Future Projects
That’s all I have done at the moment, but I’m always dreaming up new projects. Here are some possibilities I’ve been thinking about:
Tapping into the van’s door locks
Section titled “Tapping into the van’s door locks”It would be cool to tap into the door locking mechanism so I could lock and unlock the doors from my phone. I’m slightly hesitant to start tampering with this since breaking something could be expensive.
Adding battery charge monitoring
Section titled “Adding battery charge monitoring”I currently have a Renogy Battery Monitor installed, but it doesn’t have any smart capabilities and I couldn’t find a way to hack into it. The easiest path would be replacing it with the Victron SmartShunt, which I should be able to read via Bluetooth on the Raspberry Pi.
Accessing Home Assistant remotely
Section titled “Accessing Home Assistant remotely”It would be nice to check on van systems when I’m away from it. This requires an internet connection, which I currently get via my phone’s hotspot. A dedicated cellular hotspot would make this possible, or Starlink when it becomes available for vans and RVs.
Google Home integration
Section titled “Google Home integration”With a dedicated internet connection I could integrate a Google Home device and control Home Assistant with my voice.
Better screens in the van
Section titled “Better screens in the van”I recently switched from an old smartphone to a Kindle Fire tablet for the main Home Assistant display, but it would also be nice to have a screen in the center console for monitoring systems while driving.
Improving the Lovelace interface
Section titled “Improving the Lovelace interface”I haven’t spent much time on the Lovelace interface in Home Assistant, but I’ve seen some very polished setups from the community. It would be great to create a more aesthetically pleasing interface. The only custom element I’ve built so far is the van tilt card.