Panoptes – your BYD, awake and connected
What is this? A free app that runs on the screen in your BYD.
Who is it for? For BYD drivers who want a camera guard, a trip log and charging costs.
How do I start? Download the file and put it on the car once with a PC or laptop. We show you every step.
New: Panoptes is now publicly available as beta version 0.1.38.12, with source code and a step-by-step guide. So far it has mainly been tested on a BYD Dolphin Surf (DiLink 3). Panoptes is a private hobby project and not made by BYD. Please read the notes before installing.
Is this for me?
You have a BYD
with a newer screen system (DiLink 3, 4 or 5). Best tested on the Dolphin Surf.
You have a PC or laptop once
and about an hour. You switch on a developer setting in the car, the setup guides you through it.
Panoptes is still being tested
A private hobby project, free and without warranty. Please read the notes first.
Your car on your phone: as an Android app or as a web app for iPhone, both BETA.
Community
What you get: announcements, a meeting place, help with installing, beta test and cluster, bugs and wishes, guard and dashcam, charging and wallbox.
WhatsApp is a third-party service (Meta). Your phone number is visible to the group.
Private project, not made by BYD. More in the privacy policy.
What Panoptes does
Guard with AI detection
While your car is parked, the cameras watch its surroundings. You decide when it records: only on impact, with AI detection everywhere, or only at your own private places such as your garage or driveway. Without a choice it only records on impact. To protect the 12 V battery it goes to sleep; the threshold follows the battery type (lead-acid, AGM or LFP).
Dashcam from 0.1.27
On hard braking or a bump Panoptes saves a short clip from all cameras by itself, about 20 seconds before and after. No continuous recording. The clips stay in the car or on the USB stick and are never sent anywhere by themselves. You can watch and save clips on your phone with the phone app (beta 4). Panoptes then asks “Keep?”, otherwise the clip is deleted after 72 hours. From 0.1.36 every clip remembers what triggered it (without location). In Switzerland the dashcam is off by default. Whether recording while driving is allowed where you live differs by country, see the notes.
Trips and charging
Trips, consumption and charging sessions are recorded in the car. Panoptes shows the cost per session, per month and as average cost per 100 km, from 0.1.35 including the estimated charging loss (sign “~”). If a price is missing it says “price missing” instead of inventing a number; free charging can be entered explicitly.
Wallbox beta
Set up your wallbox via evcc, Home Assistant or Tuya, and from version 0.1.12 also directly (e.g. go-e, KEBA, openWB, Easee, Zaptec): see the status, set mode, charge limit and current. Control only while the car is parked, with confirmation and enabled per charge point. So far only checked with demo and test devices.
Telegram notifications
Your own bot reports guard events, charging, a weak starter battery, tyre pressure and updates. Each category can be switched on its own, with quiet hours for the night. From 0.1.38.2: write anything to the bot and you get a menu with big buttons. From 0.1.38.11 guard pictures and clips come along by themselves (turn off with /bilder aus). How to connect Telegram
Map with chargers
You choose where the map comes from: the community server (with terrain and free charging spots where operators provide data), OpenStreetMap, or none. Until you choose, the map stays empty. Speed cameras are shown in Austria only, off by default and with a legal notice.
Camping mode beta
Guard “occupied”, night screen, battery protection with time left. Switch on with a tap, on your phone or with /camping in Telegram. You choose the heating type on the camping page; by default only a dry run. More
See all other features (18)
On the car screen
Panoptes runs as its own full-screen app with large buttons. While driving, settings are locked; home, navigation, map and guard stay available. At start-up you see for each service whether it is ready.
Setup assistant
On first start, three short screens guide you through the essentials, with all permissions on one screen. Everything else is under “Noch einrichten” (still to set up) later. Almost nothing is preselected (only “remember habits” is set to yes, and that stays in the car); anything that sends data out stays off until you turn it on. Whatever your car cannot do is skipped with an explanation.
“Where did you charge?”
After charging, Panoptes asks for the station and price while parked, never while driving. With “remember place” it knows the price next time. With “Laut Säule” (as shown by the charger) you enter the charger's kWh and cost; your price is then used for “Cheapest nearby” (AC and DC separately). The question can be switched off.
