Automation cookbook

Fourteen ways Home Assistant can make every old screen feel alive.

OldPhoneKiosk gets interesting when the screen is not static. These recipes show how HA can charge safely, wake on motion, open the right control, behave like a doorbell intercom and fall asleep when the room goes quiet.

Real HA thinking Every card is written like an automation you can adapt: trigger → OldPhoneKiosk action → room benefit.

Right surface Use an iPhone for camera/intercom, an iPad for rich room boards, a Kindle for calm read-only context.

Local-first The examples assume Home Assistant and displays communicate on your LAN.

Safe defaults Charging, brightness and sleep recipes avoid turning old hardware into an always-hot tablet.

iPhone / iPad

Battery-safe charging: keep it between 30% and 75%

Trigger: Battery drops below 30% or rises above 75%
Action: Turn the smart plug on below 30%, off above 75%, and show a tiny charging status on the panel.
Why it matters: Old devices stay mounted for months without sitting at 100% all day.

Battery-safe charging: keep it between 30% and 75%

alias: OPK battery safe charging
trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.hallway_iphone_battery
    below: 30
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.hallway_iphone_battery
    above: 75
action:
  - choose:
      - conditions: '{{ states("sensor.hallway_iphone_battery")|int < 30 }}'
        sequence:
          - service: switch.turn_on
            target: {entity_id: switch.hallway_panel_plug}
      - conditions: '{{ states("sensor.hallway_iphone_battery")|int > 75 }}'
        sequence:
          - service: switch.turn_off
            target: {entity_id: switch.hallway_panel_plug}

iPad

Brighten the screen when motion is detected

Trigger: Kitchen motion sensor turns on
Action: Wake the kitchen iPad, show the Today board, and let it dim again after the room is quiet.
Why it matters: The display is readable when someone enters, but not glowing across an empty room.

Brighten the screen when motion is detected

alias: OPK kitchen motion wake
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.kitchen_motion
    to: 'on'
action:
  - service: oldphonekiosk.wake
    target: {device_id: kitchen_ipad}
  - service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
    target: {device_id: kitchen_ipad}
    data: {screen: dashboard.today}

iPhone / iPad

Open a quick control for one element — like hallway lights

Trigger: Someone taps the panel or unlocks the front door
Action: Switch the display to a focused light-control screen for 30 seconds.
Why it matters: Guests and family get one obvious control instead of a full dashboard maze.

Open a quick control for one element — like hallway lights

service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
target: {device_id: hallway_iphone}
data:
  screen: light.hallway
  duration: 30

iPhone

Intercom as a doorbell

Trigger: Doorbell rings
Action: Wake the hallway iPhone, start camera preview and raise the intercom overlay.
Why it matters: The old phone becomes the door station you actually notice.

Intercom as a doorbell

alias: OPK front door intercom
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.doorbell
    to: 'on'
action:
  - service: oldphonekiosk.wake
    target: {device_id: hallway_iphone}
  - service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
    target: {device_id: hallway_iphone}
    data: {screen: camera.front_door}

iPhone / iPad

Keep the dashboard visible while camera opens in PIP

Trigger: Person detected on porch camera
Action: Open camera as an overlay instead of replacing the current room screen.
Why it matters: You see who is there without losing lights, locks or family context.

Keep the dashboard visible while camera opens in PIP

alias: OPK porch camera pip
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.porch_person
    to: 'on'
action:
  - service: oldphonekiosk.start_camera
    target: {device_id: kitchen_ipad}
    data: {camera: camera.porch}

All panels

Whole-house sleep scene

Trigger: Good-night scene starts
Action: Put iOS panels into black SLEEP and leave Kindle on a quiet read-only page.
Why it matters: No glowing tablets after bedtime, but panels are still ready for morning.

Whole-house sleep scene

alias: OPK good night
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_boolean.good_night
    to: 'on'
action:
  - service: oldphonekiosk.sleep
    target: {area_id: whole_home}

Kitchen iPad

Morning briefing when the kitchen wakes

Trigger: First kitchen motion after 06:30
Action: Show calendar, weather and open tasks on the kitchen iPad.
Why it matters: The family sees the day without opening phones at breakfast.

Morning briefing when the kitchen wakes

service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
target: {device_id: kitchen_ipad}
data:
  screen: dashboard.morning

iPad

Show shared tasks when chores are due

Trigger: A todo item becomes due or motion happens near the utility room
Action: Switch to the native tasks screen and refresh the selected todo list.
Why it matters: The reminder lands where the work happens, not buried in a phone notification.

Show shared tasks when chores are due

service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
target: {device_id: utility_ipad}
data:
  screen: tasks

iPad

Photo frame until the room needs information

Trigger: Room has been idle for 10 minutes
Action: Switch to the photos screen with optional time overlay.
Why it matters: A wall panel can be beautiful when it is not actively controlling the house.

Photo frame until the room needs information

service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
target: {device_id: living_room_ipad}
data:
  screen: photos

Kitchen iPad

Energy warning only when it matters

Trigger: Home power usage goes above a threshold
Action: Show the energy dashboard and a short explanation on the nearest rich panel.
Why it matters: High usage becomes visible in the room that can actually react.

Energy warning only when it matters

trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.home_power
    above: 5000
action:
  - service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
    target: {device_id: kitchen_ipad}
    data: {screen: dashboard.energy}

Hallway iPhone

Leaving-home security checklist

Trigger: Front door opens while nobody is home
Action: Show lock, alarm and open-window state in the hallway.
Why it matters: The last person out gets one glanceable checklist before leaving.

Leaving-home security checklist

service: oldphonekiosk.set_screen
target: {device_id: hallway_iphone}
data:
  screen: dashboard.security
  duration: 45

Guest-room Kindle

Guest room welcome page

Trigger: Guest mode turns on
Action: Create or update a Kindle page with Wi‑Fi, lights, checkout and house rules.
Why it matters: Guests get a calm local page without installing anything.

Guest room welcome page

service: oldphonekiosk.create_web_display
data:
  name: Guest room Kindle
  area: guest_room
  mode: read_only

Bedroom Kindle

Weather-aware e‑ink morning page

Trigger: Alarm dismissed
Action: Refresh Kindle with weather, calendar and first task.
Why it matters: A no-glare bedside surface says what matters before the phone comes out.

Weather-aware e‑ink morning page

service: oldphonekiosk.refresh_display
target: {device_id: bedroom_kindle}
data:
  reason: alarm_dismissed

Any panel

Room message without phone spam

Trigger: Washer finished, delivery arrived, or dinner is ready
Action: Push a short message to the surface in the relevant room.
Why it matters: The house informs the room instead of buzzing every phone.

Room message without phone spam

service: oldphonekiosk.message
target: {area_id: kitchen}
data:
  text: Dinner is ready
  ttl: 90

Build your own room playbook

Start with one old device and one automation. The magic is not a giant dashboard — it is the right surface reacting at the right moment.

Install the Home Assistant integration