Tame the Family Chaos: Build a Smart Calendar with DAKboard + Raspberry Pi (Free Basic Tier Included)
Introduction
Every family has the same struggle: keeping track of everyone’s schedules. Swimming lessons overlap with dentist appointments, grocery runs clash with homework deadlines, and before you know it—you’re double-booked for two birthday parties on the same Saturday.
Enter DAKboard, a customizable digital display that transforms your Raspberry Pi into a family information hub. Think of it as a smart fridge calendar, minus the $3,000 price tag.
In this post, I’ll show you why running DAKboard on a Raspberry Pi is a game-changer for families, how to hook it up to your Outlook and Gmail calendars, and how to use it for daily tasks and activities.
Why a Family Calendar Matters
Let’s face it—if you’ve ever scribbled on a paper calendar stuck to the fridge, you know how quickly it gets outdated.
DAKboard solves that by keeping everything synced and digital:
- One view of everyone’s schedule: Mom’s Outlook meetings, Dad’s Gmail reminders, kids’ swimming practice.
- Recurring reminders: Birthdays, anniversaries, weekly chores (because someone has to take the trash out).
- Daily agenda at a glance: Who needs to be where and when.
It keeps the chaos of family life in check and prevents “I didn’t know!” arguments at dinner.
What You Need
- A Raspberry Pi (Pi 4 or Pi 5 recommended, but even a Pi 3 works)
- An HDMI display (any spare monitor or wall-mounted TV will do)
- A DAKboard account (dakboard.com)
- Wi-Fi setup on your Pi
Optional but cool: a wall-mounted frame or case to make it look like a digital picture frame.
Setting Up DAKboard on Raspberry Pi
- Flash Raspberry Pi OS
Use the Raspberry Pi Imager to install Raspberry Pi OS on your SD card. - Boot and Configure
- Connect your Pi to your display
- Enable Wi-Fi and set up SSH if you want remote access
- Install DAKboard OS
DAKboard provides a preconfigured image you can flash directly, or you can run Chromium in kiosk mode pointing to your DAKboard URL.Example startup command for kiosk mode:
Auto-start DAKboard on boot
Add the command to your autostart so the calendar is always up when the Pi boots.
Configuring DAKboard is a Breeze
Once your Pi is running, logging into DAKboard is as easy as linking your account. The web dashboard makes customization straightforward—you can drag, drop, and configure widgets to your heart’s content.
Some highlights:
- Easy drag-and-drop interface: No coding, no tinkering. Just move blocks around until your screen looks perfect.
- Free to start (basic tier): I personally use the basic/free tier — one screen included at no cost, so there’s really no excuse not to try it then I moved to the next tier because I love the product so much.
- Automatic monitor control: Built-in timer turns off your display when it’s not in use, saving energy.
- Family photos: Display your favorite pictures from Google Photos, Dropbox, or a local folder.
- Live info widgets: Show currency exchange rates (handy if you’re traveling), weather forecasts, and news headlines.
- Special countdowns: Track the days until Christmas, birthdays, vacations, or that family trip you’ve been promising.
Connecting to Outlook and Gmail
One of DAKboard’s best features is its calendar integrations.
- Outlook: Connect directly to your Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com account. All meetings and invites will sync automatically.
- Gmail: Link your Google Calendar. Great for syncing school calendars, sports team schedules, and personal reminders.
- Multiple calendars: You can overlay several accounts into one clean agenda view.
Daily Activities and Tasks
DAKboard isn’t just for calendars:
- To-Do Lists: Show daily household tasks like “Feed the dog”, “Take out recycling”, or “Math homework due”.
- Weather and News: Start the morning with a quick glance at the weather forecast and headlines.
- Photos: Rotate through family pictures from Google Photos, iCloud, or even a shared folder.
The combination makes it part calendar, part family dashboard, part digital picture frame.
Why Raspberry Pi is Perfect for This
Running DAKboard on a Raspberry Pi has big advantages:
- Cheap hardware: No need for a $200 smart display.
- Customizable: Want to show a QR code for the Wi-Fi password? Add it.
- Always-on: Low power consumption makes it perfect to run 24/7.
If you’ve got a Pi sitting around from an old project, this is one of the best reuses.
Conclusion
A family calendar isn’t just about avoiding schedule conflicts—it’s about reducing stress and creating order in the daily whirlwind of life.
DAKboard on a Raspberry Pi gives you:
✅ Shared family schedule
✅ Integrated Outlook and Gmail sync
✅ Daily activities and to-do tracking
✅ Display of family photos, weather, currencies, and countdowns
✅ Easy drag-and-drop configuration
✅ Free first screen on the basic tier
✅ A beautiful always-on digital display
So before you miss another swimming lesson or show up late to your kid’s science fair, set up a DAKboard. Your family will thank you.
Coming Soon…
In another blog post, I’ll take this setup one step further and show you how to automate adding tasks and calendar entries using n8n workflows. Imagine saying “Hey Siri, add swim practice to the family calendar” or asking your very own Jarvis (yes, Iron Man style) to update the schedule for you. 🚀