Your charge cards in the car
Charge cards and networks, minimum power, plug and arrival charge level are set in the car. The route planner uses them; they are only stored in the car.
Your places
One list for everything: home, garage, work or the charging spot with its own price. For each place you decide whether it is private (guard), a charging price applies or it is a destination in the navigation. Places never leave the car.
Remote access
Reach your car from anywhere via Tailscale. Setup uses a QR code on the car screen and your own Tailscale account. For advanced users, 0.1.14 adds an independent emergency access, off by default.
“Will it make it?”
With a route from the route planner, including waypoints, Panoptes tells you on the road whether the battery will last to the next stop and suggests a charging stop if needed.
Monthly report
Distance, consumption, charging and costs, standby loss and guard events of a month at a glance, also for printing. Calculated in the car.
Switching from OverDrive
If you used the OverDrive app before, you can take over trips, charging sessions and settings, with a preview and without duplicates. Panoptes never takes over consents or risky switches; you set those yourself.
Route planner link
Connect Panoptes to your account on byd.serveone.at/ev/: show a code in the car, confirm on your phone, done. Disconnect at any time.
EV Cockpit on your PC
The EV Cockpit shows Panoptes data on your PC, including charging sessions and costs, and can change its settings. You confirm the pairing with one tap and a four-digit check number. From Cockpit 1.23 also choose the cluster display, set up the launcher and install updates, only with your permission. From 1.24 you can also plan a route in the Cockpit and send it to the car.
Updates in the app
If you like, Panoptes looks for new versions itself. Under Settings → All settings → App updates you choose: “Only notify”, “Small updates on their own, report big ones” (default) or “Everything automatically”. Small updates (only the last number changes) arrive quietly; Panoptes announces big ones first with a summary. If you had “Only notify”, you were switched over once and told so. It never installs while driving: if you start an update yourself, it runs right away when the car is in P, even with the ignition on; on its own only once the car has been off for at least 10 minutes; if something goes wrong, the previous version comes back by itself within 30 minutes. From 0.1.38.2 also by button from Telegram, your phone or the Cockpit, only with your permission. After an update Panoptes sets itself up again and reports when everything runs. From 0.1.13 Panoptes no longer changes permanent Android settings by itself (such as “screen always on”); values set earlier can be reset. What you change yourself (own picture, turning apps off) stays until you change it back. From 0.1.36 the logs are kept through updates.
Screen from 0.1.37
Your own picture for the home screen. Lock the screen with a number code (only in P). Turn apps off and on. Read USB sticks.
Panoptes Launcher from 0.1.37
Separate app, optional: home screen with climate in the dock, Android Auto and CarPlay (if your car has them) and update notice. Install by button in Panoptes, never by itself. From 0.1.38 you set it up comfortably on your phone or in the Cockpit, only if you allow it when pairing. The house on the left always takes you back to the BYD home screen. Pictures
Pet mode from 0.1.36
Keeps the climate running for your pet and reports problems to your phone and Telegram. Only an aid, no guarantee, you stay responsible.
AI assistant
Only if you set it up yourself. From 0.1.36 it may only control climate, seat heating and sunshade and show values. Never horn, lights, indicators, windows, boot or the guard.
Small helpers from 0.1.36
Screen cleaning (locked for 30 seconds, only in P). Take over a destination from a Google Maps or Waze link. Files between phone and car (own permission, off by default, no apps). Panoptes checks its permissions daily and repairs what it can.
Five languages
German, English, French, Italian and Dutch.
Everything Panoptes 0.1.38.12 can do
By area. No label means: done.
