Espcontrol

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Screensaver ​

The panel can use a screensaver when it's not being used. When active, it can dim the normal screen, show a dim clock, or turn the backlight off so the panel goes dark. Touch the screen to wake it up.

There are three screen saver modes, configured in the Settings tab on the Setup page:

Disabled ​

The screensaver does not run automatically. This is the default setting.

Timer ​

The screensaver turns on after the panel hasn't been touched for a set amount of time. Choose from:

  • 10 seconds
  • 30 seconds
  • 1 minute
  • 5 minutes (the default)
  • 10, 15, 20, 30, or 45 minutes
  • 1 hour

If the 10 or 30 second choices are not shown, update the panel firmware first. The web page checks what range the installed firmware supports before showing the shorter timer values.

You can also enable Keep Awake Media Player and enter a media player entity, such as media_player.living_room. When that media player is in the playing state, the timer keeps waiting instead of putting the screen to sleep.

What Happens ​

When the screensaver activates, you can choose what happens:

  • Screen Dimmed — keeps the normal screen visible, but lowers the backlight. The first tap wakes the screen instead of pressing a card.
  • Clock — shows a large drifting clock at reduced brightness (the default). The clock repositions itself periodically to prevent burn-in.
  • Display Off — switches to a black screen and turns the backlight off completely.

When Screen Dimmed is selected, set Dimmed Screen Brightness. When Clock is selected, set separate Daytime Clock Brightness and Nighttime Clock Brightness values. Clock brightness uses the same sunrise and sunset calculation as the main screen brightness.

Sensor ​

Instead of a timer, the screensaver is controlled by a motion or presence sensor (like a mmWave sensor mounted nearby). When someone is in the room, the screen stays on. When nobody is detected, the screen goes to sleep — and wakes up again when someone walks past.

To use this, enter the name of your motion or presence sensor from Home Assistant (for example, binary_sensor.hallway_presence).

Below the presence entity, use Then to choose whether the panel dims the screen, shows the clock, or turns the display off when nobody is detected. This uses the same options as Timer mode.

Switching back to Timer keeps the sensor name saved, so you can return to Sensor mode later without typing it in again.

TIP

Touching the screen always wakes it up, no matter which mode you're using.

Screen Schedule ​

The screen schedule is separate from the screensaver. Use it when you want the panel to be fully dark during fixed hours, such as overnight.

When the screen schedule is in Screen Off or Clock mode, the presence sensor does not wake the panel outside the scheduled daytime hours. Tap wake still works, and uses the temporary wake settings from the screen schedule.