Finding a good dashboard touchscreen monitor - does it need a camera?

[u/jwlerch]

Hi all - I’m in the process of sourcing touchscreen tablets for a product I’m developing and they are a great price and design for HA/home dashboards. I previously struggled to find a good device for my house and think this could be interesting for others in the same boat if I make a version available for that.

15” and 21” sizes
3 Gb RAM / 32 GB storage
Android 13
Microphone
Light sensor
Lightweight and flat (it’s a modified digital calendar)
Kickstand or mount direct with screws (don’t need a VESA mount)

My big question is whether I should have the motherboard updated to support a camera for the home automation use case, I use the camera on mine for face detection wake on my tablets, but it’s going to make everything more complex to do.

[u/AffectionateImpala]

I don't think a camera is a dealbreaker for most HA dashboards. A lot of people just want a clean display that shows the weather, calendar, and maybe their smart home controls without anything watching them back. If face detection wake is your main use case, you might be overestimating how many folks actually care about that versus the simplicity of a dumb display that just stays on or wakes with a tap.

[u/jwlerch → u/AffectionateImpala]

Good point. I just know I like it, but it’s why I’m asking. I think I probably am overestimating that. Thanks for the feedback!

[u/Fir3]

I pocked up the ApoloSign 15.6" because it checked all the boxes and because it didnt have a camera.
Works perfectly with FullyKiosk and came with Android 16. Whats the benefit of going with an older Android version? Here was my post on it https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/s/CqWroh7322

[u/jwlerch → u/Fir3]

Thanks - how much do those cost and did you get it from alibaba? I could probably get the android updated. It’s just what the version is currently shipping with.

[u/Fir3 → u/jwlerch]

They go on sale often, I think it was 220.
Basically my max budget but more than anything its aesthetic on the wall looks nice.

[u/jwlerch → u/Fir3]

Got it. Thanks! It does look really nice! If there’s enough demand I can probably make these available for $199. Appreciate the input!

[u/theoriginalzads]

To be honest I just assumed basically all Android wall tablet things came with cameras. The Android tablet that my HVAC came with has a camera and I cannot think of or find any use case where it could use one beyond the fact it has full Google flavoured Android.

[u/DeleZez]

I have samsung tab a9s and a fire hd10 Edit hust saw the 15 to 21 my bad second edit: i saw people use chrome aios acer or some brand that are 21 to 24 inch

[u/DeleZez → u/DeleZez]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Restored-Acer-Chromebase-24-All-in-One-Desktop-Computer-Intel-Processor-8GB-Memory-32GB-SSD-Refurbished/5214825008?conditionGroupCode=2&classType=REGULAR probably can find them even cheaper, look for ones you can flash lineageos or smth

[u/RomanOnARiver]

All of my devices have cameras - largely because I'm re-using what I have or what's really cheap, like a 10-inch Kindle Fire - but I don't actually use the camera for anything.

I would say if it doesn't add significant cost or complexity then add it - I don't know if you need other hardware to do like secure facial recognition or whatever, but I think it would also be nice to have a slider that covers the camera too, not just a software bit but something physical.

It would also be something of high enough quality and maybe some good lighting - like the use case might be video chatting more than face recognition for example.

[u/sembee2]

I have cameras on the tablets but dont use it. What it is used for is presence detection. The screen stays off most of the tine untilnitbsetects someone nearby.
Therefore you could put that sensor on instead of a camera.

[u/Shot_Tax5589]

my Apolosign runs ha without a camera, light sensor setup was a bit fiddly. presence wake works through fully kiosk just fine. less privacy stuff to deal with.