Start (6)
- Bar with seven areas: Home, Navigation & trips, Controls, Cameras & guard, Rules, Apps & display, Settings
- Home page with charge, range, location, car status, guard today and recent trips
- Range “today”, learned from your own trips
- Quick buttons: lock, pre-condition, boot only some cars
- Big “stop heating” button
- Ask Panoptes (AI assistant), only if you set it up; may only control climate, seat heating and sunshade
Control (13)
- Lock and unlock, boot, windows, sunroof, sunshade only some cars
- Climate, temperature, fan; pre-conditioning with a schedule only some cars
- Seat heating, seat ventilation, steering wheel heating only some cars
- Battery heating (via the BYD cloud) only some cars
- Charging in the car: charge limit, current, schedule, “charge now” only some cars
- Find the car (flash, horn), daytime lights, ambient light only some cars
- Sounds outside (e.g. a chime), only in P only some cars
- Save seat positions, assign the car's buttons yourself only some cars
- Safety systems (e.g. lane keeping) can only be turned off after a confirmation
- 3D car in your colour
- Camping mode with night screen and battery protection
- Camping heating, choose the heating type on the camping page beta
- Pet mode: keeps the climate running for your pet (only an aid, no guarantee) only some cars
Cameras & guard (12)
- Guard with a big switch, on by default (bump only), after you confirm the legal notice once. AI everywhere or only at private places is your choice
- Deterrent on the screen, only when a person is there
- 12-volt battery protection: the guard goes to sleep in time
- Guard schedule, watch areas, private places
- When you get in: “While you were away: n recordings”
- Dashcam clip on hard braking or a bump, remembers the trigger (without location)
- Live picture of all cameras
- Watch recordings by day and type (person, vehicle, bicycle, animal)
- Recording settings: continuous recording while driving, quality, storage
- Parking log: who parked next to you
- Announcement outside: speak or text
- Blind spot when indicating, as one picture only some cars
Trips & charging (18)
- Map with chargers and free spots; you choose the map source
- Search places and send them to the navigation; destination from a Google Maps or Waze link
- Plan a destination with up to 5 stops right in the car, legs with battery on arrival. “Start” opens the Panoptes map with its own guidance; the car navigation is the second button. The guidance is new and is being tested in the car right now. The map only speaks if you switch on voice prompts (off by default) beta
- “Will it reach?” with a charging stop suggestion
- Cheapest charger nearby, with your price
- Trip log with a big switch, consumption
- Driving style, compare routes
- Consumption by outside temperature, loss while parked
- Trip log as a file (without places), recover lost trips
- Monthly report, also for printing
- Charging costs with estimated charging loss; enter “Laut Säule”
- Recognise the charger automatically; “Where did you charge?”
- Charging power, cell temperature, battery health over time
- Charge cards and networks in the car
- Charging at home with a time window, at the market price if you like
- Warm for departure (off by default) only some cars
- Wallbox via evcc, Home Assistant, Tuya or directly beta
- Road condition: detect potholes and warn
Rules (7)
- Build your own “When … / Then …” rules, back up and restore
- Take over community rules (off by default)
- Habits: Panoptes suggests rules, the data stays in the car
- Your places: home, garage, charging spot with price
- All notifications on one page: phone and Telegram per topic, quiet hours
- Telegram bot with a menu and big buttons; commands like /status, /wo, /camping still work
- Parked report in Telegram after parking
Apps & display (11)
- Everything for the display on one page “Display”: cluster, background picture, lock, launcher
- Two apps side by side on the screen only some cars
- “Phone in the car”: Android Auto and CarPlay if your car has them only some cars
- Own picture, screen lock with a number code, apps off and on
- Screen cleaning, read USB sticks, files between phone and car
- Red band while the screen is being shared
- Cluster: displays, navigation and apps, runs smoothly; “cluster back to normal” only some cars
- Turn arrows in the BYD cluster (off by default) only some cars
- Panoptes Launcher: separate app, freely arranged, also on your phone or in the Cockpit (only with permission), with app drawer and climate in the dock
- Light or dark, five start views
- Speed camera warning (Austria only, off by default)
Settings (12)
- Short setup; optional steps under Settings → Setup → “Noch einrichten” (still to set up)
- Updates in the app, by button from Telegram, phone or Cockpit (only with permission); afterwards it sets itself up again. By default updates also download over mobile data; if you switch that off, Panoptes only downloads on Wi-Fi or asks first. The launcher follows the same rule (from 0.1.38.10)
- Report a problem in the app
- Remote access via Tailscale, bridge for phone and PC (off by default)
- Pair devices with a check number; permissions per device, extra permissions never by themselves
- Log “who did what?”
