I’m thinking of installing Jami on a TV set for a person with disabilities that can’t use a phone or a computer. Are there any experiences on such a configuration?
I don’t have a TV set and I will have eventually to buy the equipment in Europe (where I’m not living in) and have it configured there. I have a few questions:
There are TVs with Android and with Android TV, or other OS. What are the differences? What should be chosen?
How is the TV OS updated?
Can the TV work with WiFi or does it require a connection?
Is there a microphone on the TV?
And a camera? Or can I plug a camera?
Can Jami upgrades be automatic?
Can Jami calls be accepted without intervention of the user?
Or do you have any other ideas for a configuration for video-conference that can be voice-operated or accept calls automatically?
You mentioned that you have not yet purchased the hardware. You might like to confirm your Jami requirements by viewing the following link listing all features by client.
Jami for mobile devices (tablets and phones)
GrapheneOS
GrapheneOS is currently available for Google Pixel devices; it has Android app compatibility and an OEM minimum support length of 7 years.
Detailed Jami setup instructions for GrapheneOS are shown at the following link.
If there is an option to install Jami on a desktop device (say, running the Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) operating system), a monitor/TV could be plugged into the device if both support HDMI (or similar connections). Then the Desktop column is applicable on the All features by client — Jami documentation page.
Jami (Flatpak)
Installing from Flathub would enable Jami to continue to update and run when there is a major upgrade to the operating system.
When there is a major operating system upgrade (for example, upgrading from LMDE 6 to LMDE 7):
Installing Jami from Flathub: Jami would automatically update.
Installing Jami from a DEB installation file:
Back up Jami.
Uninstall Jami.
Upgrade from LMDE 6 to LMDE 7.
Download and install the Jami DEB installation file for LMDE 7.
Restore Jami from backup.
The following is a link to the Jami Flathub setup instructions.
Automatic updates can be enabled in the GrapheneOS and Linux Mint Debian Edition operating systems.
What I’m expecting is getting experience information from others who have used/built such a configuration. I’m already using Jami in a more traditional way, on a laptop and on a phone. But in that special case, I need to build a tele-medicine-like system that can be used in special conditions:
Limited or no cables crossing the room. WiFi is available in the room.
The camera is 3-4 meters from the disabled person.
A good microphone is required. Charging a microphone or changing batteries is not an option.
The disabled correspondant is unable to press a button. Everything must be started automatically by the authenticated callers.
Eventually, the disabled person could place a call, using voice recognition. But that is a nice to have.
A TV screen is already available in the room.
The computing power must be small to hide behind the TV set.
The whole system must be no on-site maintenance and can be remotely maintained.
All this is thousands of km from where I live… It’s like developing and debugging on a satellite.
Set up GrapheneOS and Jami, connected to a public WiFi, with the following instructions:
Created a Jami account with only a Jami fingerprint and no registered Jami name.
Added a Jami contact on the other side of the world and had a voice conversation. The distance between the participants was approximately 17,000 km.
The Google Pixel 9a has never had a SIM card inserted. Jami works with no phone number, no email address, and no SIM card. Jami works on public WiFi mesh networks.
Google Pixel (phone and tablet) devices can be connected to TV monitors via the HDMI port.
From our experience, the best communication experience has been achieved when all the devices have been running the most open operating systems, such as GNU/Linux-based and GrapheneOS.
Building a solution on a closed-source operating system may work today, but in the future may not.
F-Droid is under threat. Google is changing the way you install apps on your device. We need your help. https://keepandroidopen.org/
The following is an experience relating to a remote installation setup about 5 years ago for a retiree. The distance between the participants was approximately 1,000 km.
Operating system. Reformatted Windows with the Linux Mint (long support, easy upgrades, and friendly user interface) operating system. The retiree took their computer to a local computer shop to upgrade their operating system from Windows to Linux Mint.
