A family calendar on a Raspberry Pi

• A networked Raspberry Pi 3 or newer
• A monitor or TV with HDMI input
• A suitable power supply and HDMI cable
• Raspberry Pi OS with desktop and a current Chromium browser
• Optional enclosure, VESA mount or touchscreen

MagicMirror² or your own kiosk dashboard gives you extensive control. Choose modules, edit configuration files and decide how each source is fetched. It can be a rewarding project if you enjoy tinkering.

Maintenance often sits in the connections. Google, Outlook and Microsoft 365 use authorisation tokens, while Apple can use shared calendar URLs. You also own error handling, refresh logic and provider changes. It is possible, but takes time and regular attention.

With Liitu, the Raspberry Pi only needs a recent browser on the board page. Manage calendar accounts centrally through the Liitu dashboard on a laptop or phone. After pairing, the screen has its own device access and does not store a Google or Microsoft user session.

Keep Raspberry Pi OS and Chromium updated for security and stability. Calendar selection, layout, orientation and text size can then be changed centrally without editing a local configuration file.

1. 01

   Prepare the family and calendars

   Open Liitu on a laptop or phone and connect the accounts allowed on the board.

2. 02

   Build the screen layout

   Choose the classic calendar or 12 × 8 board with calendars, tasks, weather and a clock. Set orientation and text size for this display.

3. 03

   Start Chromium in kiosk mode

   Open the Liitu board page full screen, enter its temporary pairing code and configure the browser to launch when the Pi starts.

Raspberry Pi OS supports several desktop autostart methods. Use the method for your OS version, open only the trusted Liitu address and deliberately configure screen blanking and power management.

Restrict physical access where appropriate, install system updates and test recovery after a power cut so the board returns without a keyboard.

A tablet is quicker to place and includes its own screen. A Raspberry Pi offers more choice in display size, cabling and mounting and has no battery permanently connected to a charger. If you already own a Pi and monitor, you can reuse them instead of buying a dedicated family display.

Choose a resolution that the Pi and display handle reliably and test readability from the normal viewing distance. A higher resolution is not automatically better if it makes text smaller. Match Liitu's aspect ratio, orientation and text size to the actual installation.

Use a wired network for a permanent board when practical; Wi-Fi is fine when the signal is dependable in that location. Make sure the Raspberry Pi OS clock and timezone are correct because calendar dates and the sleep schedule depend on them.

Keep a short recovery note with the Liitu address, OS version and autostart method. Do not record tokens or passwords. This makes it easier to rebuild the display later without retaining sensitive access information.