- Home Assistant via MQTT, route planner, EV Cockpit
- ABRP connection
- Switching from OverDrive
- Back up and restore settings
- Panoptes checks its permissions daily; logs are kept through updates
- Five languages
🏕️ Camping mode in detail (beta)
Since 0.1.16.1: you sleep in the car, and Panoptes looks after power, the guard and the screen. Heating is still in beta. By default only a dry run runs; you choose the heating type on the camping page.
What it does
- Guard “occupied”: While camping runs, the guard does not scare anyone off (no screen, lights or horn) and raises no shake alarm when you move.
- Night screen: After a time without touch that you can set, the screen turns almost black, with a big clock and a few numbers. No sounds.
- Battery protection and time left: You set a lower limit (20 % by default). Panoptes shows how long the battery lasts for heating and stops before the limit. Panoptes never switches the car off.
Switching on
- With a tap on the car screen, only while parked (gear P).
- On your phone, in Panoptes’ web interface.
- In Telegram with
/camping. - Scheduling for a set time (start and wake-up time) works from 0.1.17 through Panoptes’ interface; operating it from the EV Cockpit follows.
- Camping ends by itself when you drive off.
Heating: beta
Panoptes only heats once you choose a heating type on the camping page. Until then it runs a dry run: it only shows what it would do and switches nothing.
- Car on: Panoptes switches the climate control directly.
- Car off: through the BYD cloud, which needs a BYD account. This wakes the car for every heating run.
Limits
- No cabin sensor: the Dolphin Surf has none. Panoptes therefore never shows an interior temperature and heats in intervals based on the outside temperature (“every x minutes for y minutes”). You can add an external sensor if you like.
- Consumption: roughly 1.5 to 3 % battery per hour at 0 °C while heating. That is an estimate, not a measurement; Panoptes learns from your real consumption.
- After DC charging ends: BYD then switches the car off by itself.
- Camping is no substitute for supervision. Never leave children or animals alone in the car.
The pictures come from an emulator, not from a car. That is why the values read “not available” and the model name at the top is the emulator’s. In the car you see your real values here. Click a picture to enlarge it. The interface is shown in German.
Cluster and launcher from 0.1.37
Since 0.1.37, in 0.1.38 on the page Apps & display → Display. The pictures are previews and emulator shots with sample data, not from a car. All about the Panoptes Launcher
Cluster: navigation and apps on the instrument cluster
On some BYD models Panoptes shows its own display, a navigation app like Google Maps or Waze, or another app you allow on the instrument cluster.
How it works:
- In Panoptes: Apps & display → Display → What does the cluster show?
- Tap a display, a navigation app or an app.
- Back to the BYD cluster: Cluster back to normal.
Help us: Under Apps & display → “What can my cluster do?” you see what your cluster can do. Do you have a different model? Tell us through the wish box your model and whether it works (yes or no).
Good to know:
- By default, while driving the cluster only shows navigation apps from a fixed list (e.g. Google Maps, Waze, OsmAnd, ABRP). Other apps only run while parked.
- You can switch on “also while driving” for each app after a one-time notice. You are then responsible yourself. Watching videos while driving is illegal in many countries.
- The first time, you confirm a notice: the speed and warning lights must stay visible.
- It does not work on the Dolphin Surf and Seagull. On cars with DiLink 5 it is locked for now.
What Panoptes looks like
Panoptes 0.1.38 on the car screen and on a phone, taken in the emulator with sample data, not from a car. Pictures with a yellow “sample data” band come from a demo profile: no real trips, places or commands, the map is a simplified sample map. Other pages without data show “not available” or “--”. Click a picture to enlarge it.
See more pictures (11)
What you need
- A BYD with DiLink 3, 4 or 5 and Android 9 or newer on the car screen.
- So far Panoptes has mainly been tested on the BYD Dolphin Surf (DiLink 3). On other models some things may be missing or work differently; Panoptes hides what your car cannot do.
- Storage for camera recordings, ideally a USB stick in the car.
- A free Tailscale account for remote access and your own Telegram bot for notifications. Panoptes shows you how.