Operating system recommendation: Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE 7)
Jami was installed from Flathub. At the time, Jami (Flatpak) from Flathub was maintained by the community. Now Jami (Flatpak) from Flathub is maintained by the Jami developers.
Jami (Flatpak) automatically updates across major Linux Mint operating system upgrades.
Current Jami download source recommendation: Jami (Flatpak) using the Linux Mint Software Manager
They have a webcam built into their monitor.
Tweaks for your configuration
Can you set up a system where you are able to test and then implement at the remote location?
Please ensure that the TV screen has a HDMI cable. Attach to the back of the TV screen a mini PC with LMDE 7, built-in WiFi and HDMI ports. Connect the mini PC to the TV screen via a HDMI cable.
Attach to the TV screen and connect to the mini PC a fully Linux-compatible, plug-and-play, autofocus, USB webcam with a microphone. What resolution webcam do you require? Full HD or 4K? You should be able to visit a shop and test the image quality of Full HD and 4K webcams at your required distance (for example, 4 meters).
My goal is eventually to setup a linux box like you described. I have a Cubox-i Pro sleeping in a drawer somewhere. I’ll need to configure and test locally, and then ship the package for remote installation. So the configuration must be plug and play.
I expect that the TV screen has an HDMI plug. I’ll just provide a cable to plug the Cubox-i to the TV set. I hope there is a power plug available near the TV one, too.
My concern is more with the webcam and the distance from the person, and also the ability to capture directional sound. This person can’t speak loud. I don’t care if it’s HD or 4K, preferably HD with the limited power of the Cubox-i. But it must have a very good microphone. If someone can recommend good webcam models, I’ll try to test them in a shop.
Is there linux software to zoom webcam picture?
I thought about using a videoconferencing microphone that could be placed near the person, but power is a problem. We can’t charge it or replace batteries.
Does the device run Arch Linux ARM? If so, are you aware of the following note at the Supported Platforms | Qt 6.11 page?
Note: For Linux on Arm on desktops, we use Raspberry Pi 5 with 8GB RAM and Ubuntu 24.04 as a reference platform. If you have an issue with another hardware, please try to reproduce the issue on Raspberry Pi 5. We plan to move to regular platform support when a wider range of ARM-based desktop hardware becomes available. The official binaries in Qt Online Installer are built on Ubuntu 24.04 which ships with glibc 2.39, if your glibc is older than what we build with, you need to rebuild from sources.
Is Init Freedom a requirement?
DISTRIBUTION
STATUS
AGELESS RESPONSE
systemd (upstream)
PR #40954 merged March 18, 2026: adds birthDate field (YYYY-MM-DD) to JSON user records. Explicitly cites AB 1043, CO SB 26-051, and Brazil Lei 15.211. A community revert attempt (PR #41179) was rejected by Lennart Poettering, who called the field “optional” and stated systemd “enforces zero policy.” The conversation was locked after 945+ comments. Coordinates with xdg-desktop-portal PR #1922 (open, age range portal API). This is the data layer for the emerging age verification stack. Affects all systemd-based distributions.
MERGED
Is Devuan the required systemd-free distro?
Conclusion
Is a computer device with an x86_64 architecture, systemd-free, and Devuan using the DEB installation file the optimal solution?
Webcam
Does “zoom” refer to “auto-tracking” and “auto-framing”?
A search for “HD auto tracking webcam” found the following information.
HuddleCamHD MiniTrack 4K Pro USB 3.0 AI AutoTracking and AutoFraming Webcam Black
Windows, macOS, and Linux, and compatible with software such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
Unfortunately yes
I’ll have to get a Raspberry Pi 5…
Thanks for the link to the webcam. But before investing in new devices to test if they can fulfill the needs, I try to collect successful experiences from others. I have so many electronic devices sleeping in drawers because they’re not open enough or could be used only in a specific situation. Marketing and bad vendors are the cause. I try to reduce electronic pollution now and select where to put money on.
