First things first. It all started 2 years ago when I started building a smart home system based on Home Assistant. The next logical step for me was a smart bathroom mirror that would display my calendar, commute to work information, weather info and sensor info from my smart home.
I had all the needed hardware - 24"LCD, Raspberry Pi 3b+ and etc.
I wanted a frameless mirror as it looked more slick, modern and professional.
I decided to go with the mirror that Goldjunge_Chriz offered as it had a lot of positive reviews on the forum albeit being more expensive.
The setup is the following:
- 80x73 cm two-way mirror (I was the unlucky winner who got a broken mirror by the courier, but that’s another story. I managed to glue it just for the sake of testing. I found a mirror company here in Bulgaria that offers a better and cheaper alternative but I will share more details on that later)
- 24" LCD monitor
- WRGB LED strip behind the mirror, controlled by H801 Wi-Fi controller integrated with Home Assistant
- PS3 eye camera behind the mirror which is responsible for face recognition and voice commands
- External motion sensor turns on the mirror and switches it off after there is no motion detected (Home Assistant automation)
- The WRGB LED is controlled by Home Assistant
The frame:
- Built out of 50x50 mm Г-shaped aluminum profiles, welded together
- On the back of the mirror there is a non-transparent foil cut to the dimensions of the monitor
- The frame is glued to the mirror through the foil
Some pictures of the back of the mirror before it is installed:
Videos of the mirror in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eljzwpAeAdM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNTWafM9NF4
Considerations:
- The mirror is too dark … it is not suitable for rooms with no natural light. I will be testing another mirror at a later stage and will come back with the results, but this one is definitely not going to serve as a normal mirror in your bathroom.
- You have to stick something to the back of the mirror (e.g. non-transperant foil, wood panel or something else, otherwise you will be able to see through)
- If you can afford it (I can’t at the moment) go for an OLED monitor/TV - the LCD backlight is seen through the mirror and while it is not that bad I am perfectionist and it bothers me :D