Download and installBeta version 0.1.38.12
Panoptes 0.1.38.12 is a beta version. Panoptes runs in everyday use in a test car (BYD Dolphin Surf, DiLink 3), new versions are added there step by step. On other models some things may be missing or work differently. Installing it is not for everyone: you need some patience, a PC or laptop once, and you have to turn on a developer setting in the car. After that, updates arrive in the app by themselves. Use at your own risk, see the notes.
New in 0.1.38.12
- Telegram also with the car off: by default the bot is also reachable while the car is off. This uses a little power from the starter battery. Turn off with
/erreichbar aus. - Protecting the starter battery: if it gets weak, the bot goes to sleep by itself. If you had turned reachability off, it stays off.
- From 0.1.38.11: guard pictures to Telegram on by default (turn off with
/bilder aus), honest start screen, camera saves power with the ignition off, you set the cluster size yourself.
Check that the file is genuine (advanced)
Checksum (SHA-256): c6470ef7d1c15859ba08de4e4a88c2ddf67885a561d252e6a4a1fbf876cf52e9
Signing certificate (SHA-256): 287c31e78288a440be4d23eb59f58e415d77aca54def67e0e6bf271f1959be81
This is optional. How to compare the checksum is explained in the detailed guide below (step 2).
I already have an older version
From 0.1.19.1 on, updates arrive via Settings → All settings → App updates. If you have 0.1.17 or 0.1.18, install the current version once by hand (guide); your data is kept.
Onto the car in 5 steps
- Read the notes.Panoptes is for your own car, private and at your own risk. Read the notes.
- Switch on the developer setting in the car.This is the developer access (ADB). How to get there depends on the model: see the guides.
- Put the file on the car with a PC or laptop.PC and car on the same Wi-Fi, then two commands. They are in the detailed guide. You only need this once. The way with a USB stick is being checked.
- Open Panoptes in the car.Short steps ask you the essentials. Almost nothing is preselected.
- Allow autostart.So Panoptes starts by itself. The assistant opens the right page.
Detailed guide (8 steps)
- Read first. Panoptes is meant for your own car, for private use and at your own risk. Read the notes. To install it you turn on developer functions in the car. If in doubt whether this matters for your warranty, ask your dealer.
- Download. Download
panoptes-0.1.38.12-2eb84cf.apkto your PC or laptop with the button above. Optional, for experienced users: compare the checksum first. On Windows typecertutil -hashfile panoptes-0.1.38.12-2eb84cf.apk SHA256in a command prompt, on a Mac or Linuxshasum -a 256 panoptes-0.1.38.12-2eb84cf.apk. The output must match the checksum above exactly. If it differs, do not install the file. - Turn on developer access (ADB) in the car. Panoptes starts its background services, for example for the cameras, through the car's ADB interface. This connection stays inside the car (127.0.0.1). It is off by default. You turn it on in the BYD developer menu, with the switches for USB debugging or wireless ADB. How to reach this menu depends a lot on model and software version; on newer BYD software it is locked with a code. So far we have only tested this step on the Dolphin Surf (DiLink 3). Without it Panoptes will not fully work.
- Get the app onto the car. Tested way, once with a PC or laptop: install Google's Android platform tools (they contain
adb). PC and car must be on the same network, for example your phone's Wi-Fi hotspot. Then typeadb connect <car-address>:5555andadb install -r panoptes-0.1.38.12-2eb84cf.apk. You find the car's address in its Wi-Fi settings or in your hotspot's device list. At the end it must saySuccess. After that, updates arrive in the app by themselves. An Android phone instead of a PC (not yet tested by us): this also works with an adb app on the phone, on the same Wi-Fi or hotspot as the car, see the guide. It does not work with an iPhone. USB stick or BYD file manager: being checked. The file manager passes the file to the installer after a warning; whether it then completes is not confirmed yet. If Android asks about “installing from unknown sources”, allow it only for this installation. - First start with the setup assistant. Open Panoptes on the car screen. Short steps guide you through the essentials, for example language, confirming the notes, autostart, display over other apps, permissions and USB access. Everything else (guard, map source, data sharing, speed cameras, Telegram, route planner, EV Cockpit, remote access) is under “Noch einrichten” (still to set up) afterwards. Almost nothing is preselected. Anything that sends data out stays off until you turn it on yourself.
