Source-available firmware turning an LED matrix panel into a scriptable notification display.
- Type
- Self-hosted
- Price
- Free
- Code
- Closed source, PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS, Linux
Category
Wall display dashboards: e-ink and hardware screens
This category covers dashboards meant to be looked at, not clicked on: something mounted on a wall, propped on a counter, or left running on a spare screen across a room. Searching the bare phrase "wall display" mostly returns shelving and signage hardware, so the products here always need a qualifier: dashboard wall display, digital wall display, or a specific device name.
Every entry in Wall displays, e-ink and hardware screens
A to Z. Each card links to the product and, where there is one, to our write-up.
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Wall display service showing calendars, photos, weather and smart home status on any screen.
- Type
- Hosted web app
- Price
- Free plan, paid upgrades
- Code
- Closed source
- Runs on
- Web, Raspberry Pi, Android
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Open source e-paper dashboard framework for Raspberry Pi, sold assembled or built yourself.
- Type
- Self-hosted
- Price
- Free and open source
- Code
- Open source, GPL-3.0
- Runs on
- Raspberry Pi, Linux
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Open source e-ink dashboard for Raspberry Pi with a browser-based plugin configuration.
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Pixel-display smart clock showing weather, notifications and app data from a public app store.
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Open source framework for building a Raspberry Pi smart mirror from modular widgets.
- Type
- Self-hosted
- Price
- Free and open source
- Code
- Open source, MIT
- Runs on
- Raspberry Pi, Linux, macOS, Windows and more
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Wall-mounted touchscreen family calendar with chores, meal planning and photo screensaver.
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LED matrix wall display cycling through apps for sports, stocks, weather and transit.
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E-ink wall display running a plugin marketplace of dashboard apps.
- Type
- Hardware
- Price
- One-time purchase
- Code
- Open source, GPL-3.0
- Runs on
- Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS, Web
Nothing here matches all of those stamps.
Compare at a glance
| Name | Type | Pricing | Code | Runs on | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWTRIX NG | Self-hosted | Free | Closed source, PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | |
| DAKboard | Hosted web app | Free plan, paid upgrades | Closed source | Web, Raspberry Pi, Android | |
| Inkycal | Self-hosted | Free and open source | Open source, GPL-3.0 | Raspberry Pi, Linux | |
| MagicMirror² | Self-hosted | Free and open source | Open source, MIT | Raspberry Pi, Linux, macOS, Windows and more | |
| TRMNL | Hardware | One-time purchase | Open source, GPL-3.0 | Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS, Web |
Who it suits
Households that want a shared calendar or photo rotation somewhere other than a phone, and anyone repurposing an old tablet, TV or Raspberry Pi rather than buying a new device just to check the weather from across the room.
How to choose
The first split is whether you buy dedicated hardware or repurpose a screen you already own. DAKboard is built to run on almost anything: a spare tablet, an old TV, a Raspberry Pi, or its own small plug-in device, showing calendars, photos and weather with an optional touch chore chart. TRMNL is the opposite, a purpose-built e-ink device you buy once, running a plugin marketplace instead of a browser tab, with no subscription required to use the device itself.
E-ink specifically trades a backlit screen for one that only draws power when the image changes and stays legible in daylight. Inkycal is open source software for building your own e-paper display on a Raspberry Pi, sold assembled or as a kit you put together yourself. A dedicated e-ink product like TRMNL costs more up front than a Pi and a panel bought separately, but it arrives finished, with no soldering or case to design.
For a wall-mounted smart mirror rather than a flat panel, MagicMirror is the long-running open source framework: you supply or build the two-way mirror and the Pi behind it, and it handles the modular widget layer on top. It is worth naming explicitly rather than searching "smart mirror" alone, since that bare term mostly returns phone screen-mirroring apps with no connection to a wall display.
LED matrix and pixel displays are a smaller-screen option, readable from across a room but limited to short text and icons rather than a full layout. AWTRIX NG is one source-available firmware for that kind of panel, built to be pushed to from a smart home system or scripted directly on the device.
Battery life, refresh rate and how much setup you are willing to do all pull in different directions here. No single option wins on every measure at once.
Questions people ask
How to use TV as display board?
Most of these products run in any browser, so an old TV with a browser or a cheap streaming stick pointed at a dashboard's public URL works for a service like DAKboard. A dedicated device such as TRMNL instead needs its own e-ink hardware rather than a TV.
How long does an e-ink display last?
The panels are rated for tens of thousands of refresh cycles and only draw power while the image changes, so a dashboard that updates a few times a day can run for years between charges, or off a small wall adapter indefinitely.
What does a smart mirror do?
A Raspberry Pi smart mirror, the kind MagicMirror builds, shows widgets such as time, weather, calendar and headlines behind a sheet of two-way mirror glass, visible only when the screen behind it is lit, so it reads as a normal mirror the rest of the time.