Guide · Dashboard Easy

Set up your dashboard cards

Every panel on the Theatrium dashboard is a slot, and any slot can hold any card. The theme decides the shape and position of the panels; you decide what goes in each one. This walks through changing a panel, in about two minutes, entirely on the Apple TV.

Nothing here is permanent. Every panel has a default card, and one button puts it back. If you change something and don't like it, you have not lost the original arrangement.

1

Open the panel editor

From the dashboard, select the gear icon in the header to open Settings. Then choose Dashboard in the sidebar, and find the Main Screen card.

You get two things side by side: a numbered list of every panel on the left, and a small map of your dashboard on the right, with the same numbers on it. The map is there so you can tell which number is which panel without guessing.

2

Pick the panel you want to change

Each row in the list names the card currently in that panel, with a line underneath saying what it is showing. A row marked Default is one you have not touched yet.

Move focus down the list and the map highlights the matching panel. Select the row to open the card picker.

3

Choose a card

The picker is headed Choose a card, and shows the cards you can put in that panel. Pick the one you want.

Top right there is a Use Default button. That is the undo. It clears whatever you set and puts the panel's original card back.

4

Tell it what to show

Most cards need to know what they are pointing at, so choosing one leads straight into its setup. A Light card asks which light or room. A Sensor card asks which sensor. A News card asks for a feed. A Weather Radar card asks for a place and how much of the map to show.

A few cards need nothing at all — Sun & Moon, Global Postcard and Art work the moment you pick them.

5

Check the preview, then back out

Most setup screens show a Preview drawn at the panel's real shape, so you can see what it will actually look like in that position rather than imagining it. When it looks right, back out. There is no save button; the dashboard updates as you go.

The cards you can choose

This is the catalogue in version 1.5, the current App Store release. Cards marked Pro need Theatrium Pro. Some only appear when the backend that feeds them is connected, so several need Home Assistant.

Around the house

  • Light — control one light or a whole room
  • Thermostat — temperature and mode for one unit
  • Blinds / Cover — open, stop and close
  • Lock — lock and unlock
  • Switch — switches and outlets
  • Scene — activate scenes or scripts
  • Sensor — the current value from any sensor
  • Air Quality — a reading from one of your own sensors
  • Battery — level for one device or many
  • Camera — a live camera feed
  • Who’s Home (Pro)
  • Notifications (Pro)
  • Storage (Pro) — disk or NAS capacity
  • System Gauge (Pro) — CPU, RAM or any metric

Power

  • Solar (Pro)
  • Home Battery (Pro)
  • EV (Pro) — charge, range and charging status

Things to read

  • Weather — current conditions and forecast
  • Weather Radar — a live rain-radar map
  • Calendar — month view and upcoming events
  • Markets, Stock, Crypto
  • News — headlines from a feed you choose
  • Local Air Quality — for your location, no sensor needed
  • Sun & Moon — sunrise, sunset and moon phase
  • Traffic (Pro) — driving time on a saved route
  • Activity (Pro) — steps and health metrics from Home Assistant
  • Meeting Room (Pro) — availability board from a calendar

Something to look at

  • Now Playing — your music, from the source set in Settings › Music
  • Global Webcam — rotating public webcams worldwide
  • Live Video (Pro) — a stream from a URL you set

Good to know

  • Card choices belong to the theme. Each theme keeps its own arrangement, so a card you set on one theme will not follow you to another. Switch back and your first arrangement is still there, exactly as you left it.
  • Any panel can hold any card. The numbers are positions, not purposes. Nothing stops you putting a Camera where the weather usually goes.
  • “Default” means untouched, not empty. A row reading Default is showing the card the theme ships with. Use Default in the picker returns a panel to it.
  • A card missing from the picker is usually a missing backend. The Plex cards only appear once Plex is connected, and several Home and Energy cards need Home Assistant. Connect it first and the shelf fills out.
  • Typing long text on a remote. Some cards want an address — a news feed, a calendar link. If your iPhone is nearby, tvOS offers to let you type it there instead. Accept, and it arrives on the TV screen.
  • Nothing here changes your smart home. Choosing cards only changes what Theatrium shows you. It does not rename, group or alter anything in Apple Home or Home Assistant.

This guide is general information, provided “as is” with no warranty of any kind. It describes independent third-party software that Theatrium does not control, and the steps involve installing software and changing settings on your own equipment — back up first and proceed at your own risk. Read the full disclaimer.