Find the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 on eBay (Affiliate): ebay.us/2wVAiP Original XDA developers thread detailing this process: forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-installing-android-apps-on-the-lenovo-smart-clock-2.4393271/
In the developer options there's no option for ADB over the network. Presumably it needs to be enabled first through USB (which is not accessible externally, though people have said that there are USB pins on the board, so you would need to tear it apart and solder a USB cable on)
@@und4287 Thanks so much for this! I'm interested in getting my hands on one and figuring out if you can use OTG. I think it'd be nice to modify it to use POE and ethernet cause... I don't like wifi??
@@und4287 some android tv boxes and stuff, automatic enable it once you enable adb, that being said if sombodey can test it will be great, the method with the usb + adb is main use is in mobile, hand held devices where you have the usb exposed
If you swipe up from the bottom, tap the config wheel and choose "send feedback", then say something like "install f-droid", then tap "Account and system information", your spoken text ('install f-droid") appears there. Using the accessibility mode, select it, draw an L (start top left), then pick Copy. Then, once you're in the browser (I used the same method - Privacy policy) you can click the button with the 9 squares and go to search. Then paste your text. This way you don't need the calendar or a DNS trick. (Once you install and run F-Droid, you do need to use that opportunity to immediately install a launcher and/or a keyboard, or you won't be able to get back into F-Droid again, unless you do all the steps again.) (Also, once you have a launcher, you can get to Android settings and pair a bluetooth keyboard, which is super convenient.)
25:56 a good alternative for the navigation bar is "Navigation Bar - Anywhere" which gives you a floating mini nav bar widget, that if you dont want to lose your volume button's functionality.
Key mapper let’s you use the bump/tap feature (thing that snoozes the alarm) as a trigger and key combination (i.e. volume up then down or both pressed at the same time). That opens up a lot more possibilities for launching apps and you may find you don’t even need a launcher. And don’t have to deal with the changes in volume. I let mine launch with the default home then set volume up + down (simultaneously) to open Discreet Launcher. I use the bump for play / pause since I use it to listen to music and with some video apps.
When Talkback is on, you can - Draw a reverse L (down then left) to go back just like the global back button - Use two fingers to scroll, instead of swiping one by one - Swipe up and left, to go to the launcher(home action) This is a pretty awesome way to use such a device though. Thank you for sharing.
Cool! I also got one of these (with the wireless charger attachment) for cheap during Black Friday sales. Used it on my bedside table for a while but eventually went back to my Nest Hub for the bigger screen.
Just wanted to thank you for this excellent tutorial! Setup two devices last evening and it went so well that I purchased two more. Too bad this device has been discontinued, so many possibilities. I do wish the screen resolution was a little higher and it was a bit faster, but for the money I can't really complain.
@camerongray - please can you do a video on creating the dash board you use for these touch screens? I know there’s plenty of videos on HA dashboards - but none are as in-depth as your videos, and yours is exactly how I want mine. As well as how you get NodeRed to dim the display!
Looks very handy, but for some reason, with accesibility options (08:15) I only get play start sound and play end sound. not screen reader and all other options. How to get those ?
I had this issue too, I’m guessing you’re using the latest version of google home? I loaded up an android virtual machine in parallels and then side loaded an old version of google home I went back to the version around when the video was made and had the correct accessibility options.
I saw one of these in Currys recently and thought "meh". Now I kinda wish I had the money to warrant wasting on something like this, because that custom UI you've got going on is beautiful. Probably wouldn't end up being a bedside clock but definitely some form of IOT thing.
only options when i click on accessibility in the google home app is play start sound and end sound, no option for the screen reader. did they patch the exploit? should i be using an android phone instead of an iphone for this to work? EDIT: looked into the XDA thread, accessibility is exclusive to android version of google home.
I apreciate this Tutorial so much men,i needed some Bluetooth speakers for my Projector in my bedroom ,didnt wanted to buy some new one and i have this clock and its works totaly fine beside that i need to look after a method where the clock allways connect to the speakers when they are online.
Great, detailed video as always. Decided to bite the bullet and ordered one from CeX. My proper Lenovo tablet doesn't receive any updates, I can't imagine them updating firmware on a discontinued bedside clock.
22:01 something odd happened to me, i didnt wanted to set the custom launcher to default but it wouldnt let me launch the launcher (haha) only one. it only asked me again
I followed this but did fully kiosk browser and for some reason it randomly goes back to the launcher. I can reload the app but it does it anywhere from a couple minutes to like 30 minutes.
Thanks for the video, I just got one of these working too. I have found it doesn't like the new sections dashboard in home assistant though so I had to revert to the older masonry one.
Always wanted something like that but despise any kind of talking gadgets. I don’t want no siri no Alexa no nothing. Well, maybe a self hosted example but that’s it. Been itching for a smart alarm clock since seeing the chumby for the first time.
