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The most reliable build uses two Raspberry Pis: one running Home Assistant OS as the smart-home server, and another running Raspberry Pi OS Desktop with Chromium as the touchscreen client. The Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 is the interface—it does not run Home Assistant by itself.
This arrangement gives you a dedicated wall-mounted or countertop control panel for lights, heating, locks, cameras, scenes, sensors, media and energy data without making the automation server depend on a graphical desktop.
What you are building
The finished system has three separate parts:
- Home Assistant server: runs the automations, integrations and dashboards.
- Dashboard client: a Raspberry Pi running Raspberry Pi OS and Chromium.
- Touchscreen: Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2, connected to the client Pi.
Smart-home devices
│
▼
Home Assistant OS server
(Raspberry Pi 4 or 5)
│ local network
▼
Dashboard client
(Raspberry Pi OS Desktop + Chromium)
│
▼
Touch Display 2Home Assistant dashboards use cards that can be arranged and customised without programming. They can show lights and dimmers, thermostats, locks, alarms, cameras, motion and environmental sensors, scenes, scripts, media players, robot vacuums, energy data and household presence. See the Home Assistant dashboard documentation.
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Recommended: two-device installation
Install Home Assistant OS on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, then use a separate Pi with Raspberry Pi OS Desktop and Chromium for the display.
#1 Best Overall
- DISPLAY SIZE: Features a 7-inch LCD touchscreen display with sleek black bezel design for optimal viewing and interaction
- HIGH RESOLUTION: Crisp 720 x 1280 pixel resolution delivers clear, detailed visuals for enhanced user experience
- COLOR DEPTH: Premium 24-bit RGB color support ensures vibrant and accurate color reproduction
- COMPATIBILITY: Specifically designed to work seamlessly with Raspberry Pi boards for easy integration
- TOUCH INTERFACE: Responsive touchscreen functionality enables intuitive control and navigation
- The panel can reboot without stopping automations.
- Home Assistant updates are independent of the display software.
- Chromium runs in a normal graphical desktop environment.
- Fault-finding is simpler.
- Additional panels can be added around the property.
The trade-off is the cost of a second Pi and the fact that the display depends on the local network.
Advanced: single-Pi installation
A single Pi can run Raspberry Pi OS Desktop, Home Assistant Container and Chromium. This reduces hardware requirements, but the browser and automation server share CPU, memory, storage and uptime. You must administer the operating system and container yourself, and Home Assistant Container does not provide the same Home Assistant OS apps and appliance-style maintenance experience.
Use this arrangement only if you are comfortable with Linux and Docker. Do not try to run a local Chromium kiosk on a Pi installed with Home Assistant OS as though it were a normal desktop system.
The Tool Desk
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| Display | Resolution | Touch | Official list-price signal* | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-inch | 720 × 1280 | Five-finger | $40 | Bedside, hallway or compact panels |
| 7-inch | 720 × 1280 | Five-finger | $60 | Most general-purpose dashboards |
| 10-inch | 1200 × 1920 | Ten-finger | $80 | Kitchen, family-room and information-heavy layouts |
*Price signals recorded 16 August 2026 from the official Touch Display 2 product page. Retail prices, taxes and availability vary by country.
The 5-inch and 7-inch models are portrait displays. The 10-inch model offers more space but requires Raspberry Pi 5 or compatible Compute Module hardware. It cannot be paired with a Pi 4 or older board.
Default recommendation: choose the 7-inch model. It is considerably easier to use than the 5-inch version while remaining compact enough for a wall or countertop. Choose the 10-inch model when large controls, camera feeds or broad information layouts matter more than size and cost.
Pi 4 or Pi 5?
- Pi 4: a good choice for a simple dashboard or an existing board, especially with the 5-inch or 7-inch display.
- Pi 5: preferable for a new purchase, camera-heavy dashboards, animated cards, demanding integrations or the 10-inch display.
Raspberry Pi’s kiosk tutorial identifies a Pi 3 or newer with at least 1 GB of RAM as a kiosk minimum, but that is not a recommendation for a modern dashboard with cameras and custom cards. A Pi 4 or 5 is the sensible target. Raspberry Pi currently describes Pi 5 as starting at $45, but that figure depends on memory variant, region and retailer; check the official Pi 5 page.
