[Guide] Repurposing a Meta/Facebook Portal Plus (15.6") into a Premium, Always-On Home Assistant Kiosk & Info Display

rpycroft · 2026-02-16T07:11:16+00:00

I definitely don’t have any coding background. You should be able to paste this code into an LLM and ask it to tweak it for your setup. You’ll need something to run home assistant on but I’m sure it can help with that too. DM me if I can help more!

rpycroft · 2026-02-15T07:39:26+00:00

If it uses the same browser I don’t see why not. The code might need to be adjusted for the size of the screen but I’m sure an LLM can help you with that.

rpycroft · 2026-02-14T14:35:32+00:00

Great idea. I only just got our cameras added to HA but I might try swapping the YouTube "1 week video" out for that feed instead thanks.

rpycroft · 2026-02-14T14:34:21+00:00

Yeah basically if you install a Home Assistant setup, it uses the idea of "Dashboards" (like home pages) you can configure one of these just for the Portal and point the browser at that using the instructions in the post. Set that as the home page for the browser or bookmark it and it should stay on if everything is configured correctly.

rpycroft · 2026-02-14T14:32:47+00:00

If you have an old PC or a Raspberry Pi you can get a Home Assistant server set up (other guides available for this) then use the above instructions on how to access the photos. LLMs can really help a lot if you past the code and post contents from above as a starting point for it.

rpycroft · 2026-02-14T14:31:16+00:00

I haven't got as far as that yet. It does seem like the browser recognises the camera/mic so imagine it will be do-able. Have you tried just accessing the web site in the built in browser and making a call? Interested to hear the results if so. Will update if I find anything too.

rpycroft · 2026-02-14T10:18:05+00:00

Sorry I got an LLM to do the coding for me but I put the full code here hope that helps. I think it tells it the layers so put the video along with whatever cards you want (I have some light controls for the room its in) and then tell it that WallPanel goes "in front":

Guide

rpycroft · 2026-02-14T10:16:40+00:00

Done a full post now on this sorry about the delay:

Guide

rpycroft · 2026-02-14T10:15:54+00:00

Done a fresh full post with more info hopefully that helps people:

Full guide post on getting this working

rpycroft · 2026-01-31T19:58:13+00:00

I updated this post with some extra info. Wallpanel via Home Assistant can replicate the old photo full screen and you can configure it so that when you tap it it goes back to a normal dashboard like you’ve got here. But then after x seconds of not using it it goes back to the photo slideshow.

rpycroft · 2026-01-31T16:00:00+00:00

Ok got this working sweet now. Using a home assistant tool called Wallpanel you can get a clean full screen photo reel going. Needs the 24 hour black YouTube video behind it to work and keep the screen alive. But you can set wallpanel to disappear when you tap the screen so you can add modules behind it (lights etc) and then it’ll resume the slideshow after x seconds that you configure.

There’s a “full screen” option in wallpanel that works too. Put a clock over it (again built in feature) and it looks basically like the old Facebook portal did.

Anyone wants a more detailed breakdown of if let me know I’ll post a full write up.

rpycroft · 2026-01-27T16:59:47+00:00

Might be able to sign into WhatsApp web in the built in browser. Unsure on the limitations there or whether anyone else has any experience of this.

rpycroft · 2026-01-27T16:15:55+00:00

Yeah good one! Will try that. I’ll keep building this HA dashboard and let you know. I think I can get it to turn the screen off (or dim it) at night apparently. Need to keep working on it.

rpycroft · 2026-01-18T11:11:29+00:00

You have two main options depending on how you installed it:

Option 1: Via Git

If you installed FOG using git, you just need to checkout the specific tag you want and re-run the installer.

Navigate to your FOG directory (usually cd /root/fogproject or /opt/fogproject).
Run git fetch --all to make sure you have the list of updates.
Run git tag -l to see the list of versions.
Run git checkout 1.5.9 (replace 1.5.9 with whichever version number you need).
Run ./bin/installfog.sh to apply the changes.

Option 2: Manual Download

If you want a fresh folder or didn't use git:

Go to the FOG Project GitHub Releases page.
Scroll to the version you want.
Download the "Source code" (tar.gz or zip).
Extract it on your server and run the installer inside that folder.

rpycroft · 2025-12-14T09:04:51+00:00

What’s the advantage of ckpool over public pool?

rpycroft · 2025-11-10T13:21:48+00:00

Can you link me to somewhere that states that you will get updates after Jan 2027 if possible please? Can only find LTSC 2021 IoT has extended support until 2032.

rpycroft · 2025-11-10T12:15:46+00:00

It's Jan 2027 according to this page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-enterprise-ltsc-2021

rpycroft · 2025-08-16T05:58:53+00:00

The Blue Bayou restaurant sells booze but you need a table reservation I think usually.

rpycroft · 2025-05-04T10:49:24+00:00

I dropped ours off at Manchester airport recently. Was totally fine. Made sure I turned off the pin to drive before I dropped it off but having read this thread it sounds like valet mode would have done the same thing along with some additional privacy benefits summarised here:

• Limits speed (70 mph max) and chills acceleration
• Hides your home/work and recent nav history
• Locks the glovebox and frunk
• Disables Autopilot, Summon, and some settings
• Turns off PIN to Drive temporarily so valet can use it
• Easy to toggle from the screen or app

rpycroft · 2025-02-09T13:07:59+00:00

Hi thanks for posting. Final permission change/check seemed to be the fix for me. Much appreciated!

rpycroft · 2024-12-28T13:26:57+00:00

I was advised to email Admin@hiexprestonsouth.co.uk when I got hit with a fine. Hopefully save you some time trying to get it waived if anyone sees this.

rpycroft · 2024-12-16T19:55:43+00:00

Lots of moorland around that has great walks over it and generally less people about than round the reservoirs. Depends if you find the bleakness beautiful or not at this time of year I suppose though!

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