Very true. I hacked my own covers over the real lightswitches so I can put the remote controls in a place where people expect them, but it looks hacky as hell. I would have loved to be able to simply replace the main switches with the remotes.
I have crimped the wires together in the back box and then screwed a lightwave battery operated switch to the box:
Lightwave sends message to openhab which turns the Hue’s on for a user (to most intents and purporses) it is as you’d expect a light switch to work. The downside is people need to remember which button for which - that is where I see the TFT panel coming in which could give better info abotu which light you are changing. Also this option doesn’t allow dimming the same way as you get from current dimmers… you have to press 4 times to dim it 4 times… not user friendly…and certainly not what you’d expect in 2016/2017!
During writing the specs for this project I got one question - how critical would be Android or any type of Operation System, if there will be a PC software, which will allow GUI creation without any programming skills? E.g. user should be able to create own widgets, buttons, sliders, images with graphical tool and download them to device without any special hardware.
This would significantly decrease HW costs as in this case we don’t need Android-capable system, but offcourse flexibility will be reduced.
I see a problem using e.g. Android and having a number of these devices in each room. You need to install security updates for each of them several times a year. Therefore I prefer to stick to conventional switches with fibaro devices behind them.
Well, I don’t install security updates on my TV-set every few months, even if is connected to home Wi-Fi. I think same is here - if you are not going to surf on it, it should be OK.
I would really consider to include a motion detector. Then, it is possible to make the display usable when not directly in front, by displaying some information (e.g. clock). When the user approaches, buttons appear. Of course, this could also be achieved using timeout and “screen saver”.
I also suggest making a system that out of the box is able to control some popular devices, such as Philips Hue, in order to increase potential customer base.
I have recently built a house in France and the standard now is to put wall switches low on the wall I guess this may be for wheelchair users or children.
I’ve put a couple of Nexus 7 in the wall but much higher up so that you can read them standing up. I don’t think I would pay 100 when I could buy tablets for the same. The tablets can do lots more including voice recognition and motion control.
Nexus 7 doesn’t look like 100€ tablet. Also motion control on tablet is based on camera, which will not work in darkness. PIR motion sensor can solve such issue.
If Hue has an app for Android and controllable via Wi-Fi - then it will work out of the box.
But I assume, that the one who buys this device, already has a kind of integration server - like OpenHAB, FHEM or other. In this case such devices as Hue would be already integrated into this system, so my panel will have to communicate with server only and not with Hue directly.
I’m using old Nexus 7 which you can buy on eBay for c. 60. You are correct about darkness and motion control but I just use the camera to wake the screen, so mostly that means there is enough light anyway. I would not use it for an alarm though.
This is easily achievable today with a nextion hmi for an interface, esp8266 and just 3d print a nice case to mount it on the wall. Pressing buttons just sends MQTT commands / triggers REST api to control openhab both sending and receiving. No need to overcomplicate the matter in my opinion.
Thank you for idea. I will check Nextion GUI Editor. You think about something like this?
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Yes 
Just needs proper effort put into designing a UI but is rather simple and the cheapest by far. Lots of different size screens to pick from as well for different applications, only problem is that it is a resistive touchscreen.
Is that idea still vivid? If true, I’d bevvery interested. Did you think about Kickstarter to fund it?
This idea is still live ? I look in this directions to… and: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzc_tGTkmkY&feature=youtu.be . I believe that market for this type product is very good…
Yes, that’s exactly my idea, but instead KNX - Wi-Fi/Ethernet + Android.
Artyom, project still live ? Im very interested in device like this.
The project didn’t went live at all, as I was hoping that someone would pick up it and produce such device.
I have unfortunately no time to implement such thing, even if technically I could - too many other interesting things are around.
Hello all)
I think i have what you need/
Base on ESP12 and Nextion 2.4
nRF24 for sensors
This is thermostat, but, you can install you own firmware and you get Wall Panel
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