Hardware checklist
For the display client
- Raspberry Pi 4 or 5.
- Touch Display 2.
- Correct included FFC ribbon cable.
- Included GPIO display-power cable.
- microSD card or other boot media.
- Correct USB power supply for the Pi.
- Wi-Fi or, preferably for a fixed panel, Ethernet.
- Optional case, wall mount or countertop stand.
- USB keyboard and mouse for setup and recovery.
For the Home Assistant server
- Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with at least 2 GB RAM.
- At least 32 GB microSD storage; A2-rated media is preferred.
- Suitable power supply.
- Ethernet cable for initial installation and reliable operation.
Use a stable mounting arrangement with ventilation and a safe low-voltage cable route. A recessed wall box, suitable enclosure, cable-management clips and an optional UPS can make the installation more serviceable. Do not seal a Pi 5 in an unventilated cavity; active cooling may be appropriate.
Rank #2
- GREAT PICTURE QUALITY:This 8” touchscreen monitor has a beautiful HD screen of 1280X800 resolution,the picture quality is clear and crisp,advanced IPS glossy screen support 178° full viewing angle,brings a impressive visual experience
- FIVE-POINT TOUCH:Responds quickly in two seconds without the need for additional keyboard and mouse controls,and there's no lag whether you're swiping/scrolling/selecting/zooming in/zooming out or moving the cursor(Note: you need to connect to the USB port to use the touch screen function)
- DETACHABLE BACKBOARD&HOLES FOR WALL MOUNTS:The portable touchscreen monitor backboard is designed with a detachable stand and offers multi-angle support in both horizontal and vertical orientations.The detachable back cover provides sufficient protection for the touch screen display,and the back cover can be flexibly removed which compatible with standard 100/75/50 wall mounts.This ensures maximum versatility and compatibility with various mounting options available in the market
- PLUG-N-PLAY&FAST INSTALLATION:Simply connect the screen to device via HDMI interface and power the USB port to achieve function and no need to install any driver. The Switch button can turn on/off the monitor at any time, making it convenient for you to save power and reduce losses. It is a very energy-saving portable HDMI monitor
- WIDELY COMPATIBLE WITH VARIOUS DEVICE AND IOS:Designed for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts,our 8 inch monitor suits all Raspberry Pi versions,including Raspberry Pi(PI5/PI4/PI3B+/PI3/PI2/ZERO).Compatible with Octo Pi,BB Black,Banana Pi,Retro Pi,game consoles (XBOX/PS4/PS5),computers,TV boxes,and more.While this small monitor works seamlessly with Windows,Raspbian,Noobs,Kali-linux,Debian,Ubuntu,and Kodi,please note that touch functionality is disabled on IOS systems
Power requirements
The Touch Display 2 has no separate power adapter: it receives power through the host Pi’s GPIO header. The host Pi still requires its own suitable supply. Raspberry Pi currently recommends a 27 W USB-C supply for Pi 5, a 15 W USB-C supply for Pi 4 and a 12.5 W Micro USB supply for Pi 3. Do not rely on a computer USB port, monitor or arbitrary phone charger, particularly when the Pi is powering the display.
Assemble the Touch Display 2
Disconnect the Raspberry Pi from power before connecting cables. The display’s DSI ribbon carries display and touch data, while the separate GPIO cable supplies display power. Incorrect GPIO wiring can damage the display.
The 5-inch and 7-inch displays include both a 15-way-to-15-way cable for Raspberry Pi 4 and earlier models and a 22-way-to-15-way cable for Raspberry Pi 5. The 10-inch model uses a 22-way-to-22-way Mini-to-Mini FFC and is limited to Pi 5 and compatible Compute Module hardware. Confirm the cable arrangement in the official Touch Display 2 documentation before fitting it.
- Open the retaining clips on the display and Pi connectors.
- For a 5-inch or 7-inch panel, select the cable matching your Pi.
- Insert the FFC fully. On the display, the metal contacts face upward, away from the display. On the Pi, they face toward the Ethernet and USB-A ports.