4:10 this isn't the case. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 uses the exact same power supply as the original Lenovo Smart Clock, which just has a 5V 1A USB port on the back. (Though that USB port is really interesting because it has the data lines connected, so if this exploit is able to work on the original clock you could potentially plug in a physical keyboard or something. Maybe an Apple Dongle to connect it to nicer speakers? It already looks like a Squeezebox Touch so may as well use it as one.
Nice. Im looking for a thing to display CCTV via rstp in my office . Already have one of these and going to look into this for running an iP camera app.
It's such a shame that "smart" hub vendors don't want to let users do this out of the box.. I have a google nest hub gathering dust in the kitchen because the norwegian google home functionality is pure garbage. Think I'll replace it with one of these!
I love hacks like this. I don't feel confident with things like soldering and such. Flashing where there is an existing connector, thats the most i feel confident doing :) So, a solution with just a phone and the device screen is just purfect :)
Did you find a way to activate automatic dimming again? I find automatic diming too dark to read stuff in homeassistant so I need to activate the manual brightness (which I can do from remote with fully kiosk) but I can't get it back to automatic dimming anymore if it goes back to screensaver mode
My Google Home app is missing the Screen reader option in the accessibility menu. It only has two options in that whole menu, one for Play start sound and another for Play end sound. That's it. Seems like this hack is becoming harder now that the device is no longer supported.
@@camerongray1515 Couldn't hurt to put it in the video description. I spent most of today trying to get this to work on my iPhone. Thanks for all the info though. Great video. I wonder if I could set it up using my Android TV. So many layers....
I've been struggling to use this clock to display one of my Unifi Protect camera feeds. I wanted to use the WallPanel app for the MQTT device control, however when I try loading my HA dashboard displaying only the camera card, it doesn't display the real time feed, just low-res snapshots. Tapping on it does not help either as the stream playback UI appears to be broken. I suspect that the webview on this version of android is outdated, and is struggling to render the components needed for the camera card to work properly on lovelace dashboards. I've also tried using the regular unifi controller UI, but this has similar issues. I've resorted to using an app called Nova Video Player to connect to the camera's RTSP stream. This works okay, with some odd graphical glitches every now and then on moving objects, but now I can't control the device via MQTT any more. Any ideas for viewing the camera stream inside the WallPanel app?
I wonder if you could connect an external keyboard, maybe via USB with the pins on the bottom, or Bluetooth if it has it and you can figure out how to get to those settings. Also someone could totally register something like the polgoog domain and serve direct APK links to make this easier.
I just tested a bluetooth keyboard I had laying around. I was able to use the keyboard in the privacy policy browser. So this might be an option to avoid some of the gymnastics of getting things installed.
Interesting, are you on Android or iOS? I remember hearing something about the option only existing under the Google Home app on Android - completely forgot to mention it in this video
Hey, where I can download a trusted wallpanel installer? I don't see it on f-droid at the moment. For now I've downloaded HA app, but I'm missing that sleep feature. Unfortunately enabling device setting "lock after X s of inactivity" doesn't work at all.
Thank you, tutorial works well. I only found one problem. I want to use the clock as a night clock (and use my own melody, which the clock can't do in factory settings), I tried several apps, but the launcher always switches to the default screen after a few hours, i.e. the clock doesn't last overnight. I also tried three different lauchers, they always close any application after some time... Can you suggest any solution? Thanks a lot, keep up the great work.
Worked great (except I needed an Android as yes not all the menus are not showing up on iOS). But I see HA is available in the Fdroid store and can’t find anything called Wallpanel. Any advice? Thanks
Thanks for a great video, I am not able to remove top bar in Wall panel or Fully kiosk brower. Works on all other units but the smart clock. Any ideas?
i know its been a year but the smart clock is a bit funny about custom home assistant stuff, it just wouldnt show some of the custom cards i put on it so could be a similar issue
I forgot to mention this in the video but the screen reader option is apparently only available on Android, not the iOS Google Home app so it may be that? Unless they've removed it in an update since I made the video which would be unfortunate (although you may be able to install an older version of the Google Home app)
@@camerongray1515 Yeah i figured it out today haha, somehow i knew that was gonna be the case im currently installing the apps in your video, thanks a lot!!!
Thanks for the guide, I was able to follow along with no issue. What I cannot figure out is the dimming when the clock shows. I have WallPanel setup and have the option for "Clock Screen Saver" on and actually disabled the ScreenSaver in WallPanel (Home Assistant Dashboard config) as I only want either the Home Assistant page or the clock showing. Ideally, I want the screen to dim all the way down when the clock shows and then resume brightness when tapped....like your video shows.
