Most users overlook these 4 home lab setups that completely transform smart TVs – Automated Home

Smart TVs already feel modern.

They stream, cast, recommend, and run apps, but what most people don’t realize is that a smart TV becomes dramatically more capable when you tie it into a home lab. A home lab isn’t just for developers or self-hosting enthusiasts anymore.

When used strategically, it can turn a regular smart TV into a central command screen, an entertainment powerhouse, a development tool, and a surprisingly powerful automation hub.

Yet despite all these possibilities, most households never explore the four home lab setups that can genuinely transform how a smart TV works.

These setups are not theoretical, not overly technical, and don’t require enterprise equipment. They simply unlock functionality that the TV could never achieve on its own.

Below are the four most overlooked home lab setups that upgrade a smart TV in ways most users never expect, and why these pairings work so incredibly well.

1. Turning your TV into a full media center with a home server

For many home lab users, a media server is the first project they build, usually with Jellyfin or Plex. But the real magic happens when you pair that server with your smart TV.

A smart TV can instantly become a cinema-grade viewing system powered by your own library. Jellyfin and Plex both have polished Android TV apps, web clients, and game-console apps, so compatibility is rarely an issue.

The TV becomes the primary interface, and your home server handles all the heavy lifting: transcoding, metadata, libraries, and user profiles.

The benefits go far beyond streaming your own files. Both Plex and Jellyfin offer free, ad-supported live TV channels and movie libraries. That means even if you don’t have terabytes of content stored, you still get an endless stream of watchable entertainment without subscriptions.

And because the server is part of your home lab, you can extend it however you like:

• Add automatic downloaders
• Set up nightly backups
• Expand storage with an old PC or NAS
• Create multiple user profiles for your household
• Access your server remotely while traveling

This setup is obvious, but most people still overlook how dramatically it improves their smart TV. Instead of relying on limiting streaming apps, you create your own content ecosystem, one that’s faster, richer-looking, and completely under your control.

For those readers who are new to homelabs, don’t know what it does and what benefits it brings, check out this in-depth video for non-techy beginners:

2. Using your TV as a dashboard for self-hosted apps

Every smart TV has a built-in web browser. And yet, almost nobody uses it for what is arguably one of the smartest home lab tricks: turning your TV into a live dashboard for your self-hosted services.

Dashboards such as Heimdall, Homer, or Dashy load perfectly fine in a TV browser and give you instant access to all your local apps:

• Nextcloud for files
• Immich for photo libraries
• Home Assistant for automations
• Proxmox for virtual machines
• Portainer for containers
• Your media server
• Your development tools

It essentially turns your TV into a control panel.

If you develop or self-host apps, this becomes even more powerful. You can test web apps, UI layouts, and responsive designs directly on the biggest screen in your house. It’s a fantastic way to check visual scaling, ensure compatibility, and evaluate real-world usability.

And for more hands-on users, the TV becomes a display for:

• VM status monitoring
• Home lab resource dashboards
• Container uptime
• Backups and alerts
• Security Camera Feeds
• Temperature and network graphs

Many home lab users include these panels in their office, but a smart TV in the living room or bedroom provides a surprisingly convenient second access point. You’re no longer tied to your desk to monitor your infrastructure.

3. Using your TV as a smart home command hub

Smart home devices are now primarily controlled through wireless protocols like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread, and Matter. That means your smart TV can become a front-and-center controller for your entire environment.

This setup is often overlooked because people assume a smart TV is limited to video playback. But once connected to your home lab’s automation system, whether Home Assistant, HomeKit, or Google Home, it becomes:

• A voice-driven command station
• A lighting controller
• A reminder and notification display
• A home security panel
• A visual automation trigger

Just imagine saying “movie mode” and having your lights dim, blinds close, and your server queue up the next episode.

Seeing a notification on the TV when your laundry completes, your VPN disconnects, or your NAS hits 85% capacity.

Checking live camera feeds without switching inputs or opening your phone.

Running your entire smart home from one large touch-free interface.

Even your robot vacuum cleaner, your AI agent, or your smart plugs can be triggered from a simple TV interface.

The most advanced setups integrate the TV, the home lab, and a voice assistant so that the TV isn’t just a display device it becomes the core logic board of your household.

This is a setup most users never think about, but once you experience it, the convenience is unmatched.

4. Extending your TV beyond its ecosystem using a single-board computer

Smart TVs come with app stores, such as Roku, Android TV, Samsung Tizen, and LG webOS, but these platforms always have limitations.

Some apps won’t install. Some formats won’t play. Some emulators won’t run. And the OS sometimes feels sluggish or outdated.

The most overlooked solution? Add a small single-board computer (SBC) like a Raspberry Pi, and suddenly your smart TV becomes more powerful than any built-in platform.

This one upgrade lets you:

• Run Android TV even if your TV uses a different OS
• Add apps that your TV’s store doesn’t support
• Turn your TV into a retro gaming machine
• Stream from niche services or custom clients
• Use the TV as a full Linux desktop
• Create an emulation station with RetroPie
• Convert a dumb TV into a fully smart one

This setup essentially frees your TV from its manufacturer’s limitations.

A Raspberry Pi (or similar SBC) can act as:

• A mini PC
• A full streaming box
• An emulator console
• A smart home dashboard
• A thin client for your Proxmox VMs
• A dedicated Plex/Jellyfin endpoint

This opens the door to use cases most users never consider. A single-board computer turns your TV into an experimental device, one that can always do more, run more, and adapt to evolving smart home ecosystems.

Why these setups matter now more than ever

Smart TV platforms are improving, but they remain locked ecosystems with slow updates and limited flexibility. Home labs, on the other hand, evolve quickly and give you complete control.

The setups above shift your smart TV from a passive appliance into an active piece of your digital infrastructure. Your TV becomes:

• A dashboard
• A development tool
• A home automation display
• A gaming console
• A streaming device
• A control center
• A monitoring screen

Most users only ever see a fraction of what their TV can do. These four overlooked setups unlock the rest.

The bottom line

Your home lab and your smart TV are far more powerful together than they are separately.

Whether you’re running a media server, self-hosting apps, building automations, or experimenting with single-board computers, your TV can evolve into a fully integrated part of your digital ecosystem.

Most people treat their smart TV as a simple streaming box, but when connected to a home lab, it becomes one of the most versatile screens in your home.

If you want your smart TV to do more, feel faster, and give you capabilities the manufacturer never intended, these four overlooked setups are where you should start.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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