- Connect the small end of the GPIO power cable to the display’s
J1connector. - With the Pi’s USB and Ethernet ports facing downward, connect the three-pin GPIO plug vertically at the top-right of the GPIO header.
- Verify that the red 5 V wire is on GPIO pin 2 and the black ground wire is on pin 6.
- Use the included M2.5 screws to attach the Pi to the rear stand-offs if desired.
- Insert the boot media, then connect the Pi’s power supply.
The display may take up to one minute to show output after boot. If you are building for a wall, complete the wiring and first boot on a bench before installing the enclosure.
Install Raspberry Pi OS on the display Pi
- Install Raspberry Pi Imager on another computer.
- Select Choose OS.
- Choose Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit with the desktop environment.
- Configure a named user, hostname such as
control-panel, Wi-Fi credentials if required, SSH, time zone and keyboard layout. - Write the image to the boot media and insert it into the display Pi.
- Connect the display and power the Pi.
Use Raspberry Pi OS Desktop rather than Lite for the beginner-friendly route. Desktop provides the graphical session, display controls and simpler Chromium setup. A physical keyboard and mouse are useful even if the finished panel will be touch-only.
After the first boot, open Terminal and update the system:
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade
sudo rebootFor the 10-inch display on a Pi 5, also follow Raspberry Pi’s documented EEPROM requirement:
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On the separate server Pi, use Raspberry Pi Imager:
Rank #3
- 【IPS 1024×600 HD Display & 178° Wide Viewing Angle】 Experience crisp, vivid visuals on this ROADOM 10.1 inch touch screen monitor featuring a sharp 1024×600 HD resolution — a significant upgrade from standard 800×480 displays. The IPS touch screen panel delivers rich colors and a wide 178° viewing angle, ensuring clear picture quality whether you're viewing head-on or from the side. This 10 inch monitor punches above its weight with 300cd/m² brightness and a 700:1 contrast ratio. For the best touch experience, remove the pre-installed screen protector
- 【Responsive 5-Point Capacitive Touch — Plug & Play】 Enjoy swift, precise touch interactions with a rapid 3-5ms response time. This touchscreen monitor supports 5-point capacitive touch and intuitive gestures — tapping, zooming, swiping, and mouse clicks. A true plug and play touchscreen that requires no driver installation: simply connect via HDMI for video and USB Type-C for touch, and it works instantly with Windows, Linux (Raspberry Pi OS / Ubuntu / Debian), and macOS. This responsive touchscreen integrates seamlessly — no configuration headaches. Note: touch functionality is not supported on iOS systems
- 【Made for Raspberry Pi — Pi 5/4/3/Zero & Beyond】 Built for the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, this raspberry pi touchscreen works with all Pi versions including Raspberry Pi 5, 4, 3, and Zero — an ideal raspberry pi monitor and raspberry pi display. Also compatible with Banana Pi, Retro Pi, and Octo Pi. Power your Pi and screen from one source with the included GPIO cable — a clean gpio powered screen setup. Supports Raspberry Pi OS, Noobs, Debian, Ubuntu, Kodi. Note: touch not supported on iOS / macOS. A versatile raspberry pi with screen solution for makers, tinkerers, and developers
- 【Dual Built-in Speakers & All-in-One Protective Case】 Rich, clear audio from dual built-in 1W×2 speakers — this monitor with speaker needs no external audio. Unlike bare touchscreen display boards, ROADOM integrates the LCD panel, circuit board, and protective casing into one seamless unit. No exposed PCBs, fragile ribbon cables, or DIY headaches. This touchscreen with case and monitor with dual speakers is ready right out of the box. The spacious 10.1-inch screen gives you extra real estate for portable gaming, video streaming, and diy touchscreen projects — more room to create than cramped 7-inch displays
- 【3 Display Modes, Versatile Stand & What You Get】 This portable touchscreen supports three display modes: Duplicate, Extend, and Second Screen Only. With a generous 10.1-inch screen, it excels as a laptop second screen for coding, a desktop second monitor for multitasking, a cctv monitor for security, or a 3d printer monitor for your workshop. The adjustable stand customizes height and tilt angle. Package includes: 10.1" monitor, HDMI & Micro-HDMI cables, USB-A to Type-C & Type-C to USB-A cables, GPIO power cable, 5V 3A power adapter, Pi mounting kit, and user manual — a complete portable hdmi monitor package
- Select Choose OS.