Is there any inconvenience of using my real google account? The ideia is after the hack, use it both in Home Assistant/custom apps, aswell as maintaining google funcionality. To keep the hack, should I block internet access or some specific DNS server? Or there are no problems of installing updates? Thank you for your video! EDIT: Do you think it could be paired with an bluetooth keyboard as soon as we have that possiblity (sometime during the process), so we can avoid using the on screen keyboard? Can I use this hack abilities of running other launcher/apps and also keep 100% the same stock google home funcionality? I also would like to use this as a bedside sunrise alarm.
Hello. I successfully managed to install this following the video on a brand new recently bought clock. Thank you. Can you please make a video or point to a tutorial to install and configure the HAPROXY so I can block internet access and solve the wireless indicator/hotspot? I am comfortable with VMs and docker. I just need an easy follow guide as this one. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
Ehhh, I managed to do it. But now it boots to Lenovo logo and is stuck there. I installed a keyboard, launcher all sorts of things, but now is just stuck. At first my bluetooth mouse connected and was able to move the cursor over the lenovo logo. But now it no longer connects. Recovery isn't there and fastboot does nothing. Any ideas for the next steps?
I just tested a bluetooth keyboard I had laying around. I was able to use the keyboard in the privacy policy browser. So this might be an option to avoid some of the gymnastics of getting things installed.
Hi Thanks for this great Video! Now, i'm able to start my own App, but only from the Launcher. How is ti possible to Start my own App directly after boot up? Thanks Pat
Great Idea, thank you for your time doing this. Very Useful. Do you know if it works with the Lenovo Smart essential clock with Alexa as well?.. I will pick one of these up on ebay anyway but it would be nice to have one in every guest room in my house as well. I look forward to more videos on this if you make them.
Hi I meant the LENOVO Smart Clock Essential with Alexa - Misty Blue which does have a screen. Less than £20 at the moment at Curry's. I realise it's probably not on Android. Just wondered...
That's the one I meant, unfortunately while it has a screen, it looks more like an LED display that can only show the time and a few other fixed things, unlike the Smart Clock 2 that has a full LCD display
I imagine so, the reason I didn't was because I have this set up exclusively running a home assistant dashboard so I'd rather avoid gestures that could make it easy to accidentally close the browser. However if you wanted to use this as more of a general purpose Android device, a gesture app could be a good option.
The talkback mode has a whole bunch of gestures it seems. line down and left = back, line up and left = home. And there are some more. They are explained in one of the menu items in this talkback menu. Or at least in my other version lenovo clock. Too bad my clock does not have the web browser 😭 the privacy and other menu items around it do nothing...
Unfortunately not as far as I can tell - network ADB is disabled out of the box and the only way I can see to enable it would be to first enable USB ADB then use that to enable network ADB. However there is no exposed USB port on the device to use for this. It may be possible to use the pin headers on the bottom to get a USB connection but I'm pretty sure you'd still need root access to disable system services.
Interesting stuff!!, just had a look online, found one but it's not the 2, I guess it is the first one. Any idea if this hack works on the first version??
I actually had no idea that these google home things run a custom version of android. It makes complete sense, but i thought it was a custom OS completely
Unfortunately the dashboard isn't really in a shareable state - it's a very custom dashboard using virtual helper objects with all of the logic handled by Node-RED, it works great but since I built it for myself, it's not exactly neat and has virtually zero documentation.
Disable auto update under settings.. Took a while to get my Home Assistant page set as the default homepage but it's like any Chrome browser, just set a bookmark then choose set as homepage
It's not something I've seen done. I suppose it's possible and there is an option around unlocking the bootloader in the menu (although I haven't tested this) although it's non-trivial to build an image to run on this. Realistically, with this device blocked in my firewall from connecting directly out to the internet I'm not worried about the privacy side of things. It's hardly any more of an risk than say, charging a smartphone next to your bed!
Dear Cameron: The solution to block internet access is to use a BSD docker Container/Virtual Machine running a proxy HA Proxy. I am used to using docker and VMs so no problems, but I have never used the HA Proxy. Is there a tutorial you guys know to help me out with this? Can you please detail this part of the process? This one is the part I am missing. Thank you once again.
It's entirely down to the form factor - this is a much nicer looking device that can sit on a bedside table and can be used by simply tapping the screen. I charge my phone overnight with the phone sitting literally next to this clock, however to use the phone I'd need to pick it up, unlock it, open the Home Assistant app and only then can I use it, which is a bit of a pain for something as fundamental as controlling the lights.
Yeah, the battery is another good point I forgot to mention - I don't want a bunch of old lithium batteries sitting around the place permanently charging unsupervised. In particular this is why I use the mains powered in-wall Android devices I showed in a previous video rather than wall mounting cheap tablets.
I feel like hardware wise a device like this needs to have an oled display to not light up my whole bedroom when showing the clock. Same goes for screens in cars etc. At least an lcd with dimming zones. Smart trick tho, will remember that.
Yeah, unfortunately it's likely just a cost thing as these are relatively cheap devices. Thankfully the LCD does dim down super low so in a dark room it's actually perfectly fine - can easily make out the clock without seeing the rest of the screen glowing.
