Google Calendar is the most popular online calendar. Here is how to permanently display all appointments on a wall display in the hallway or kitchen.
Google Calendar is the most widely used online calendar in the world. Millions of families use it to organize appointments, school, work and leisure. But appointments are only visible when someone actively opens their phone or computer. A wall display changes that.
VistaBoard can show Google Calendar directly on a wall display. Setup takes less than two minutes: in the settings you choose Google as the calendar source and enter the ICS URL of the calendar. You can find this in Google Calendar settings under the section Integrate Calendar.
Important: you can use the public iCal address or the private address. The private address also shows events in calendars that are not publicly shared. VistaBoard stores the URL exclusively on the local Raspberry Pi — data never leaves the home network.
Multiple Google Calendars can be added at the same time. Families often use separate calendars for work, school, sports and shared events. In VistaBoard each calendar gets its own color, so you can immediately see who an event belongs to.
The display layout is deliberately clear and simple. Events appear as a list for today and the coming days. All-day events like birthdays or holidays are highlighted. Recurring events like weekly training appear automatically.
A common use case: the family calendar hangs in the kitchen. At breakfast everyone sees what is planned for today and tomorrow. No reaching for a phone, no opening an app, no asking who needs to be where and when. The appointments are simply there, permanently visible.
Google Calendar updates automatically. When someone adds a new event on the go, it appears on the wall display within a few minutes. VistaBoard syncs regularly in the background without any manual refresh needed.
Besides Google, VistaBoard also supports Apple iCloud and CalDAV calendars. In families where one parent uses an iPhone and the other uses Android, both calendars can appear on the same display. This is a major advantage over solutions that only support one calendar type.
Bottom line: Google Calendar on a wall display is one of the most practical uses for VistaBoard. Setup is easy, synchronization is automatic and the benefit in family life is immediately noticeable. Appointments belong on the wall, not in your pocket.