Use cases

Switchboard puts e-ink where people need it: a remote in each room in place of the switches and remotes, and colour wall displays wherever people glance on their way past. This page lists the places it fits. Each one has its own page with the screens and the case for using Switchboard there.

Why Switchboard

These points apply to every use case below.

One remote replaces five or six switches and remotes. The lights and dimmers, the scenes, the blinds, the heating, the TV and the music all go on one screen you can carry to the sofa.
Plain English, so nobody needs training. Every button says what it does, in your own words: All lights, Movie night, Close blinds. Guests, grandparents, the babysitter and new staff can use it without being shown.
No wiring and no glow. E-ink reads like paper from across a room and only uses power to change the picture. A remote lasts about 30 days on a charge and a viewport around 3 months. See Battery life.
Live, not printed. Screens come from Home Assistant and your calendars, so the sign on the door, the bins and the “back door unlocked” warning are always current.
One page to manage them all. You build every screen on the server, in a browser. Moving a remote to another room or changing a sign takes seconds, with nothing to re-flash.

At home

Lighting on the remote — **Living room**: lights, TV and music on one remote

Colour lighting on the remote — **Bedrooms and kids' rooms**: blinds, heating and a nightlight from bed

The kitchen dashboard — **Kitchen**: the day, energy, heating and security on the fridge

A front-door viewport — **Front door**: what to sort out before you leave

Energy advice — **Energy**: what to run now, and when the car charges

**Chores and pets**: who fed the dog, and the jobs still to do

A day display for a relative — **Family and care**: a clear day display for a parent or grandparent

At work

A reception board — **Reception**: the guest Wi-Fi, what's on, a welcome, the weather and company news

A meeting-room sign — **Meeting rooms**: door signs and a room finder

A facilities status board — **Facilities**: the air and comfort in each room, and what needs attention

A co-working board — **Co-working spaces**: members' Wi-Fi, free phone booths and today's events

A building-site board — **Building sites**: wind warnings, deliveries and the safety record, with no mains

Hospitality and shops

A holiday-let welcome screen — **Holiday lets and guest rooms**: a welcome, the Wi-Fi to scan and the house notes

A hotel lobby board — **Hotels and B&Bs**: breakfast, what's on, and *Do not disturb* on the door

A café specials board — **Shops and cafés**: today's specials, what's sold out and the hours

Coming: events on the 13.3” board

Mock-up: a sign pointing to an event — **Events and wayfinding**: 13.3" signs that point the way and say what's on. Planned; these are mock-ups.