Beacon Docs

A free Skylight alternative that runs on Home Assistant

Beacon is a self-hosted family command center for wall-mounted tablets. Same kitchen-wall job as Skylight Calendar — shared calendar, chores, meals, lists, photos — without the proprietary screen or the yearly Calendar Plus fee.

Quick comparison

Skylight CalendarBeacon
CostHardware ~$300–$650+Free (MIT); bring your own tablet
SubscriptionCalendar Plus ~$79/yr for meals, photos, extras$0
PrivacyVendor cloud accountLocal / Home Assistant; data stays on your network
Smart homeNo Home AssistantNative HA add-on + standalone mode
HardwareProprietary displayAny wall tablet or spare screen
Voice / AIVendor featuresMCP server, voice API, HA Assist

Who should buy Skylight

You want a sealed consumer product, don’t run a home server, and prefer support from a hardware vendor.

Who should install Beacon

You already run (or will run) Home Assistant, want a wall tablet without a subscription, and care about local control. Or you want the same dashboard without HA via standalone mode.

Replace a Skylight-style setup in about 10 minutes

  1. Install Beacon as a Home Assistant add-on (or run standalone).
  2. Connect your HA calendar entities (or use the built-in local calendar).
  3. Add family members, pick a theme, mount any tablet in the kitchen.

FAQ

Is Beacon a Skylight alternative?
Yes — same wall-display family calendar job, open source and self-hosted.

Does Beacon require a subscription?
No. MIT licensed, no cloud account required for core use.

Do I need Home Assistant?
Recommended for the richest integration. Standalone mode works with local calendars, lists, and tasks.

What tablet works?
Any browser-capable wall tablet or spare screen. Point it at Beacon’s URL (or open via HA sidebar / direct add-on URL).

Is the “Skylight” theme the Skylight product?
No. It’s a visual theme inspired by that clean bright look — not affiliated with Skylight.

Next steps

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