I was wondering if anyone is aware of a console or an app that can show the operations of all your devices?
I have about 60 devices (cameras, door locks, irrigation controller, garage door controller, lights, motion sensors, sirens,…) and ideally would like to see all the events on somewhat of a larger screen along with the ability to turn things on or off.
Thoughts/ideas? I have checked out Brilliant, Atmos, Crestron, etc. websites but none of their products come close to what I am looking for.
Maybe there is an app out there that I can install on an iPad? I did have one app but I didn’t really like it…don’t remember what it was called.
In a smartthings context this is usually called a “dashboard“ or “control panel.“
There are two very popular ones from third parties. You do have to pay an extra fee for these, but many people find it worth it. These are action tiles and sharptools. Both have a free trial so you can check them out. You can find these discussed in the following thread. Both allow you to customize the display to your own preferences. Both are also working on integration with the new SmartThings platform which is coming late next year.
The thread also has a number of sample screenshots.
(I should also note that there are a number of posts in that thread from @tgauchat , Who sadly passed away at the end of 2019. he is very much missed in this forum. He was a staff member for actiontiles. If you have any questions on that product after reading his posts, just reply to the post and tag @625alex )
There are also some free options that community members have created for themselves and then opted to share. However, at the present time I don’t know if any of these are going to be updated to work with the new architecture in 2021, so I don’t know if that’s a concern for you or not. You can find these by going to the quick browse lists in the community – created wiki, looking down near the bottom of the page for the “project reports“ section and then choosing the “project dashboard” thread.
That same thread also has project reports on different hardware options that will work with any of the browser-based dashboards, including actiontiles and sharptools.
Thank you…actually, SharpTools was the one that I had used. It was a long time ago but I can see now that it has evolved much more. I will check it out again.
I think that this has turned from a being just a hobby to being an integral part of the way my family operates…and so I don’t mind paying for a good solution.
Actually, one question - does your solution work on Samsung’s Family Hub? And by that I mean a native app…I guess I could look around in the documentation…just being lazy.
Most people use Fully Kiosk Browser on Android powered devices or use the Add to Homescreen method noted in the following post. (SharpTools.io is a progressive web app which can be added to your home screen and load like a native app)
Thanks…I will probably try to find an Android or Fire tablet that’s at least 10" or more…but I want one that’ll dim/switch of its screen when there is no one close by and wakes up when someone comes close to it…just like the Family Hub in fact. Just want it to be cost effective because the tablet will solely be used as a dashboard/console.
You can find some good commentary on which devices are commonly used for displaying dashboards in the following thread:
As noted in that thread, the most popular devices seem to be the Amazon Fire tablets, Apple iPad, and Samsung Galaxy Tab series of tablets (in that rough order).
The thread has some good details on the pros and cons of each device and some of the tradeoffs involved, so definitely check out the linked thread for more details if you’re interested.
Fully Kiosk Browser is popular for that. It can dim or switch off the screen when no motion is detected (via the front-camera) and can wake when motion is detected. There’s also a nice community device handler for it, so you could also use external Zigbee/Z-wave motion sensors to trigger the sleep and wake if you wanted you.
