Screensaver

HomeTiles v0.5.0 adds a separate screensaver layout with an image slideshow, a freely positioned clock, and optional Home Assistant tiles. It is configured in the Screensaver tab of the web admin and runs on every supported display.

Prepare the microSD Card

1. Format a microSD card as FAT32 and insert it into the display.
2. Create a folder named images in the root of the card, so its path is /images.
3. Copy JPEG files (.jpg or .jpeg) into that folder. The web admin file manager can upload several selected files at once.
4. Open or reload the Screensaver tab. The files appear in the Images list.

Image Requirements

• Format: JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg)
• Maximum file size: 8 MB per image
• Recommended size: at least 1280×800 pixels; 1280×800 or 1920×1080 keeps files reasonably small while looking sharp on every supported display
• For the fastest hardware decode: use dimensions divisible by 16 and no more than about 4.2 megapixels in total

Larger phone or camera photos are automatically scaled down by the fallback decoder, but take longer to load and use more temporary memory. For best performance, resize them to the smallest resolution that is still at least 1280 pixels wide and 800 pixels high while preserving the original aspect ratio. The firmware then crops the image to the display; Zoom, Focus X, and Focus Y control that crop.

Without a card or usable JPEG, the screensaver still works with a black background and the configured clock and tiles.

Open It Manually or Automatically

• Tap any Clock tile on the normal dashboard to open the screensaver immediately.
• To activate it after inactivity, open Settings → Display on the device and set the Screensaver slider. This timeout is separate from the display sleep timeout.
• Tap the free image/background area to return to the dashboard.

Configure the Slideshow

Open http://<display-ip>/ and select the Screensaver tab. Click the image background to select the slideshow settings.

Setting	What it does
Use images	Enables the slideshow background; disabled means black background
Shuffle	Chooses the next enabled image randomly instead of using list order
Tile shadows	Adds shadows below the overlay tiles
Tile borders	Adds a subtle modern outline around overlay tiles
Image checkboxes	Include or exclude individual JPEG files
Arrow buttons	Set the slideshow order
Duration	Global display time in seconds for every image
Zoom	Enlarges the selected image while preserving its aspect ratio
Focus X / Focus Y	Moves the crop horizontally or vertically

Changes save automatically and are applied live on the display.

Position the Clock

Click the clock in the preview to open its settings. Drag the clock anywhere on the image and use its resize handle to set the available text area; it is not tied to the tile grid. Time and date can be enabled independently, with an optional weekday, separate font sizes and formats, left/center/right alignment, and text shadow.

Add Tiles

The bottom two rows are regular screensaver tile slots. Select an empty slot, choose Sensor, Energy, Switch, Scene, or Media, then drag and resize it exactly as on a normal folder page. Color and Opacity are configured together; the reset button restores both. Sensor and Energy values remain live while the screensaver is open. Popups are not opened in screensaver mode, so touches act directly on supported controls or leave the overlay stable.

Media tiles

Media tiles are supported and use a minimum size of 2×2. Loading and decoding cover art adds WiFi, RAM, and rendering work, so entering the screensaver or changing slides can be slower than with Sensor, Energy, or Switch tiles. On memory-constrained layouts, use only one media tile or omit it for the smoothest slideshow.

Backup and Restore

Web-admin Export includes the screensaver layout and settings together with all folders and tiles. Imports from older HomeTiles versions remain compatible: if an old JSON file has no screensaver section, the current screensaver is left unchanged.