Nice, I will do this. I have one of these and while I do like the Nest Hub screens, the Lenovo one doesent have all the same features. So I havent been using the smart clock 2; I bought one that has the wireless phone charger too.
I wonder if the smart clock 3 will be hacked like this sometime soon. It has a USB port, would presumably let one avoid some of the hassle of lacking a keyboard
By the point you areadding entries to your dns server simply add that to domain to where you want it pointed instead of copy pasting the url to something you can make from the domain
I possibly could have done that however I wasn't sure if I'd end up coming up against some sort of HSTS preload issue where it would insist on using SSL, hence using a different domain. It probably wouldn't have been an issue but decided to go with the approach that I did to save needing to go back in later on and change the DNS records and webserver settings.
the dumb part is lenovo would probably release a update to block this for no reason other than petty spite but if there was some kinda security flaw they probably would do anything
There is no official way to install apps on this, hence the strange process involving the calendar to get text onto the device. You would need to do this anyway to install screen mirroring software, and at that point, you may as well just install a keyboard.
Find the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 on eBay (Affiliate): ebay.us/2wVAiP
Original XDA developers thread detailing this process: forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-installing-android-apps-on-the-lenovo-smart-clock-2.4393271/
Reminds me of bypassing the security restrictions on PCs at school via the Encarta about dialog in the mid-90s
what?
You could perhaps enable adb over IP. With that you can use regular adb commands to disable packages and even get shell access.
In the developer options there's no option for ADB over the network. Presumably it needs to be enabled first through USB (which is not accessible externally, though people have said that there are USB pins on the board, so you would need to tear it apart and solder a USB cable on)
@@und4287 Thanks so much for this! I'm interested in getting my hands on one and figuring out if you can use OTG. I think it'd be nice to modify it to use POE and ethernet cause... I don't like wifi??
@@und4287 some android tv boxes and stuff, automatic enable it once you enable adb, that being said if sombodey can test it will be great, the method with the usb + adb is main use is in mobile, hand held devices where you have the usb exposed
If you swipe up from the bottom, tap the config wheel and choose "send feedback", then say something like "install f-droid", then tap "Account and system information", your spoken text ('install f-droid") appears there. Using the accessibility mode, select it, draw an L (start top left), then pick Copy. Then, once you're in the browser (I used the same method - Privacy policy) you can click the button with the 9 squares and go to search. Then paste your text. This way you don't need the calendar or a DNS trick.
(Once you install and run F-Droid, you do need to use that opportunity to immediately install a launcher and/or a keyboard, or you won't be able to get back into F-Droid again, unless you do all the steps again.)
(Also, once you have a launcher, you can get to Android settings and pair a bluetooth keyboard, which is super convenient.)
25:56 a good alternative for the navigation bar is "Navigation Bar - Anywhere" which gives you a floating mini nav bar widget, that if you dont want to lose your volume button's functionality.
simply set the "volume shortcuts" from accessibility settings
Key mapper let’s you use the bump/tap feature (thing that snoozes the alarm) as a trigger and key combination (i.e. volume up then down or both pressed at the same time). That opens up a lot more possibilities for launching apps and you may find you don’t even need a launcher. And don’t have to deal with the changes in volume.
I let mine launch with the default home then set volume up + down (simultaneously) to open Discreet Launcher. I use the bump for play / pause since I use it to listen to music and with some video apps.
When Talkback is on, you can
- Draw a reverse L (down then left) to go back just like the global back button
- Use two fingers to scroll, instead of swiping one by one
- Swipe up and left, to go to the launcher(home action)
This is a pretty awesome way to use such a device though. Thank you for sharing.
wonder if this would also work with a Xiaomi Mi Smart Clock -wouuld be worth a try
Cool! I also got one of these (with the wireless charger attachment) for cheap during Black Friday sales. Used it on my bedside table for a while but eventually went back to my Nest Hub for the bigger screen.
The version with the wireless charger sucks! Also this screen is way too bright for a bedroom!
@@AngeloR674I don't need my bedroom pitch black to sleep. I like being able to read the clock at night. Wireless charger works fine.
Just wanted to thank you for this excellent tutorial! Setup two devices last evening and it went so well that I purchased two more. Too bad this device has been discontinued, so many possibilities. I do wish the screen resolution was a little higher and it was a bit faster, but for the money I can't really complain.
@camerongray - please can you do a video on creating the dash board you use for these touch screens?
I know there’s plenty of videos on HA dashboards - but none are as in-depth as your videos, and yours is exactly how I want mine.
As well as how you get NodeRed to dim the display!
Looks very handy, but for some reason, with accesibility options (08:15) I only get play start sound and play end sound. not screen reader and all other options. How to get those ?
I had this issue too, I’m guessing you’re using the latest version of google home?
