongray1515]

As far as I can tell that is all that is in the back, however it wouldn't be compliant to just chase a power supply into a wall, you'd need some sort of electrical enclosure and have it fitted in such a way that you wouldn't be able to access any exposed mains wiring without the use of a tool. That said, I suppose this could be an option if you could get a smaller power supply and therefore get away with a shallower pattress to save on chasing. I've also considered making a desktop version of one of these with just the front part on some sort of stand then powered over USB.

[@xmacleodx]

What android version is this running?

[@martinzipfel7843]

Hey Cameron, I'm running one of those panels in the same setup you are for a few month's now. (Fully Kiosk displays HA page in Kiosk mode, screen wakes up with proximity sensor) It was good in the beginning, Fully Kiosk reloaded the page every time I woke up the device which was a bit annoying but it was still quite fast. Recently the device sometimes takes forever (over a minute) until fully updates the HA page and accepts input and sometimes fully even crashes when I wake up the screen. Tried rebooting the device a few times but no change. Have you noticed a similar thing with your device?

[@SBBUK]

I have mine set to reboot every 24h with a HA adb debug automation. There is a technique to factory reset it from the recovery partition that might help, have a look on Google (but in summary you basically interrupt the boot process 5 times in a row by pulling power and it automatically recovers itself). Also worth mentioning there is a tool for these panels (search nspanel pro tools) that removes the need to use automatic and adds some extra functionality)

[@GertTheLegend]

Will it work with Fibaro hc2/YUBI App?

[@david.rhodes]

Ooooh, Sonos wall control maybe?

[@garytill]

yes, but probably not running the official Sonos apps, due to the older android base (8.1 on most of these devices). they might also require the google play framework, which is unavailable but possibly could be bypassed with the microG framework.