- Choose Other specific-purpose OS.
- Choose Home automation, then Home Assistant.
- Select the image matching the server hardware: Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 5.
- Select the microSD card and write the image. This erases the card.
- Insert it into the server Pi, connect Ethernet and apply power.
After startup, open:
http://homeassistant.local:8123If local hostname resolution fails, find the server’s address in the router and use:
http://192.168.x.x:8123Home Assistant normally becomes available within a few minutes, often within a minute on a Pi 4 or Pi 5. If it is still unavailable after five minutes, verify power and Ethernet, test the card again, or connect an HDMI monitor to inspect the system. The Home Assistant Raspberry Pi installation guide documents the supported process.
Build a touchscreen-friendly dashboard
Home Assistant creates a dashboard from discovered devices, but a dedicated panel should not simply expose every entity on one crowded page. Create a focused dashboard and organise it around the actions people perform most often.
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A practical portrait layout
- Status: time, home/away state, indoor temperature, alarm state and system status.
- Frequent controls: room lights, thermostat mode and setpoint, locks and scenes such as Good morning, Movie and Good night.
- Information: weather, cameras, energy use, doors and windows, robot vacuum and media controls.
Use large cards and buttons with clear labels. Keep the number of columns low in portrait orientation, put common actions near the centre of the screen, and move dense sensor tables or camera feeds to secondary views. Do not place a lock, garage-door or alarm control beside a harmless light switch without confirmation. A dashboard that looks tidy with a mouse may be difficult to operate with a finger, especially on the 5-inch display.
Test the dashboard from the display Pi before enabling kiosk mode. Confirm that touch input works, text is readable, buttons respond promptly, no pinch-to-zoom is required and all critical devices are reachable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Configure Chromium kiosk mode
On the display Pi, open Terminal and install the package used by Raspberry Pi’s current kiosk instructions:
sudo apt update
sudo apt -y full-upgrade
sudo apt -y install wtypeCreate the current labwc desktop autostart file:
mkdir -p ~/.config/labwc
nano ~/.config/labwc/autostartAdd this command, replacing the hostname or address if necessary:
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--kiosk
--noerrdialogs
--disable-infobars
--no-first-run
--enable-features=OverlayScrollbar
--start-maximized &Save the file and reboot:
sudo rebootThe graphical session should open Chromium full-screen and load Home Assistant. The trailing & matters because it lets the desktop session continue after Chromium starts. Raspberry Pi’s kiosk-mode tutorial provides the current command pattern and security considerations.
Rank #4
- Enclosure for the 7" Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 (SC1635) and a Raspberry Pi 3,4, or 5
- Also compatible with Waveshare 7inch DSI LCD (H) and 7-DSI-TOUCH-A
- Extra room inside the case for HAT boards or other custom components
- Power, HDMI, and audio jack on the Raspberry Pi are accessible on the back of the case
- Micro SD card is accessible on the outside of the case
Authentication and physical security
Use a dedicated Home Assistant user with only the permissions needed for the panel. Keep authentication enabled, use a strong password and do not expose Home Assistant directly to the public internet. A wall panel may control locks, garage doors, alarms and heating, so treat it as a privileged interface.
Physically secure the enclosure and USB ports where practical. Someone who can connect a keyboard may be able to escape a kiosk environment or access the system. For an unattended installation, use strong SSH authentication—preferably keys—and keep the panel on the trusted local network.
Rotate the display
Raspberry Pi OS Desktop
- Open Preferences.
- Select Control Centre.
- Open Screens.
- Right-click the display rectangle, usually labelled
DSI-1. - Choose Orientation, then select Normal, Left, Inverted or Right.
- Select Apply, then OK.
Portrait is the default and suits room controls. Landscape may be better for wide camera feeds or dashboards with several columns.
