Wall display
Turn a tablet you already own into a family wall calendar
HouseChief's wall display turns any tablet or spare screen with a browser into a family command center: today and tomorrow's schedule, each kid's chores with big checkboxes, tonight's dinner, the grocery list and the weather. It refreshes every minute, keeps the screen awake and dims at night. There's no device to buy, and HouseChief is free while in early access.
What the wall display shows
Display mode is a full-screen layout made to be read from across the kitchen. It shows the date and today's weather, today's and tomorrow's events, tonight's dinner, a column per kid with today's chores and big checkboxes, and a strip of what's still on the grocery list. It refreshes itself every minute, so a change made on a phone shows up on the wall without anyone touching it.
It shows what the whole family should see and nothing else. Private lists, settings and the approval Inbox never appear on the display.
Set it up on a tablet you own
Any tablet or spare screen with a modern browser works: the old iPad in the drawer, a hand-me-down Android tablet, a small touchscreen on a stand. Setup takes a few minutes.
Open HouseChief on the tablet
Go to housechief.app in the tablet's browser and sign in as a parent.
Open the display
Go to housechief.app/display, or tap Wall display in the sidebar when the tablet is held sideways. For a full-screen view, add HouseChief to the Home Screen first and open the display from there.
Put it where the family passes
A stand on the kitchen counter or a wall mount by the door. Keep it plugged in; the display keeps the screen awake while it's open, where the browser allows it.
Decide who the tablet acts as
Left in a parent's view, the display lets anyone tap any kid's chores, and its "back to the app" link opens the parent view. Switched to a kid's view with a parent PIN set in Settings, the tablet stays out of parent views, and only that kid's chores can be ticked.
Comparing with a dedicated calendar device? See how HouseChief stacks up against Skylight Calendar and Hearth Display, including where a purpose-built screen is the better fit.
Kids check off chores right there
The chore columns are the reason the display earns its counter space. Maya comes down, sees "feed the cat" and "make bed" in her column, taps them, and the stars and confetti follow. Kids need no email or password; the tablet is simply signed in to the family. Each tap is recorded for that kid and today's date, and earlier days can only be changed by a parent.
Everything about chores, stars and rewards works the same on the wall as on a phone.
Quiet at night
From 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the display dims itself so it isn't a bright rectangle in a dark kitchen, and it comes back up in the morning for the first person down.
Questions
Can I use an old iPad or Android tablet as a wall calendar?
Yes. Any tablet with a modern browser works: sign in to housechief.app and open housechief.app/display (adding HouseChief to the Home Screen gives you a full-screen view). It shows today and tomorrow, each kid's chores, dinner, the grocery list and the weather, and refreshes every minute. No special hardware, no extra purchase.
Does the screen stay on?
The display asks the browser to keep the screen awake while it's open, which works on most current tablets. On a tablet that ignores that request, set the screen timeout to Never in the tablet's own settings. Keep the tablet plugged in; a wall display runs all day.
Does it dim at night?
Yes. The display dims automatically from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., so it isn't lighting up the kitchen overnight, and brightens again in the morning. The tablet's own auto-brightness and night settings work alongside it.
Can kids tick off chores on the wall display?
Yes. Each kid has a column of today's chores with big checkboxes. A tap marks the chore done for today and awards the stars, with a cheer. With the tablet in a parent's view, every column can be tapped; switch it to a kid's view with a parent PIN set if you'd rather keep the wall out of parent views.
Do I need to buy special hardware?
No. HouseChief doesn't sell a device, and the display runs on any tablet or spare screen with a modern browser you already own. If you'd rather have a large purpose-built wall screen, a dedicated device may suit you better; our comparisons with Skylight and Hearth say where each fits.