Smart home displays make life easier because you can view your calendar and weather apps and access other functions in a user-friendly interface. I considered buying an Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest, but decided to go the DIY route and save money by using an old monitor I had lying around instead.
Turning my old monitor into a smart home dashboard was easier than I expected, and I was up and running in no time. My new smart dashboard has a customizable interface and can display my to-do lists, calendar, and more to help me improve my efficiency. The best part is that I can control it from my smartphone and send links to my family to see what's planned for the week.
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Why did I turn my old monitor into a smart home dashboard?
No need to spend cash
I wasn't using my old monitor and repurposing it as a smart dashboard, put it to good use. It also saved me money because I didn't need to buy a standalone display to do the job. My new smart dashboard sits on the kitchen table, so my wife can view the day's weather, and my daughter can see her chores on the day's to-do list. They can access the dashboard at any time on their phones, so they don't need to worry about taking notes or remembering things for later.
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What equipment is required to turn your old monitor into a smart home dashboard?
There isn't much to it
You'll need a monitor to display the relevant information and an input device as the source. You can use a Raspberry Pi, an old phone, a mini-PC, or an old laptop. I used an ancient laptop with a cracked screen and connected it to my old monitor with an HDMI cable.
You'll also need to download an app like DAKboard to run the dashboard. It's worth starting on the free version of DAKboard and moving to the paid subscriptions later if you need multiple calendars, a media library, and other advanced features.
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Getting started with DAKboard
A step-by-step guide
1. Go to the DAKboard website and choose which tier you'd like to use. To make things easier, you can create a free account and log in using your Google account.
2. On the Defaults screen, add your location, timezone, preferred format, and language. Then click Next.
3. You'll then need to choose between a predefined or custom screen. Only the predefined screen is available on the free tier, and access to the custom screen requires a paid subscription.
4. Click on the Layout tab. Choose the layout from the list and click on Save Changes.
5. Click on the Background tab. Choose your preferred images from DAKboard's built-in nature and landscape pictures or your own from Google Drive, Apple Photos, OneDrive, and other platforms. You can also choose the duration of each image and whether to show the meta info and fill the entire screen. Click on Save Changes when you're done.
6. Click on the Calendars tab. Enable the calendar with the slider, choose how many days and weeks to show, and tick the checkboxes to display event locations and other information. Scroll down the page to add the iCal link to link your Google or Microsoft Calendar to the dashboard. Click on Save Changes.
7. Click on the Date/Time tab. Ensure it's enabled, choose your clock type and time format, and click Save Changes when you're done.
8. Click on the Weather tab. Pick the weather source from the dropdown list and your location and unit preference. Click on Save Changes.
9. Click on the News tab. Enable RSS and add the URLs of the news feeds you want displayed on your dashboard. Click on Save Changes.
10. Click on the To-Do tab. Choose Todoist, Google Tasks, or Microsoft To-Do, and click Save Settings.
11. Click on Custom Message, select the message you want to display on the dashboard, and choose its orientation. Then click on Save Changes.
12. Click on Settings. Choose the name you'd like to give the display and select the language and base font. You can also copy your dashboard's link to save as a bookmark or share it with your family. Click on Save Changes.
13. Click the Usage tab to discover connected devices and screen usage information.
14. When you're done, click View Screen at the top of the page to see how your screen will look.
How to access DAKboard from your phone
As simple as it gets
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1. Navigate to the DAKboard site from your mobile browser.
2. Enter your login credentials.
3. The same information and options from the initial desktop setup will be displayed on your phone. You can use the same steps to make changes to your dashboard.
DAKboard
Enjoy your dashboard
Now that your dashboard is set up, you can view the information on your old monitor or smartphone. You can also change the information or layout anytime and send links to family members so they can view it from anywhere.
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