I have been thinking about wanting something like that for a long time. I know we have the technology, but there are no turn-key solutions. Not that I’m aware of, or they are extremely expensive, like corporate solutions maybe.
So, the thing I have in mind.
Since I have an extremely poor memory I need a large touch-enabled display next to the hallway door, so I can see important things there when I leave home.
I’m thinking an 80cm x 40cm (about 31.5" x 15.7") screen would be perfect. At this point, it’s all fantasy anyway, so the exact measurements are not that important.
Requirements:
Touch-enabled screen.
The scribbled crap on the whiteboard needs to survive the device restarts when the power goes away.
It has to be WiFi-capable since I can’t get an ethernet cable there without it looking hideous, otherwise, I would use PoE. I don’t have power there either, but that’s going to be easier.
What the board would show:
Full date
Calendar that syncs from my mailbox calendar
Whiteboard where I could scribble additional information, lists, and so on (hence the touchscreen requirement)
The existing panel is for looking at who’s outside at the door and letting them in remotely. I don’t know what it’s called in English. It’s powered over PoE from the basement.
Touchscreen monitor like the Iiyama Prolite T2455MCS-B1
VESA mounting kit to mount it to the wall
Rapsberry Pi 5
housing for RPi 5
Said RPi 5 is already WiFi-enabled so you’re sorted there. Of course the RPi needs power, so any power feed needs at minimum 2 outlets (one each for the monitor and PRi)
Obviously, you need software too. Raspbian is the default OS for RPi installs and a good starting point for making this work, but beyond that is out of my competence so I can’t advice you there.
Not cheap, but you can get stuff part for part to suit your budget.
I’m probably going with the T2755MSC-B1 model (27" WQHD).
The screen, VESA mount, Pi 5, and all of its additional thingies are just under 700€, excluding shipping costs and outlet extension underneath the setup.
Instead of the multiplug, I’m going to install one of these:
If I did my math right, that is just shy of 90cm diagonal (33 inch)
Since the rise of customer-operated PoS-terminals, there is a selection to be had for this use. The downside is price, because these units tend to be really pricy!
Iiyama, Philips, Samsung, LG, etc. have displays for your application.
I was looking for a 32" display and I wasn’t able to find a touchscreen over 27" that was over FHD resolution.
I hadn’t even heard of OPS. I did a quick search and looks like it would make the whole thing extremely expensive. I need just one unit for personal use.
I saw these frames on Amazon as well and I have no idea if these things work or how well they work and I’m not going to trust Amazon reviews .
The 27" Iiyama WQHD touchscreen is 513€, whereas the cheapest 32" UHD monitor + the touchscreen overlay frame would be around 398€.
Something just occurred to me regarding writing on the whiteboard. I don’t want to use my sausage fingers to write on the screen and would rather use a stylus.
Can I use a random stylus to write? Does the stylus need to be Bluetooth-enabled if I don’t require anything fancy from it?
I have a Surface stylus. I have no idea if it can be connected to multiple devices or if it even works with non-MS products.
There are fairly cheap styluses available as well. Samsung and noname/unknowns.
If memory serves, at least the IR-touch-monitors from NEC/Sharp work with anything. Question is if the add-on frames work the same as the factory installed good stuff.
Yeah the original video used a raspberry pi. You probably can substitute the Alexa for home assistant + a local llm run on the Nvidia jetson or ollama on your network