ScreenWall beta repurposes old devices as browser-based displays

ScreenWall, a beta web platform from German software engineer Tuan Anh Bui, turns internet-connected phones, tablets and monitors into browser-based widget displays without requiring an app install. The service is free for now, with some limits on how many widgets users can deploy, and Bui told The Register he has not settled on a monetization plan.

The product sits in a practical corner of home automation and lightweight internal signage: clocks, weather panels, photo displays, status boards and shared dashboards running on hardware that might otherwise sit unused. ScreenWall’s pitch is less about new display hardware and more about reducing setup friction. A device with a modern browser can be paired by scanning a QR code, or by opening a link and entering a six-digit code on devices without cameras, such as a monitor connected to a thin client.

Users organize displays inside a workspace that ScreenWall calls a “wall.” After a widget is added to the wall, a paired screen appears as a blue square after ScreenWall detects its resolution. The user then drags that screen over the widget area intended for the device. The platform includes demo widgets such as a clock, weather display and split-flap style information panel. Existing widgets can be adjusted with JavaScript, new widgets are written the same way, and data can be connected through JSON files.

ScreenWall uses the standard Screen Wake Lock API in modern browsers to keep the device awake while the widget is active. That makes it more useful for ambient display use cases than a normal web page left open on a spare phone. It still relies on the host device, browser and operating system behaving as expected, which limits how appliance-like the setup feels.

In testing, The Register found that closing a ScreenWall tab on an iPad marked the display as offline, and reconnecting required scanning a new QR code. Because the code is randomized when the screen is opened, the reconnection created another display entry on the wall and required manual cleanup. Putting an iPhone to sleep also showed the display as disconnected, although reopening the existing Safari tab restored the widget. Bui told The Register that devices keep their unique identifier as long as the tab is not closed.

ScreenWall also does not take over system-level settings. Notifications from an old phone or tablet can still appear unless the user configures do-not-disturb mode separately. Bui said that responsibility sits with the user because a web app does not have that degree of device control.

Bui describes ScreenWall as a beta where the core experience works while stability, compatibility and polish are still being improved. That caveat matters for anyone considering the tool for office signage or operations dashboards, where reconnecting screens by hand would become annoying quickly.

The developer is also weighing a self-hosted version. Bui told The Register he wants to address concerns from privacy-minded tinkerers who may prefer to run old devices locally rather than depend on a hosted service. He said the project began from curiosity and frustration at seeing old phones go to waste, and added that he is still unsure who will want the tool beyond himself. Future features may depend on what early users build with it.

This story draws on original reporting from The Register.