I loaded up an android virtual machine in parallels and then side loaded an old version of google home I went back to the version around when the video was made and had the correct accessibility options.
Yeah u gotta use an android of some sort, I managed to do it with a Samsung s6
I saw one of these in Currys recently and thought "meh".
Now I kinda wish I had the money to warrant wasting on something like this, because that custom UI you've got going on is beautiful.
Probably wouldn't end up being a bedside clock but definitely some form of IOT thing.
From the screen shown at 10:23 into the video how do you get out of the browser and back to the clock home screen please ?
It works so well I made this comment using the clock.
only options when i click on accessibility in the google home app is play start sound and end sound, no option for the screen reader. did they patch the exploit? should i be using an android phone instead of an iphone for this to work? EDIT: looked into the XDA thread, accessibility is exclusive to android version of google home.
I apreciate this Tutorial so much men,i needed some Bluetooth speakers for my Projector in my bedroom ,didnt wanted to buy some new one and i have this clock and its works totaly fine beside that i need to look after a method where the clock allways connect to the speakers when they are online.
Great, detailed video as always. Decided to bite the bullet and ordered one from CeX. My proper Lenovo tablet doesn't receive any updates, I can't imagine them updating firmware on a discontinued bedside clock.
A LineageOS ROM for these clocks would be the ultimate way to keep them all from going to landfill 🙂
27:48 There is a way to stop the overlay from poping up. in keymapper there is a setting I forgot what it was called.
Could you use android intents to send a notification command through home assistant to disable the wifi hotspot instead of turning up a custom server?
22:01 something odd happened to me, i didnt wanted to set the custom launcher to default but it wouldnt let me launch the launcher (haha) only one. it only asked me again
What did you use for the screensaver app and could you point me on where to get started with the wall panel API?
I followed this but did fully kiosk browser and for some reason it randomly goes back to the launcher. I can reload the app but it does it anywhere from a couple minutes to like 30 minutes.
Thanks for the video, I just got one of these working too.
I have found it doesn't like the new sections dashboard in home assistant though so I had to revert to the older masonry one.
on smart clock when boot with screen reader you tap middle of screen and it says some thing about os lancher
Always wanted something like that but despise any kind of talking gadgets. I don’t want no siri no Alexa no nothing. Well, maybe a self hosted example but that’s it. Been itching for a smart alarm clock since seeing the chumby for the first time.
4:10 this isn't the case. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 uses the exact same power supply as the original Lenovo Smart Clock, which just has a 5V 1A USB port on the back. (Though that USB port is really interesting because it has the data lines connected, so if this exploit is able to work on the original clock you could potentially plug in a physical keyboard or something. Maybe an Apple Dongle to connect it to nicer speakers? It already looks like a Squeezebox Touch so may as well use it as one.
when in the web browser, how can I exit and view the clock face?
Nice. Im looking for a thing to display CCTV via rstp in my office . Already have one of these and going to look into this for running an iP camera app.
Do a follow up! I'd certainly be interested
Hi, wallpanel it's no work anymore have you any others?
It's such a shame that "smart" hub vendors don't want to let users do this out of the box.. I have a google nest hub gathering dust in the kitchen because the norwegian google home functionality is pure garbage. Think I'll replace it with one of these!
This trick could in fact work on the hub too. Give it a shot =)
I presume something similar should be possible with the Lenovo smart displays. Any pointers on how to do this on that, as that is what I have
Can these be moded for voice commands/control?
I'm trying to follow this. Key mapper app won't open. Keeps crashing. Any ideas?
I love hacks like this. I don't feel confident with things like soldering and such. Flashing where there is an existing connector, thats the most i feel confident doing :)
So, a solution with just a phone and the device screen is just purfect :)
Did you find a way to activate automatic dimming again?
I find automatic diming too dark to read stuff in homeassistant so I need to activate the manual brightness (which I can do from remote with fully kiosk) but I can't get it back to automatic dimming anymore if it goes back to screensaver mode
My Google Home app is missing the Screen reader option in the accessibility menu. It only has two options in that whole menu, one for Play start sound and another for Play end sound. That's it. Seems like this hack is becoming harder now that the device is no longer supported.
Are you on iOS or Android, as far as I'm aware the screen reader option only shows up on Android phones, forgot to mention it in the video
@@camerongray1515 iOS here. I’ll see if I can find and old android phone to try it on. Thanks for the tip!
It worked! Thanks again
@@camerongray1515 Couldn't hurt to put it in the video description. I spent most of today trying to get this to work on my iPhone. Thanks for all the info though. Great video. I wonder if I could set it up using my Android TV. So many layers....
I've been struggling to use this clock to display one of my Unifi Protect camera feeds. I wanted to use the WallPanel app for the MQTT device control, however when I try loading my HA dashboard displaying only the camera card, it doesn't display the real time feed, just low-res snapshots. Tapping on it does not help either as the stream playback UI appears to be broken. I suspect that the webview on this version of android is outdated, and is struggling to render the components needed for the camera card to work properly on lovelace dashboards. I've also tried using the regular unifi controller UI, but this has similar issues.