Console or Lite installation
Edit the existing single line in:
sudo nano /boot/firmware/cmdline.txtAdd a parameter such as:
video=DSI-1:720x1280@60,rotate=90Valid rotation values are 0, 90, 180 and 270. Applications that draw directly through DRM may require their own settings. When rotation is used outside the normal desktop environment, touch alignment can also require Device Tree parameters such as swapxy, invx and invy. Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm and later include Squeekboard, which can automatically display an on-screen keyboard when text input is detected.
Troubleshooting
Blank screen
- Confirm the Pi powers on and wait up to one minute.
- Check that the FFC matches the Pi model.
- Power down and reseat both ends of the ribbon cable.
- Check the metal-contact orientation.
- Verify the GPIO cable is on the correct connector and pins.
- Confirm that boot media is inserted and readable.
- Update Raspberry Pi OS and, for Pi 5, the EEPROM.
- Test with an HDMI monitor to separate a boot failure from a display connection problem.
Display works but touch does not
- Reboot after reseating the FFC and GPIO cable.
- Test touch in a simple text field before diagnosing Home Assistant.
- Use Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or later for the built-in on-screen keyboard.
- If the screen is rotated outside the desktop, configure touch rotation as well as display rotation.
- Avoid adding old display overlays to a normal B+ or newer installation unless the current documentation specifically requires them.
Home Assistant will not load
Try each address:
http://homeassistant.local:8123
http://homeassistant:8123
http://<HOME_ASSISTANT_IP>:8123Then check that both Pis are on the same network, Home Assistant has finished booting, the server’s address has not changed and the router is not isolating Wi-Fi clients. Test the server from another computer. Ethernet is especially useful during initial setup.
Chromium does not stay full-screen
- Confirm the file is
~/.config/labwc/autostart. - Check that the command ends with
&. - Launch Chromium manually to identify first-run or profile errors.
- Confirm that Raspberry Pi OS Desktop, not Lite, is installed.
- Use SSH or a USB keyboard to remove stale Chromium processes and reboot.
The dashboard is cramped or slow
- Reduce columns and split the interface into room-specific views.
- Increase card size and remove low-value sensors from the first screen.
- Reduce camera streams, animations and heavy custom cards.
- Use Ethernet where Wi-Fi is unreliable.
- Use a Pi 5 for demanding dashboards.
- Separate the Home Assistant server and display client if one Pi is doing too much.
Unexpected shutdowns or undervoltage
Use the correct Raspberry Pi supply and a suitable USB-C cable. Do not power the system from a computer, monitor or hub. Reduce attached USB peripherals, check the GPIO display cable and provide active cooling for a Pi 5 inside an enclosure.
Maintenance and safe installation
- Keep the Home Assistant server on Ethernet where possible.
- Reserve its address in the router or use a reliable local hostname.
- Back up Home Assistant before major changes and keep a recovery card or image available.
- Update Raspberry Pi OS and Chromium on the display client.
- Keep the Home Assistant server and display client physically accessible for service.
- Provide ventilation and strain relief for cables behind a wall-mounted panel.
- Use an appropriate low-voltage power route and enclosure for the installation location.
The system can continue serving a locally hosted dashboard when the internet is unavailable, but initial installation, updates, remote access and some integrations or cloud-dependent services still require internet access. The dashboard also depends on the local network and the Home Assistant server being available.
Recommended Free Tools
Alternatives
An Android tablet offers a larger screen and simpler mounting in some rooms, but battery ageing, screen sleep and operating-system support can complicate permanent installations. An HDMI touchscreen provides more size choices but requires separate HDMI and USB connections. Home Assistant Green simplifies the server side, while Home Assistant Yellow provides a more appliance-like Compute Module platform; neither replaces the separate touchscreen client in this build.
Final recommendation
For most installations, use a 7-inch Touch Display 2, a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 running Home Assistant OS as the separate server, and a Raspberry Pi 5 running Raspberry Pi OS Desktop and Chromium kiosk mode as the display client. Use Ethernet for the server, wire the GPIO power connection carefully, design the dashboard for fingers rather than a mouse, and keep authentication enabled.
Quick Recap
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