Just diving into this journey and have a few questions. I’ve read through most of the threads I thought were relevant and didn’t see any answers for some of my questions
I would like to set up a dashboard on a 24" touchscreen. I’ve seen that most people are using a RPI set up but it seems like that was a better option 3-4 years when they were more accessible and only $40. So my first question, is there a way to use an old fire tablet and have that displayed to the monitor? I can get old used 7 or 8 for $40 and I have the screen. I will also end up using an old 10" fire tablet for some aux rooms but for our main display I’d like something bigger.
If the tablet is a no go to the screen then is my only option a RPI? Again just getting started here but very excited.
Keep in mind, what you build here is a dashboard which will be displayed in any browser (phone, PC, tablet, TV, etc…)
The only challenge, and others may have some options, is keeping your device in “kiosk” mode - a mode where only the browser window shows and no other buttons are present on the display.
Even without kiosk mode, the dashboards would still load and display and be fully functional - kiosk is just a preferred environment for a permanent dashboard link to your smart home devices.
I actually have had some success getting raspberry pis for their retail price in the past year. Several stores sell them at MSRP but they run out fast, so they’ve setup a notification system. I got one from adafruit.com and one from pishop.us, both at the proper price. Microcenter also sells them for retail price but last I checked they didn’t have a mailing list so it was just luck of the draw.
As Cory alluded to, any device with a modern browser should work well for you.
Amazon Fire tablets tend to be a popular choice in the community as they’re a good value (especially when on sale). Samsung tablets and iPads tend to be popular choices as well.
While some people are using Raspberry Pi devices to power their dashboards, I would say that using a modern tablet tends to be a much more popular choice in the community.