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APPs
WallPanel is a free, open-source Android app
WallPanel is a free, open-source Android application built specifically for smart home wall displays (like Home Assistant). Unlike generic kiosk browsers, WallPanel acts as both a web display and an active smart home sensor hub by exposing hardware metrics, camera streams, and Text-to-Speech (TTS) capabilities over MQTT or HTTP.
**Feature Comparison**
| Feature | WallPanel | Fully Kiosk Browser | Webview Kiosk (nktnet1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| License & Cost | Open Source (Free, Apache 2.0) | Closed Source (Freemium, ~$3–$5) | Open Source (Free, AGPLv3) |
| Target Audience | Home automation & dashboard displays | Commercial kiosks, digital signage & MDM | Secure single-web app kiosk lockdown |
| Browser Engine | Android WebView (or GeckoView in recent forks) | Android WebView | Android WebView |
| Motion & Camera | Camera motion, face detection & MJPEG streaming | Camera & acoustic motion detection | Basic screen-wake / No camera stream |
| Automation Integrations | Native MQTT & HTTP (Sensors, TTS, Screen Wake) | MQTT, REST API, & JavaScript Injection | Native MQTT & UnifiedPush |
| Lockdown Capability | Android Launcher mode & PIN settings lock | Full Kiosk Mode (Disables home/volume buttons) | Android Lock Task (App Pinning) / Device Owner |
| Built-in TTS | Native MQTT-driven Text-To-Speech | Supported via remote API / JS interface | No native TTS |
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**What Makes WallPanel Distinct**
- Smart Home Sensor Node: It continuously publishes tablet stats (battery status, light levels, CPU/RAM usage) back to your home automation broker via MQTT.
- Camera Features: The front camera double-duties as a motion detector to wake the screen and streams an MJPEG video feed for security monitoring.
- Built-in Audio Announcements: Home Assistant or Node-RED can send a text string over MQTT to make the tablet speak notifications aloud via Google TTS without needing separate audio players.
- GeckoView Engine Option: Updated community iterations (like WallPanel PRO) include Mozilla’s GeckoView engine alongside standard Android WebView, allowing modern dashboards to render smoothly even on older Fire OS or Android tablets with outdated Google Play components.
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**Which One Should You Choose?**
- Choose WallPanel if you want a 100% open-source solution tailored for Home Assistant with camera motion detection and audio alerts built in.
- Choose Fully Kiosk Browser if you need enterprise-level stability, remote reboots, or deep operating system lockdown and don't mind paying a small one-time fee.
- Choose Webview Kiosk if your priority is strict security lockdown (preventing users from leaving a specific URL or web app) without needing camera feeds or smart home sensor data.
Alarm
From: http://www.arachnoid.com/android/CarpeTempus/index.html
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More
http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-android-apps
On this page, you will find the best Android applications for all your needs. We’ve taken the effort to categorize the apps and picked only those we believe to be the best ones and which will most likely be useful to you.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waze
A cool social GPS driving and navigation app that connects you to other drivers. *** New - easily find cheap gas near you or on your route! ***