Adding Internet data to your home automation dashboard
Scrape and Show
You can use one line of Bash code to scrape a web page and show the data you're tracking in Home Assistant or Node-RED.
Many home automation solutions provide a central dashboard that serves as a nerve center for the Internet of Things (IoT) environment. From the dashboard, you can monitor and manage light levels, thermostat temperatures, and all the other settings the system controls. Some users don't realize that the dashboard can also provide information from beyond your home network. In other words, you can use the tools of the home automation environment to fetch information from the Internet and display it in a handy at-a-glance view along with your IoT settings.
For instance, you might have personal or hobby topics that you check periodically. These personal data points might be the wave height at a local surf spot, the insect levels at a favorite camping area, or the best time of go fishing. You probably know exactly where to find this information, however, it still requires several steps to start up a web browser, click on a bookmark, and scan the page for the desired data – which might just consist of a single number or a couple of words.
In this article, I will look at how to scrape these hobby data points from web pages with just a single line of Bash code and display the results in the dashboards of two home IoT packages, Home Assistant [1] and Node-RED [2].
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The Bullet-Proof KDE Software Initiative Is Coming
KDE, Techpaladin, and Kubuntu Focus have announced a new initiative that will provide at least three years of support for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related software.
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.