I've resorted to using an app called Nova Video Player to connect to the camera's RTSP stream. This works okay, with some odd graphical glitches every now and then on moving objects, but now I can't control the device via MQTT any more. Any ideas for viewing the camera stream inside the WallPanel app?
I wonder if you could connect an external keyboard, maybe via USB with the pins on the bottom, or Bluetooth if it has it and you can figure out how to get to those settings.
Also someone could totally register something like the polgoog domain and serve direct APK links to make this easier.
I just tested a bluetooth keyboard I had laying around. I was able to use the keyboard in the privacy policy browser. So this might be an option to avoid some of the gymnastics of getting things installed.
Would a smart clock 1 - with Alexa suffice? I want the google ecosystem
Hmm mine doesn't show screen reader under accessibility
Interesting, are you on Android or iOS? I remember hearing something about the option only existing under the Google Home app on Android - completely forgot to mention it in this video
@@camerongray1515 that would definitely explain it. I’ll setup an emulator and hopefully that will work. To be clear yes, ios
@@oldcrazyeye6482 D'oh mine just arrived and am learning this now. Maybe a pinned comment would be good?
I wonder if this method can open it up for rooting... It's got me thinking
Hey, where I can download a trusted wallpanel installer? I don't see it on f-droid at the moment. For now I've downloaded HA app, but I'm missing that sleep feature. Unfortunately enabling device setting "lock after X s of inactivity" doesn't work at all.
Thank you, tutorial works well. I only found one problem. I want to use the clock as a night clock (and use my own melody, which the clock can't do in factory settings), I tried several apps, but the launcher always switches to the default screen after a few hours, i.e. the clock doesn't last overnight. I also tried three different lauchers, they always close any application after some time... Can you suggest any solution? Thanks a lot, keep up the great work.
Did you ever figure out a solution to this? I'm having the same exactly problem.
Worked great (except I needed an Android as yes not all the menus are not showing up on iOS).
But I see HA is available in the Fdroid store and can’t find anything called Wallpanel. Any advice? Thanks
Thanks for a great video, I am not able to remove top bar in Wall panel or Fully kiosk brower. Works on all other units but the smart clock. Any ideas?
i know its been a year but the smart clock is a bit funny about custom home assistant stuff, it just wouldnt show some of the custom cards i put on it so could be a similar issue
Can you do a detailed how too for the dns to haproxy stuff? I have never been good with proxy work.
I also would like help in this problem please.
another excellent video, thank you very much.
would it be possible to release the NodeRED flow? I like the dimming feature you came up with.
Thabks for the video. I tried with Xiaomi smart clock and got to the privacy section and it crashes. Its a shame as they are similar devices.
8:06 Mannnn, somehowi only have the two first options available on my accesibility settings, bummer
I forgot to mention this in the video but the screen reader option is apparently only available on Android, not the iOS Google Home app so it may be that? Unless they've removed it in an update since I made the video which would be unfortunate (although you may be able to install an older version of the Google Home app)
@@camerongray1515 Yeah i figured it out today haha, somehow i knew that was gonna be the case im currently installing the apps in your video, thanks a lot!!!
Thanks for the guide, I was able to follow along with no issue. What I cannot figure out is the dimming when the clock shows. I have WallPanel setup and have the option for "Clock Screen Saver" on and actually disabled the ScreenSaver in WallPanel (Home Assistant Dashboard config) as I only want either the Home Assistant page or the clock showing. Ideally, I want the screen to dim all the way down when the clock shows and then resume brightness when tapped....like your video shows.
Never mind, I just got it :)
That is a nice Retroarch terminal you have there!
Seems to work on the original LenovoSmartClock as well, at least I get as far as the accessibility screen ... will try more later
i tried on mine, and once i get to the privacy policy button nothing happens when i open it. no web browser for me :(
Is there any inconvenience of using my real google account? The ideia is after the hack, use it both in Home Assistant/custom apps, aswell as maintaining google funcionality. To keep the hack, should I block internet access or some specific DNS server? Or there are no problems of installing updates? Thank you for your video! EDIT: Do you think it could be paired with an bluetooth keyboard as soon as we have that possiblity (sometime during the process), so we can avoid using the on screen keyboard? Can I use this hack abilities of running other launcher/apps and also keep 100% the same stock google home funcionality? I also would like to use this as a bedside sunrise alarm.
Hello. I successfully managed to install this following the video on a brand new recently bought clock. Thank you. Can you please make a video or point to a tutorial to install and configure the HAPROXY so I can block internet access and solve the wireless indicator/hotspot? I am comfortable with VMs and docker. I just need an easy follow guide as this one. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
Ehhh, I managed to do it. But now it boots to Lenovo logo and is stuck there. I installed a keyboard, launcher all sorts of things, but now is just stuck.
