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Control panels and dashboards comparisons

Wall-mounted displays, tablets, and dashboard panels for controlling your local smart home without pulling out your phone.

Standout picks

Strongest overall pick

Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen)

Amazon · HA: okay · local: poor

8-inch display is excellent for smart home dashboards, video calls, and camera feeds

Product notes →
Best local-control posture

Seeed Studio reTerminal (Raspberry Pi CM4)

Seeed Studio · works offline: yes

A standalone Linux (Raspberry Pi CM4) device on your LAN. It renders your Home Assistant dashboard locally with no cloud involved.

Why it stands out →
Easiest starting point

Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen)

Amazon · setup: easy

Alexa ecosystem users who want a kitchen or bedside smart display with hub capabilities

See buyer notes →
Local-first Works fully on your network; any cloud features are optional extras.
Cloud-tinged The core works locally, but some features phone home.
Cloud-heavy Needs the vendor's servers. If the vendor dies, the device dies.
Control panels and dashboards comparisons — feature comparison by criteria
Criteria Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) Amazon Fire HD 10 (Dashboard Tablet) Aqara Scene Panel S1 Google Pixel Tablet (with Dock, Dashboard Use) Lenovo Tab M11 (Dashboard Tablet) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (Dashboard Tablet) Seeed Studio reTerminal (Raspberry Pi CM4) Shelly Wall Display Shelly Wall Display XL SONOFF NSPanel Pro Tuya T6E Smart Panel
Local control poorgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodexcellentexcellentexcellentgoodpoor
Cloud dependency highmediumlowmediummediummediumnonelowlowmediumhigh
Home Assistant fit okaygoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodgoodfairfair
Works offline partly / noyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyespartly / no
Setup difficulty easymediumadvancedmediummediummediumhardadvancedadvancedhardadvanced
Needs extra hub / controller noyesyesyesyesyesnonononono
Power / form factor plug-inusb-poweredhardwireddock-poweredusb-poweredusb-poweredUSB-poweredhardwiredhardwiredwiredhardwired
Protocols Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, MatterWi-Fi, BluetoothZigbeeWi-Fi, BluetoothWi-Fi, BluetoothWi-Fi, BluetoothWi-Fi, Ethernet, BluetoothWi-Fi, BluetoothWi-Fi, BluetoothWi-Fi, Zigbee, MatterWi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee
Best for Alexa ecosystem users who want a kitchen or bedside smart display with hub capabilitiesbudget wall dashboard buildsusers building local scene control with ZHA or Zigbee2MQTThouseholds wanting a premium docked dashboard tabletvalue-focused Home Assistant dashboard deploymentsmid-budget wall dashboard setupsMakers wanting a purpose-built, local HA wall panelusers wanting an in-wall control panel with display and sensorsa permanent wall-mounted Home Assistant dashboard that also replaces a switchusers who want a wall-mounted panel that doubles as a built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub and Matter Bridge into Home Assistantusers already invested in Tuya and comfortable with partial local integration
Where to buy Amazon (affiliate) ↗ Amazon (affiliate) ↗ not listed Amazon (affiliate) ↗ Amazon (affiliate) ↗ Amazon (affiliate) ↗ View at Seeed Studio ↗ Amazon (affiliate) ↗ Amazon (affiliate) ↗ Amazon (affiliate) ↗ View at Zemismart ↗
mid price band

Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen)

Amazon · local control: poor · cloud: high

  • Setup: easy
  • Needs extra hub: no / self-contained
  • Standout: 8-inch smart display with built-in Zigbee hub, Thread border router, and Matter controller, plus a camera for video calls and home monitoring.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
budget price band

Amazon Fire HD 10 (Dashboard Tablet)

Amazon · local control: good · cloud: medium

  • Setup: medium
  • Needs extra hub: yes
  • Standout: One of the cheapest 10-inch tablets that can run a stable Home Assistant kiosk panel all day.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
mid price band

Aqara Scene Panel S1

Aqara · local control: good · cloud: low

  • Setup: advanced
  • Needs extra hub: yes
  • Standout: Hardwired in-wall scene panel that can trigger instant local automations over Zigbee in Home Assistant.
Product notes →
premium price band

Google Pixel Tablet (with Dock, Dashboard Use)

Google · local control: good · cloud: medium

  • Setup: medium
  • Needs extra hub: yes
  • Standout: Dock-and-display form factor that keeps a shared Home Assistant dashboard charged and ready in common rooms.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
budget price band

Lenovo Tab M11 (Dashboard Tablet)

Lenovo · local control: good · cloud: medium

  • Setup: medium
  • Needs extra hub: yes
  • Standout: Affordable 11-inch panel that is easy to lock down as a dedicated Home Assistant control screen.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
mid price band

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (Dashboard Tablet)

Samsung · local control: good · cloud: medium

  • Setup: medium
  • Needs extra hub: yes
  • Standout: Large 11-inch screen with enough performance for smooth, always-on Home Assistant dashboards.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
premium price band

Seeed Studio reTerminal (Raspberry Pi CM4)

Seeed Studio · local control: excellent · cloud: none

  • Setup: hard
  • Needs extra hub: no / self-contained
  • Standout: A Raspberry Pi CM4 5-inch touchscreen that runs your Home Assistant dashboard locally in kiosk mode - a self-contained, offline-capable wall panel.
Check price at Seeed Studio ↗ Product notes →
premium price band

Shelly Wall Display

Shelly · local control: excellent · cloud: low

  • Setup: advanced
  • Needs extra hub: no / self-contained
  • Standout: A smart switch with a built-in touchscreen display and environmental sensors — part switch, part control panel.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
premium price band

Shelly Wall Display XL

Shelly · local control: excellent · cloud: low

  • Setup: advanced
  • Needs extra hub: no / self-contained
  • Standout: A 10.1-inch in-wall touchscreen that doubles as a Home Assistant dashboard and a switch replacement, controlled locally via the Shelly integration.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
budget price band

SONOFF NSPanel Pro

SONOFF · local control: good · cloud: medium

  • Setup: hard
  • Needs extra hub: no / self-contained
  • Standout: A wall-mounted Android touchscreen with a built-in Zigbee 3.0 hub and Matter Bridge that sync into Home Assistant locally - no flashing or cloud required.
Check price at Amazon ↗ * Product notes →
mid price band

Tuya T6E Smart Panel

Tuya · local control: poor · cloud: high

  • Setup: advanced
  • Needs extra hub: no / self-contained
  • Standout: In-wall touchscreen form factor that can surface basic Tuya scenes and limited Home Assistant entities.
Check price at Zemismart ↗ Product notes →
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