Busy Bar is a distraction-free, open-source LED pixel display

The Busy Bar is an LED pixel display designed for distraction-free and focused work sessions, at home or in the office. It’s open-source, moddable, and comes with Matter, Home Assistant, and mobile app support.

Apparently, I’m on a screen kick lately, having recently covered the Divoom Times Frame. This time we’re taking things in a slightly different direction, though. We have another display-laden device, this time with no pictures and AI. The Busy Bar is a distraction-free, open-source LED pixel display that’s meant to be more of a multi-tool. How? Well, I’m glad you asked. It’s a focus timer with a distraction blocking feature for your phone or PC. It’s also fully-customizable and smart home ready — it works with Matter, Home Assistant and has a mobile companion app.

As a timer it displays your status so others can read it clearly, showing exactly when you’re busy and when you’re free. It’s easy to see why this would be invaluable in the traditional office. Send those busybodies away to get some work done so you can finish your tasks on time and get back to where life really matters — at home. The interval focus timer can also tell you when it’s time to rest, sort of like a Pomodoro timer.

What else can the Busy Bar LED pixel display do?

Through the mobile app and PC connections it can automatically mute notifications when you’re in busy mode that way you can stay focused. You can also mute all connected devices, as well. But the coolest feature — I think — is that smart home connectivity. You can make the rest of your house react when you’re busy, if you’re at home. You can pause music, turn on or off lights, lock the door, and much more.

It uses an ultra low-power Wi-Fi 6 module with up to two weeks of battery life in standby or up to eight hours in active status modes. The open-source support makes it developer and tinker-friendly, too. So, you could program it to do virtually whatever you want if you have the knowitall. Additional specs include Bluetooth LE 5.4, 8GB of eMMC storage, a light sensor, a 0.8 watt speaker for alerts and sounds, USB Type-C for charging, a virtual LAN adapter and HTTP API over USB virtual LAN. And if you know what it is, it’s from the same company that made the Flipper Zero.

Busy Bar LED pixel display rear of the device with connectivity

Busy Bar distraction-free LED pixel display smart home integration

Busy Bar LED pixel display mounted to monitor to show workers

Who is it for?

If you want to keep track of your focus time, rest time, and tell everyone else when you’re busy, this is how you do it. Professionals, office staff, workers and gadgeteers of all types.