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Troubleshooting

Connection & pairing

Display not found after Pair

  1. Tap Pair again under Settings → System → Security; Home Assistant can find the display for two minutes.
  2. Display and Home Assistant must be in the same network: Home Assistant finds the display by mDNS (zeroconf). VLANs, guest networks and Docker without host networking often block it. Then add the display by its IP address: tap Pair, then Add integration → HomeTiles Bridge → Panel by IP address (direct connection) (Bridge v0.9.4).
  3. Check that the HomeTiles Bridge v0.9.0 is installed and Home Assistant was restarted afterwards.
  4. Look under Settings → Devices & services for an existing HomeTiles Bridge entry of this display: a display that already has one shows Connect the panel instead of Panel found.

Paired, but no tile data

  1. Settings → System on the display should show Home Assistant: Connected. If not, allow TCP ports 8140–8147 from the display to the Home Assistant host.
  2. Without a Web Admin password, only the entities selected under HomeTiles Bridge → Configure → Entity configuration reach the display.
  3. A display on MQTT needs matching Device topic base and Home Assistant prefix on the display and in its Bridge entry.

See the Installation for first-time installation.

AP mode

The hotspot password is 12345678, also shown with a QR code. It switches off after 10 minutes without a saved configuration. The connection to Home Assistant and the Web Admin are unavailable while AP mode is active.

Home Assistant or MQTT is offline

The display keeps running and reconnects automatically when Home Assistant or the broker returns. Entity states resync after reconnection.

States arrive, but commands or updates fail

New values still appear, but lights do not react, the Web Admin does not load, or an OTA update stops partway. The Wi-Fi connection is stuck, and a restart from the menu may not clear it:

  1. Unplug the display for 10 seconds, then power it on again.
  2. If that does not help, restart the Wi-Fi router.

Tiles & camera

No camera video

Camera tiles are experimental and require ESP32-P4, firmware v0.6.3 or newer, and Bridge v0.6.28 or newer.

  1. Update the Bridge through HACS and restart Home Assistant.
  2. Select the camera in the Bridge's Entity Configuration and verify it works in Home Assistant.
  3. Allow the display to reach the Home Assistant host on TCP ports 8124–8131.
  4. Check the Home Assistant log for FFmpeg or camera-source errors.

Snapshot cameras follow their source refresh rate. For a model-specific limitation or test build, open the status information in the device list.

Missing local I/O entity

Save the assignment in the panel's I/O tab. It should become selectable by tiles on that panel immediately. For Home Assistant, use Bridge v0.6.32 or newer and an MQTT connection; restart Home Assistant after updating the Bridge, then save the assignment again or use Pairing.

Empty Energy tile

Configure Home Assistant's Energy Dashboard and enable the matching electricity, gas, or water category in the Bridge options.

Display behavior

Forgot the Settings or folder PIN

Enter the factory PIN 466384537 (HOMETILES on a phone keypad). It unlocks Settings and every protected folder; then change the PIN in the Web Admin. See Settings access.

ESP32-S3 briefly goes black while saving

The backlight pauses during flash writes to prevent a shifted image. It should recover immediately. If it stays black, report the failure with the exact model and serial log.

Waveshare briefly flashes blue while saving or updating

A brief blue flash is a known cosmetic limitation when flash writes interrupt display refresh.

Tab5 dims during AP startup or reboot

Temporary dimming reduces the power demand during WiFi startup. Your configured brightness returns when WiFi connects.

Faint images of previous content

LCD image retention can follow static, high-contrast content, especially on a cold panel. It normally fades; use a shorter display sleep timeout to reduce it.

Updates & crashes

Black screen or MQTT disconnect during an update

Expected: a Web Admin upload turns off the display, and installation temporarily disconnects MQTT. The device restarts and reconnects afterwards. Keep it powered until the update finishes.

Update check fails or shows no new version

Restart the display and check again. Compare the version under Settings → System with the latest release.

Update download repeatedly fails

Use the Web Admin upload with the matching plain .bin, not _factory.bin, or use the online flasher in Update mode.

Unexpected restart, crash, or network freeze

  1. Open Screenshot & Diagnostics in the Web Admin and select Download crash log.
  2. If a core dump is available, download it and put the .bin in a .zip for GitHub.
  3. For live output or a restart loop, use the browser Device logs viewer and copy the serial log.
  4. Open an issue with the exact model, firmware version, action that triggered the problem, and logs.

A core dump can contain tile names, entity data, and other working memory. Share only the crash log if you prefer. Check the device status for known issues and available fixes.