At first my bluetooth mouse connected and was able to move the cursor over the lenovo logo. But now it no longer connects.
Recovery isn't there and fastboot does nothing.
Any ideas for the next steps?
Bonita e o facto de não ter subscrição como a minha da ring dá que pensar, no entanto penso que a da eufy está mais completa não ?
It has Bluetooth so would a Bluetooth keyboard work with it?
A Bluetooth keyboard will work fine, it's makes everything a lot easier to do when setting it up
I just tested a bluetooth keyboard I had laying around. I was able to use the keyboard in the privacy policy browser. So this might be an option to avoid some of the gymnastics of getting things installed.
Key+Mouse works fine to.
Great work, can you install custom rom on it?
These things drop for like $10-$20 at BestBuy some times in the US. I got two, one in my bedroom and another in my office.
Hi
Thanks for this great Video!
Now, i'm able to start my own App, but only from the Launcher.
How is ti possible to Start my own App directly after boot up?
Thanks
Pat
Have you done this procedure recently? Were you able to update? Does the hack work after update?
8:00 until he actually starts describing the process.
Do you have links to your HA dashboard set-up?
Can you send me the apk for assistant core? I want to see if i can get the google UI to run on my own device
Great Idea, thank you for your time doing this. Very Useful. Do you know if it works with the Lenovo Smart essential clock with Alexa as well?.. I will pick one of these up on ebay anyway but it would be nice to have one in every guest room in my house as well. I look forward to more videos on this if you make them.
Unfortunately the Essential clock is a completely different product and doesn't have an LCD screen so wouldn't be able to be hacked like this.
Hi I meant the
LENOVO Smart Clock Essential with Alexa - Misty Blue which does have a screen. Less than £20 at the moment at Curry's. I realise it's probably not on Android. Just wondered...
That's the one I meant, unfortunately while it has a screen, it looks more like an LED display that can only show the time and a few other fixed things, unlike the Smart Clock 2 that has a full LCD display
Could you not install an app to enable some gestures that enable app switching, going back in apps, etc?
I imagine so, the reason I didn't was because I have this set up exclusively running a home assistant dashboard so I'd rather avoid gestures that could make it easy to accidentally close the browser. However if you wanted to use this as more of a general purpose Android device, a gesture app could be a good option.
The talkback mode has a whole bunch of gestures it seems. line down and left = back, line up and left = home. And there are some more. They are explained in one of the menu items in this talkback menu. Or at least in my other version lenovo clock. Too bad my clock does not have the web browser 😭 the privacy and other menu items around it do nothing...
Can't you remote ADB to the device to remove the 'Assistant Core'-app?
Unfortunately not as far as I can tell - network ADB is disabled out of the box and the only way I can see to enable it would be to first enable USB ADB then use that to enable network ADB. However there is no exposed USB port on the device to use for this. It may be possible to use the pin headers on the bottom to get a USB connection but I'm pretty sure you'd still need root access to disable system services.
Fantastic! Does the hack still work in late 2024?
Mine just arrived today, will be giving it a shot today or tomorrow and will let you know if you remind me.
I think It was updated because there no way to open the web browser. Nothing happening when trying to open Privacy Policy in screenreader settings :/
@@Ann-Romas 😕
@@Ann-Romas same here, very disappointing
Interesting stuff!!, just had a look online, found one but it's not the 2, I guess it is the first one. Any idea if this hack works on the first version??
I guess you don't answer questions here. How's the weather in Scotland?
I actually had no idea that these google home things run a custom version of android. It makes complete sense, but i thought it was a custom OS completely
another great video..and Ill be keeping an eye out for one now...thanks again
Very informative video thank you. Any chance of sharing this specific dashboard please?
Unfortunately the dashboard isn't really in a shareable state - it's a very custom dashboard using virtual helper objects with all of the logic handled by Node-RED, it works great but since I built it for myself, it's not exactly neat and has virtually zero documentation.
WARNING: Either Lenovo or Google have bricked the privacy policy link trick to open the browser: these instructions no longer work sadly
I just did it and it's worked fine. 😀
Disable auto update under settings.. Took a while to get my Home Assistant page set as the default homepage but it's like any Chrome browser, just set a bookmark then choose set as homepage
I can't find any disable auto updates settings? Is that for OS updates or app updates?
Can you do this with generation 1
I can't find Wall Panel. :O/ Is there an APK somewhere?
can you install a completely custom firmware on this? I admire the hardware but lament the risk of having a bugging device in your bedroom.
It's not something I've seen done. I suppose it's possible and there is an option around unlocking the bootloader in the menu (although I haven't tested this) although it's non-trivial to build an image to run on this. Realistically, with this device blocked in my firewall from connecting directly out to the internet I'm not worried about the privacy side of things. It's hardly any more of an risk than say, charging a smartphone next to your bed!
