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Use the old Android phone as a Wi-Fi display: open an ESPHome node’s web page for controls tied to that ESP32, or use the Home Assistant Companion app for a broader smart-home dashboard. The phone is not an ESP32 display peripheral, and ESPHome’s web page cannot configure the node’s firmware.
Choose the dashboard that fits your setup
The right route depends on what you want to see and whether Home Assistant is already part of your setup.
| Route | What it displays | Best fit | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESPHome web page | The states and controls exposed by one ESP32 node | A compact panel for a single node | Enable the ESPHome web_server component. The page is for viewing and editing states, not configuring the node. |
| Home Assistant Companion app | A Home Assistant dashboard you choose for the device | Whole-home controls or a tailored view of multiple integrations | The ESP32 must be integrated with Home Assistant. The app can also serve as the Android home launcher. |
| Third-party kiosk browser | A web dashboard, with additional device management when configured | Readers who want kiosk controls such as screen, brightness, or screensaver management | Fully Kiosk Browser is optional. Home Assistant’s integration requires Remote Admin to be enabled; Remote Admin requires the paid Fully Plus license. |
If Home Assistant is not running and you only need controls for one ESP32, start with the ESPHome page. If you already use Home Assistant or want one screen for the wider home, use its Companion app and dashboard.
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- Connect the ESP32 to your home Wi-Fi. The phone and node need a network path to each other. For everyday use, put both on the home network.
- Enable the web server in the node’s ESPHome configuration. The component provides a browser interface, REST API, and event-source endpoint for live state updates. Consult the ESPHome Web Server Component documentation for the current configuration options.
- Flash the updated firmware using your normal ESPHome workflow. The web page does not install or edit the node’s configuration.
- Find the node’s IP address or hostname. On the phone, open the address in a browser. ESPHome supports access by IP or by the node’s mDNS hostname, commonly written as
<node_name>.local. - Sign in if authentication is enabled, then check that the node’s states and controls load and respond.
ESPHome draws a firm boundary around this interface: “The web server is only and will only ever be intended to view and edit states.” See its Web Server API documentation for the API and event-stream details.
#1 Best Overall
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- SupportThree Modes: AP, STA, and AP+STA
- Ultra-Low power consumption, Compatible with Arduino IDE
- ESP32 is a safe, reliable, and scalable to a variety of applications
Do not confuse Wi-Fi provisioning with daily dashboard use
Espressif documents a setup flow in which a phone joins an ESP32 SoftAP, opens the device’s page at 192.168.4.1 in that example, and submits the home router’s Wi-Fi credentials. That is a way to provision network access, not a recommendation to leave the phone connected to the ESP32’s temporary access point for the dashboard. For normal use, connect the phone and ESP32 through the home network. See Espressif’s ESP32 Web Server AT Example.
How to make the Home Assistant app the Android dashboard
For a whole-home control surface, integrate the ESP32 with Home Assistant, install the Home Assistant Companion app on the phone, and prepare a dashboard with only the views and controls you want on the wall or desk.
Rank #2
- Dual-Core Performance Up to 240 MHz: Run sensor processing, wireless communication, automation logic and connected-device tasks on a 32-bit dual-core ESP32 platform designed for responsive embedded and IoT projects
- Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2: Connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks or use Bluetooth Classic and BLE for wireless sensors, smart devices, remote controls, home automation and other connected projects
- Flexible Power-Saving Modes: ESP32 power-management features support dynamic clock scaling and low-power operating modes, helping developers reduce energy use in compatible sensing, monitoring and connected-device applications, suitable for battery-powered Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
- USB-C Programming with CP2102: Connect through USB-C for power, sketch uploads and serial monitoring, while GPIO, UART, SPI and I2C interfaces support sensors, displays, motor drivers and other modules (USB-C cable not included)
- Over-the-Air Update Support: Configure OTA functionality through a compatible ESP-32 software framework to update deployed firmware over Wi-Fi without reconnecting the board by USB for every revision
- Set a dedicated dashboard as the device’s default in Home Assistant, so the kiosk opens the intended view rather than a general landing page.
- Consider creating a dedicated Home Assistant user for the kiosk. Give it only the access needed for the displayed controls.
- Set the Companion app as Android’s home app. Follow Home Assistant’s Android Home App (launcher) instructions for the current Android settings and app flow.
- Enable “Keep screen on” in the Companion app if the display should stay visible while the phone is powered.
- Test the dashboard on the Wi-Fi network and in the location where the phone will be used before mounting it.
Home Assistant documents local push behavior that can provide notifications and commands over the local network when internet access is unavailable, as long as the local network itself remains available. That does not make the dashboard independent of the home network.
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A dashboard endpoint can expose controls, so do not leave it open without authentication or expose it directly to the internet. ESPHome supports HTTP authentication with a username and password. Its documentation says basic authentication is the current default and digest is the recommended option: basic authentication sends the password in easily reversible Base64 form with each request, while digest sends hashes. ESPHome says the default is scheduled to change to digest in version 2027.1.0, so check the documentation for the version you install.
Rank #3
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- Enable authentication and use a strong, unique password.
- Keep the ESP32 on a trusted network; consider separating smart-home devices from less-trusted devices.
- Do not treat browser Origin allowlists as login protection. They constrain cross-origin browser requests but do not authenticate users and do not cover the web OTA endpoint.
- Avoid exposing an unauthenticated control endpoint to the public internet.
If you build a custom web client hosted on a different origin, review ESPHome’s current cross-origin rules in its Web Server API documentation. The documentation notes breaking changes in ESPHome 2026.7.0, including enable_private_network_access defaulting to false and a requirement for allowed_origins when that feature is enabled. This is not needed for the simplest setup where the phone opens the node’s own page.
Check the phone before mounting it permanently
Whether a particular handset is suitable cannot be determined from its age alone. Check its Android version, browser behavior, screen condition, battery health, and Wi-Fi reliability. Leave it running on the intended network and dashboard for a trial before installing it as an always-on display; stop if the battery swells, the phone overheats, or the display becomes unreliable.
Rank #4
- 2.4GHz Dual Mode WiFi + Bluetooth Development Board
- Support LWIP protocol, Freertos;ESP32 is a safe, reliable, and scalable to a variety of applications
- SupportThree Modes: AP, STA, and AP+STA
- Ultra-Low power consumption, Compatible with Arduino IDE
- 1PCS 30Pin ESP32 Development Board 2.4GHz WiFi Dual Cores Microcontroller Integrated with Antenna RF Low Noise Amplifiers Filters
You can reuse a phone you already own, but the ESP32 board and its attached components still need to match the firmware and project. There is no single board model specified for this approach.
When a kiosk browser is worth considering
The Home Assistant Companion app is sufficient for a straightforward dashboard. If you need additional Android kiosk management, Fully Kiosk Browser is an alternative that Home Assistant can integrate. The integration can report properties such as plugged-in status, battery, storage, RAM, current page, and foreground app, and can control settings such as screen state, brightness, screensaver, and URL. Its setup and controls are documented by Home Assistant at Fully Kiosk Browser. Remote Admin must be enabled in Fully Kiosk Browser, and that feature requires the paid Fully Plus license.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 2.4GHz Dual Mode WiFi + Bluetooth Development Board
- Ultra-Low power consumption, works perfectly with the Arduino IDE
- Support LWIP protocol, Freertos
- SupportThree Modes: AP, STA, and AP+STA
- ESP32 is a safe, reliable, and scalable to a variety of applications
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