Smart Home & Wall Kiosk Deployment
Home Assistant Integration, Hardware Wall Mounting, and Fully Kiosk Browser Automation
A true household command center bridges schedule management and physical home control. Family Hub connects directly to Home Assistant, enabling one-tap deadbolt locking, porch light control, dual-zone thermostat adjustments, and real-time parent presence tracking directly on the dashboard.
1. Connecting Home Assistant
Family Hub communicates with Home Assistant through its secure REST API using a Long-Lived Access Token.
How to Generate a Long-Lived Access Token:
Open Home Assistant
Log in to your local Home Assistant web interface (e.g., http://homeassistant.local:8123 or http://192.168.1.XXX:8123).
Open Your User Profile
Click your user profile name/avatar at the bottom of the left sidebar.
Create a Long-Lived Access Token
Scroll to the bottom of the Profile page to the Long-Lived Access Tokens section. Click Create Token, name it Family Hub Kiosk, and click OK.
Copy the Token
Copy the generated token string to your clipboard. (Note: Home Assistant will only display this token once!)
Enter Settings in Family Hub
In Family Hub, click Settings (⚙️) ➔ Home Assistant Integration:
- Toggle Enable Home Assistant Integration to ON.
- Set API Base URL (default:
http://127.0.0.1:8123/apiif running on the same server, or your local LAN IP). - Paste your Long-Lived Access Token.
- Click Save Settings.
2. Supported IoT Devices & Entities
Once connected, Family Hub surfaces essential household devices for fast, touch-friendly interaction:
Integrates with lock.* entities (such as Schlage Connect, Yale Assure, or Zigbee/Z-Wave locks). Displays real-time locked/unlocked state badges and permits 1-tap locking before bedtime.
Integrates with light.* and switch.* entities for porch lights, patio string lights, chicken coop lighting, and living room lamps with animated status toggles.
Integrates with climate.* entities (such as Ecobee, Nest, or Honeywell Z-Wave). Displays current ambient temperature, heating/cooling setpoints, and HVAC run state.
Integrates with todo.shopping to synchronize grocery items between voice satellites, mobile phones, and the kitchen wall display.
3. Real-Time Parent Presence Tracking
One of the most loved features of Family Hub is the Presence Status Bar in the dashboard header. Kids and spouses can glance at the tablet and immediately know if mom or dad is at home, at work, or on their way back:
1. Home Assistant Companion App Geofencing
Parents install the official Home Assistant app on their iPhones or Android devices. When crossing home or work geofence boundaries, the app updates person.tanner_nelson or person.tayleur_nelson.
2. Entity Mapping in Family Hub
In Family Hub Settings ➔ Family Members, edit the parent and enter their HA entity ID (e.g. person.tanner_nelson).
3. Live Avatar Badging on Wall Display
The header displays the parent's avatar with a pulsing green indicator: Home 🟢 or a location badge: Away 📍 / Work 💼.
4. Wall Kiosk Hardware Selection & Mounting
To turn Family Hub into a permanent kitchen fixture, choose a tablet with good viewing angles, steady Wi-Fi, and a clean mounting solution:
10.1" 1080p Full HD display. Available frequently on sale under $80. Easily debloated with the open-source Fire Toolbox to install Google Play and remove lock screen ads.
11.0" 90Hz display with native Google Play Services and built-in "Protect Battery" mode (caps charge at 80% or 85% to prevent battery swelling during 24/7 wall power).
Excellent brightness and color reproduction. Can be locked into Family Hub using iOS Guided Access mode with kiosk stands.
Mounting & Continuous Power Best Practices:
- Recessed Power Outlet: Install a recessed outlet box (such as Arlington DVFR1W) behind the tablet mount with an ultra-thin 90-degree USB-C ribbon cable so no wires hang on the wall.
- Smart Plug Battery Cycling (Optional): If your tablet does not have native 80% charge protection, plug the tablet charger into a smart plug controlled by Home Assistant. Create an automation to turn on charging when the tablet battery drops to 25% and turn off charging when it reaches 80%.
- Low-Profile Enclosure: Use custom 3D printed wall mounts (e.g. from Printables/Thingiverse) or magnetic wall mounts (e.g. Makes by Mike or Koala Mounts).
5. Fully Kiosk Browser Configuration
If using an Android tablet, Fully Kiosk Browser is the industry standard for kiosk deployments. It locks down the operating system, eliminates browser bars, and adds hardware camera motion detection.
Install Fully Kiosk Browser
Download Fully Kiosk Browser from the Google Play Store or sideload the APK from fully-kiosk.com.
Set Start URL
Open Fully Kiosk Settings ➔ Web Content Settings ➔ Start URL. Enter:
https://family.intellidwell.netEnable Fullscreen Mode
Under Toolbars & Appearance, enable Enable Fullscreen Mode and hide the notification status bar and navigation buttons.
Enable Kiosk Mode (Lockdown)
Under Kiosk Mode, toggle Enable Kiosk Mode to ON and set an admin PIN (e.g., 4 digits). This prevents children or visitors from exiting the app to Android settings.
6. Touchless Motion Wake & Night Dimming
Keep your kitchen dark at night while ensuring the dashboard instantly lights up the moment someone walks near the wall:
Configuring Motion Wake in Fully Kiosk:
Enable Camera Motion Detection
In Fully Kiosk Settings ➔ Motion Detection, toggle on Enable Visual Motion Detection.
Configure Screen On on Motion
Check Turn Screen On on Motion and set Motion Sensitivity to 80-90%.
Set Screen Off Timeout
In Device Management ➔ Screen Off Timer, set the timeout to 120 seconds (2 minutes). After 2 minutes of no movement in the room, the display turns off completely.
Configure Night Sleep Schedule
Under Device Management ➔ Sleep Schedule, set Sleep Start to 22:30 (10:30 PM) and Sleep Stop to 06:30 (6:30 AM). During these hours, motion detection is paused so midnight kitchen trips for water do not trigger the bright screen.
Your kitchen now has an intelligent, hands-free wall station: it sleeps silently at night, turns on automatically when someone enters the room during the day, displays up-to-the-minute family schedules and chores, and lets parents lock the doors and verify everyone is home with a single touch!