Kindle as a Smart Home Display (while in sleep mode and charging)?

EbanNon · 11-29-2025, 09:03 AM

Hey!

I use my Kindle primarily for reading, but I'm wondering if I could repurpose it as a kind of smart home display when it's in sleep mode, charging, and connected to my home WiFi.

My ideal scenario would be for the Kindle to constantly display useful information 24/7 under these three conditions. Think things like:

- Next bus times
- Current time and date
- Weather forecast
- Status of smart home devices

I'm thinking this could potentially be achieved via a KoReader plugin. My two main ideas are either:

Render an HTML page: This seems like the simplest approach if possible. Just have the plugin render a specified HTML page that I can update with information.

Full custom UI in Lua: If rendering HTML isn't feasible, perhaps a custom UI built entirely in Lua that activates only when the Kindle is asleep, charging, and on WiFi.

Has anyone considered something like this, or does anyone have any insights into the feasibility of such a project with KoReader? Any pointers or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Frenzie · 12-08-2025, 12:14 PM

The HTML thought is simpler to set up quickly. You could also phrase it as SVG, which is a bit tougher to work with but offers more stylistic freedom.

Doing it in Lua would be more for interactivity but probably harder to throw something together that's only meant to look at.

11-29-2025, 09:03 AM	#1
EbanNon Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2025 Device: Kindle 8Th Gen	Kindle as a Smart Home Display (while in sleep mode and charging)? Hey! I use my Kindle primarily for reading, but I'm wondering if I could repurpose it as a kind of smart home display when it's in sleep mode, charging, and connected to my home WiFi. My ideal scenario would be for the Kindle to constantly display useful information 24/7 under these three conditions. Think things like: - Next bus times - Current time and date - Weather forecast - Status of smart home devices I'm thinking this could potentially be achieved via a KoReader plugin. My two main ideas are either: Render an HTML page: This seems like the simplest approach if possible. Just have the plugin render a specified HTML page that I can update with information. Full custom UI in Lua: If rendering HTML isn't feasible, perhaps a custom UI built entirely in Lua that activates only when the Kindle is asleep, charging, and on WiFi. Has anyone considered something like this, or does anyone have any insights into the feasibility of such a project with KoReader? Any pointers or ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

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12-08-2025, 12:14 PM	#2
Frenzie Wizard Posts: 1,791 Karma: 731691 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Antwerp Device: Kobo Aura H2O	The HTML thought is simpler to set up quickly. You could also phrase it as SVG, which is a bit tougher to work with but offers more stylistic freedom. Doing it in Lua would be more for interactivity but probably harder to throw something together that's only meant to look at.