You could install on-screen navigation buttons
Most of those require draw over, which this device doesn't support
You could probably append # or ? to the APK URL in the calendar so you don't have to cut away the junk.
That's true! Although I think it only had that extra text because the event straddled midnight so appeared two days.
Tried this with my Smart Clock 1. It won’t launch a browser. :(
same here
or have you figured out how to get a browser in version1 ?
@@mrshintla sadly no
same
Dear Cameron:
The solution to block internet access is to use a BSD docker Container/Virtual Machine running a proxy HA Proxy.
I am used to using docker and VMs so no problems, but I have never used the HA Proxy.
Is there a tutorial you guys know to help me out with this? Can you please detail this part of the process?
This one is the part I am missing.
Thank you once again.
Hello, can someone help me out in guiding me how to create the HA Proxy solution?
For some reason my screen reader doesn't show up in the app. Has this been patched?
I forgot to mention in the video but the screen reader option only shows up on the Android app, not iOS so maybe that's it?
damm it i have an ios
Maybe I missed the part, but why not use an old android phone to accomplish the same thing, in admittedly a different form factor?
It's entirely down to the form factor - this is a much nicer looking device that can sit on a bedside table and can be used by simply tapping the screen. I charge my phone overnight with the phone sitting literally next to this clock, however to use the phone I'd need to pick it up, unlock it, open the Home Assistant app and only then can I use it, which is a bit of a pain for something as fundamental as controlling the lights.
@@camerongray1515 Agreed. The form factor is what makes me interested in something like this with an old phone.
This doesn't have a battery that will eventually fail/explode.
Yeah, the battery is another good point I forgot to mention - I don't want a bunch of old lithium batteries sitting around the place permanently charging unsupervised. In particular this is why I use the mains powered in-wall Android devices I showed in a previous video rather than wall mounting cheap tablets.
@@camerongray1515 introducing Raspberry Pi or it’s Android running clones?
Could you not do a QR code? It asked for camera access and it should be able to read QR codes since that's built into android now
Unfortunately the device doesn't contain a camera, suspect the browser is just asking as a default permission even though the hardware isn't present.
I feel like hardware wise a device like this needs to have an oled display to not light up my whole bedroom when showing the clock. Same goes for screens in cars etc. At least an lcd with dimming zones. Smart trick tho, will remember that.
Yeah, unfortunately it's likely just a cost thing as these are relatively cheap devices. Thankfully the LCD does dim down super low so in a dark room it's actually perfectly fine - can easily make out the clock without seeing the rest of the screen glowing.
"hay what's your gaming pc" me: "lenovo smart clock"
Nice, I will do this. I have one of these and while I do like the Nest Hub screens, the Lenovo one doesent have all the same features.
So I havent been using the smart clock 2; I bought one that has the wireless phone charger too.
I wonder if the smart clock 3 will be hacked like this sometime soon. It has a USB port, would presumably let one avoid some of the hassle of lacking a keyboard
Not sure what clock you are referring to, not aware of a Lenovo Smart Clock 3 and can't find anything about it online.
@@camerongray1515 I'm embarrassed to admit it was actually the smart clock 1 I had seen. Not sure why I thought it was a 3rd one 😅
@@MindForgedManacle I have a Smart Clock 1, I'll have to try it and get back to you.
@@LoganT547 please do!
Can someone dump the assistant core apk? I wanna try running it on a tablet
By the point you areadding entries to your dns server simply add that to domain to where you want it pointed instead of copy pasting the url to something you can make from the domain
I possibly could have done that however I wasn't sure if I'd end up coming up against some sort of HSTS preload issue where it would insist on using SSL, hence using a different domain. It probably wouldn't have been an issue but decided to go with the approach that I did to save needing to go back in later on and change the DNS records and webserver settings.
@@camerongray1515 hmmm. Didn't think of that.
the dumb part is lenovo would probably release a update to block this for no reason other than petty spite
but if there was some kinda security flaw they probably would do anything
We will find out tonight
Can the hack be done to google home ?
How do you install the Home assistant dashboard?
It's just running in a browser called WallPanel, HomeAssistant itself is running on my server.
@@camerongray1515 thank you
What phone do you use
Would alexa run on it?
Has anyone tried to control the light in the pad thats also sold with the clock? I thinks its called a night light and it is dimmable :)
Will launcher3 work?
Hello, what is the custom UI on lovelace you are using, the buttons look very good ! Is the UI lovelace minimalist
?
You could use the app automate to turn off the hotspot and kill the assistant core service all automate on boot becuse it supported
why not install a screen mirroring software, and then just copy and paste it from your computer?
There is no official way to install apps on this, hence the strange process involving the calendar to get text onto the device. You would need to do this anyway to install screen mirroring software, and at that point, you may as well just install a keyboard.