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Free smart home screen on an old tablet
Your bot walks you through turning an old Kindle Fire or cheap Android tablet into a smart home hub.
What it does
Skip buying a smart display. Once your Home Assistant server is running, your bot walks you through installing Home Assistant on an old Kindle Fire or an inexpensive Android tablet. Then it helps you build one simple screen with your calendar, the local weather and time, light controls and automations. Be honest with yourself: setup takes a while, but having your bot guide each step speeds it up.
What it looks like
Copy-paste prompt
I want to turn my old tablet into a free smart home screen with Home Assistant. My setup: - Tablet: [e.g. old Kindle Fire / Android tablet, model if known] - Home Assistant server: [already running on ___ / not set up yet] - Things I want on the screen: [calendar, local weather and time, lights, automations] Please: 1. If my server isn't running yet, stop and point me to that step first. 2. Walk me through installing the Home Assistant app on the tablet and connecting it to my server, one step at a time. Wait for me to say "done" before moving on. 3. Help me build one simple dashboard: calendar, weather and time, and on/off tiles for my lights. 4. Suggest 2-3 easy automations (e.g. lights on at sunset) and help me set them up. 5. Set the tablet to stay on while charging and dim at night. Keep it simple. I'd rather have a clean screen than lots of options.
Bot template
Open bot templateComing soonWhat you need
- An old Kindle Fire or inexpensive Android tablet
- A Home Assistant server already running (e.g. on an old laptop)
- Smart lights or plugs (optional)
- Patience: setup takes a while
Sources
- herb.mp4: "Apple Wants $300 For This. Mine Was Free." (unlisted) (video, 3:14)
- herb.mp4: "Apple Wants $300 For This. Mine Was Free." (unlisted) (video, 3:38)
- herb.mp4: "Apple Wants $300 For This. Mine Was Free." (unlisted) (video, 4:09)
- herb.mp4: "Apple Wants $300 For This. Mine Was Free." (unlisted) (video, 4:24)
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- Related: have your bot set up Home Assistant on your own computer