Installation - dckiller51/astrion-custom-dashboard GitHub Wiki

From the stock HA100 to a working dashboard. You need a computer and a USB cable once. After that, everything (setup, dashboard, updates) is done from a browser.

You will need

  • the remote on Wi-Fi, and a computer on the same network;
  • a data USB cable (not charge-only);
  • your Home Assistant URL and a Long-Lived Access Token, if you use Home Assistant;
  • about 15 minutes.

1. Enable USB debugging on the remote

  1. Android Settings › About device: tap Build number 7 times, until Developer options are enabled.
  2. Settings › Developer options: turn on USB debugging.

2. Plug the remote into the computer

The USB port is hidden under the charging socket cover, on the bottom of the remote:

  1. Take the remote off its dock.
  2. Remove the two small screws of the cover around the charging socket and lift the cover off. Keep both.
  3. Connect the remote to the computer with a data cable.
  4. Accept the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt on the remote (tick Always allow from this computer).

3. Install the app

Option A: Windows installer (easiest)

  1. Download and extract initial-installation-v0.9.0.
  2. Double-click install.bat and follow the instructions.
  3. The installer's APK may be older than the latest release: once set up, update it from the web page in two taps (see Updates & beta).

Option B: adb (Windows, macOS, Linux)

  1. Install Android Platform Tools (adb).

  2. Download the APK from the latest release.

  3. Run:

    adb devices                 # the remote must show as "device", not "unauthorized"
    adb install <downloaded>.apk

    A successful install ends with Success.

Optional but handy: while you're connected, grant the "modify system settings" permission now. The remote needs it for its brightness slider and screen timeout:

adb shell appops set com.custom.astrion WRITE_SETTINGS allow

Otherwise the remote asks for it the first time you use one of those settings.

4. Restart and choose Astrion Custom

  1. Fully restart the remote. The launcher registration and some permissions only take effect after a reboot.
  2. When Android asks which Home app to use, pick Astrion Custom, then Always.
  3. Allow storage access when asked. The dashboard and your icons live in /sdcard/astrion/.

You can now unplug the cable and screw the cover back on.

5. Open the remote's web page

The remote runs its own small web server. From any browser on the same network, open:

http://<remote-ip>:8080

Finding the remote's IP address, any of these work:

  • your router's list of connected devices;
  • with the cable still plugged in: adb shell ip -f inet addr show wlan0;
  • on the remote itself: on a new remote, the banner at the top of the starter page shows http://<ip>:8080 (since 1.2.9), and Settings (hold the Menu key) shows it too.

💡 Give the remote a fixed IP (DHCP reservation) in your router, so this address never changes.

6. Connect your devices

On the web page (more in The remote's web page):

  • Home Assistant: enter the URL (e.g. http://192.168.1.10:8123) and a Long-Lived Access Token (Home Assistant › your profile › Security › Long-lived access tokens › Create token, named for example "Astrion living room"). Treat the token like a password.
  • Harmony, IR devices, IR extenders, Apple TV: add whatever you use. All optional, and each has its own wiki page.

The remote reconnects by itself once saved.

7. Build your first dashboard

Click Dashboard builder on the web page (http://<remote-ip>:8080/builder/). See The builder for the full tour.

Start small: one page, one card for a light or a media player. Click Save to device and the remote reloads instantly. Once that works, add pages, cards and Activities step by step.

8. Bind a key to Settings

The remote's Settings panel (brightness, Wi-Fi, language, IP address, version…) opens with a hardware key you choose. Swiping down from the top of the screen opens the Active Activities list instead.

In the builder, under 1. Hotkeys:

  1. Scope Global, press type Long press, physical key e.g. Menu (MAIN).
  2. Action Open overlay (Settings / Active Activities), then Settings.
  3. Add hotkey, then Save to device.

You're done 🎉

Next steps:

Something went wrong?

Problem Fix
adb devices shows nothing Use a data cable, check USB debugging is on, unlock the remote, re-plug.
adb devices shows unauthorized Accept the prompt on the remote. If it doesn't show: adb kill-server, then adb devices again.
Install fails with a signature conflict An older build is installed. Back up your dashboard from the web page, then adb uninstall com.custom.astrion and install again.
No "choose Home app" prompt Reboot once more, or pick Astrion Custom in Android Settings › Apps › Default apps › Home.
Home Assistant stays disconnected Check the URL (http vs https, port 8123) and the token. Try the IP address instead of a hostname.
The dashboard doesn't load after a change Restore your last backup from the web page (Restore backup).

More in the FAQ.

Going back to the stock remote

Run uninstall.bat (Windows) or adb uninstall com.custom.astrion. The remote returns to its original HaRemote launcher.

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