Hardware components | ||||||
 |
| × | 1 | |||
| × | 1 | ||||
In many small offices, meeting rooms are still managed in a very informal way: people look through the glass, try the door, interrupt ongoing meetings, or ask around to find out whether a room is free. This creates confusion, wastes time, and leaves a poor impression on visitors.
This project was created as a simple and affordable way to solve that problem. It turns ESP32-S3 touchscreen panels into a practical meeting room system that shows whether the room is free or busy, how much time is left in the current meeting, and useful visitor information such as guest Wi-Fi, the company website, and the office map. The main panel also supports additional features such as weather and a multilingual interface.
In a typical setup, the smaller 3.5" panel is placed outside, near the entrance to the meeting room, where it works as an auxiliary status display so that anyone approaching the room can immediately see whether it is available.
The larger 5" or 7" panel is placed inside the meeting room, either on the wall near the exit or on the table. It serves as the main control and information panel for people already in the room.
Although the panels are placed in different locations, they work as one synchronized system. A meeting can be started from the large panel inside the room when people are already seated, or from the small panel outside when participants arrive at the door. In the same way, the meeting can be ended by either panel, depending on the situation. Any change made on one panel is immediately reflected on the other, so both displays always show the same current room status.
Why We Chose Elecrow PanelsThe goal of this project is to provide a fully functional room display solution that is easy to build, easy to deploy, and does not require any server infrastructure. It is based on low-cost off-the-shelf hardware ($27.00 and $21.00) and can be adapted to different environments with minimal setup.
We chose Elecrow panels because they offer a very good balance between price, ease of development, and availability. They are based on the ESP32-S3, which makes them easy to program using familiar tools and frameworks such as Arduino and LVGL. Another important advantage is that the display, touch interface, and controller are already integrated into one compact device, which simplifies prototyping and reduces development time. For this project, they were a practical choice for building a low-cost solution that is still flexible and easy to customize.
What It Does- Displays current meeting status (free/busy)
- Allows booking of the meeting room
- Displays useful information for guests, such as Wi-Fi credentials, the company website, and the office map
- Displays outdoor weather
- Provides a dual-language interface (English / Chinese)
- Supports an auxiliary 3.5-inch panel for room status display
Installation
1. Download the firmware archive for 5"(7") panel.
2. Extract the files to a local folder.
3. Connect the panel to your PC.
4. Run the appropriate flash_tool.exe from the extracted folder.
Once the process is complete, the application will start automatically on the panel. Close the flashing tool window.
Setup
1 Setup Wi-Fi
You can quickly connect the device to Wi-Fi as follows:
1. Power on the panel
2. Tap the Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner
3. Tap Wi-Fi
4. Select your Wi-Fi network
5. Enter the password using the on-screen keyboard
2 Device Setup
Once the panel is connected to Wi-Fi, you can continue the setup from your smartphone by opening the panel’s web page. On this page, you can configure the Room Name, OpenWeather API Key, Company Website, and Office Map.
To open the device configuration web page, follow these steps:
1. Open Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Device Setup.
3. Scan the QR code with your smartphone to open the device configuration web page in a browser.
To get an OpenWeather API key:
- Sign in to your OpenWeather account.
- Open the API keys tab on your account page.
- Copy your API key and use it during the panel setup.
Basic Steps
Download the firmware archive for 3.5".
1. Extract the files to a local folder.
2. Connect the panel to your PC.
3. Run the appropriate flash_tool.exe from the extracted folder.
Setup
You can configure Wi-Fi only using your smartphone through the panel’s web page.
To connect the panel to Wi-Fi, follow these steps:
1. Open Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner.
2. On your smartphone, connect to the Wi-Fi network broadcast by the panel.
3. Scan the QR code to open the device web page in your browser (or use IP)
4. On the web page, select and connect the panel to the same Wi-Fi network as the main panel.
5. Save the settings.
After that, pair it with the leader panel:
1. Tap Link in Settings.
2. Select the detected leader panel from the list.
The current room status will then be displayed on the screen.
This system provides a fully functional, extensible meeting room solution.
Clear Room Status
- Color-coded room occupancy (free / busy)
- Time remaining in the current meeting
Booking the Room
- Quick booking directly on the panel
- Instantly change room status and meeting duration
Helpful Info On the Spot
Make guests feel comfortable from the moment they arrive:
- Guest Wi-Fi access
- Office map (restrooms, water, etc.)
- Company website link
Additional Comfort for Guests
- Language switch (English / Chinese)
- Outdoor weather
Key Hardware Features
- Touchscreen panel powered by ESP32-S3
- Low-cost, off-the-shelf hardware
- Highly flexible and customizable
- Easy integration into existing environments
Deployment Advantages
- No server infrastructure required
- Fast setup and instant usability
The 3.5-inch panel works as an auxiliary room-status display and connects to the main 5-inch panel over the local Wi-Fi network.
How the integration works
- The main 5-inch panel:
- broadcasts discovery and beacon packets;
- publishes room-status packets over UDP;
- accepts pairing requests from the auxiliary 3.5-inch panel;
- stores the pairing state for the connected auxiliary device.
The auxiliary 3.5-inch panel:
- connects to the same local Wi-Fi network as the main panel;
- discovers available main panels;
- pairs with the selected main panel;
- receives room-status updates from the main panel and displays them locally.
User Interface & UX
- Custom layouts, themes, and branding
- Screen flow adjustments for specific use cases
- Localization and multi-language support
Voice Control Enhancements
- Adding new voice commands
- Custom command aliases and phrasing
- Scenario-based voice interactions
Application Features
- Extending functionality (e.g., calendar screen, scheduling tools)
- Business-specific workflows and automation logic
Hardware & System Integration
- Integration with external devices (e.g., MiBoxer lighting control)
Backend & Ecosystem Integration
- Integration with services like Microsoft Outlook (calendar sync, meetings)
- API integration with internal or third-party systems
Deployment-Specific Adjustments
- Custom firmware builds
- Environment-specific configuration
- OTA updates and device management
We hope this project can be useful not only as a ready-to-use meeting room solution, but also as a starting point for your own ideas. You can use it in its current form, adapt it to your office or classroom, or extend it with new features and integrations.
We would be glad to hear your feedback and ideas about what should be added next. If you build your own version, improve the interface, or adapt it for a different use case, feel free to share the results.
And if you need customization for a specific project, environment, or workflow, feel free to contact us — we’ll be happy to help.
Comments