1. flash our* OSS firmware (https://github.com/usetrmnl/trmnl-firmware) 2. spin up an OSS server client (https://docs.trmnl.com/go/diy/byos#implementations) 3. install the Home Assistant plugin (https://github.com/usetrmnl/trmnl-home-assistant)
no need to write any code or give TRMNL a penny, while still benefiting from a few years of deep dev in this area.
* i'm on the team
I had a "discussion" on this exact subject with Claude recently, trying to figure out how to do it. The final suggestion was a mix of a regular small tablet (control center), e-ink tablet (like trmnl) for a couple status dashboards, and the part that i found the most interesting: electronic shelf labels.
There is a protocol called OpenEPaperLink that has native integration for HA, and then you can buy various size of tags on sites like AliExpress.
I have not yet tested it so it's just an LLM output for now, but I do like the idea.
Software is not their issue. Display hardware is (but they'd never admit that).
They've usually got all their data in their Home Assistant, tracked by often > 400 individual devices & sensors, visualized in several dashboards. But rarely does anyone actually put that data into their physical spaces, because there's no obvious choice for small-sized screens, long-lasting batteries, cheap, customizable. Something like Trmnl comes close, but is too expensive for most.
So their data stays in the Home Assistant app, mostly accessible through their & their partner's phones and maybe tablets.
If someone manages to build & sell cheap, easily customizable e-ink displays in various sizes, that would enable so much more creativity with custom dashboarding. Imagine every small concern gets their own screen AND their own physical place.
Am I missing some obvious, great solutions to this?