- Allow autostart. For Panoptes to start by itself when you get in, it has to be allowed in BYD's app management. The setup assistant opens the right page; untick the autostart block for Panoptes there. BYD resets this switch after every installation and update. Panoptes turns it back on by itself after an update and tells you if that fails. DiLink 5 has no such app management, so the step is skipped.
- Confirm USB access. Android asks once “Allow USB debugging?”. Tick “Always allow from this computer” and tap Allow. The “computer” is Panoptes itself in the car. Without the tick Android asks again after every restart.
- Open on your phone or PC (optional). With remote access (Tailscale) set up, open your car's address in a browser. To log in you need the access code, found on the car screen under Settings → Advanced (old) → “Your access code”. With Telegram you can also log in with a check number. You allow other devices, such as the EV Cockpit, under Settings → All settings → Pair a device.
If something goes wrong
- Panoptes does not start by itself after an update: allow autostart again (step 6). BYD resets it after every installation. Panoptes does this itself after an update. If a message appears, tap “Autostart wieder einschalten” (turn autostart back on) on the display.
- Panoptes has no internet: BYD's built-in traffic monitor can block the internet for other apps. Panoptes offers to switch it off; the screen then needs a restart.
- Cameras or guard do not run: check that USB access was confirmed with “Always allow” (step 7) and that ADB access is still on; a BYD software update can reset it.
- Where to store recordings? Ideally on a USB stick in the car.
- Removing it again: uninstall in the car's Android settings under Apps. Data inside the app is lost; recordings on the USB stick stay.
Source code and licence: the complete source code of exactly this version is public on GitHub (samuelvoltarius/panoptes). Our own code is under the MIT licence. The APK contains parts under other licences, including the program fast_cam_capture (GPL-3.0) and the YOLO detection models (AGPL-3.0). The full list is in the licence notices. Report bugs and ideas there under Issues.
Privacy: Panoptes only sends data out if you turn it on yourself (see privacy). The app has no ads and no tracking. The download itself is served by GitHub; GitHub's privacy rules apply to it.
Privacy: what goes where
Principle: your recordings, trips and positions stay in the car. If you watch recordings on your phone on the road, they pass through our bridge end-to-end encrypted; the server cannot read them and does not store them. Most things that send data out are off by default; you turn each item on separately, and Panoptes tells you beforehand where the data goes. The exceptions are the update check and the map search, both listed in the table below. If you set up Telegram, the guard sends its pictures along (can be turned off). No ads, no tracking.
In detail: what goes where?
| Where | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| In the car (USB stick, app) | guard recordings, trip log, charging sessions and prices, monthly report, your places, charge cards, settings; credentials (e.g. for the wallbox) encrypted | always. On a new setup Panoptes deletes recordings after 72 hours; you can keep individual ones. If a file is missing (e.g. USB stick not plugged in), the trip is marked, not deleted. |
| EV Cockpit on your PC | vehicle data, trips, charging sessions and costs; your places by name only, never with coordinates | only after pairing, straight from the car over your home network or Tailscale |
| Map source (community server byd.serveone.at or OpenStreetMap Germany) | your IP address and the map area, so roughly where your car is. With the community server also the query for free charging spots in that area. | only once you choose a source under Settings → All settings → Map source. On the car screen the choice applies to the whole car; phone and PC ask separately. |
| Bridge: phone and PC over the internet (byd.serveone.at) | data, commands and recordings between the car and your paired devices, end-to-end encrypted. The server only sees unreadable data and stores no content, <a href="/en/datenschutz#bruecke">details</a>. | only if you switch on the bridge in the car |
| Paired services and home servers (for example Home Assistant) | notices about guard events: type and time, no coordinates. With the switch “Standbild bei Ereignis” (still picture on event) one photo per event, no video, nothing older than 15 minutes. Guard recordings only with the separate switch “Aufnahmen” (recordings). Photos may show passers-by. | only for services you pair yourself; each permission has its own switch |
| Notifications on your phone (ntfy or Google) | the notification, end-to-end encrypted: the delivery service only sees that a message arrives and its approximate size, <a href="/en/datenschutz#handy-meldungen">details</a>. | only with a paired phone app and notifications switched on |
| Web app for iPhone (panoptes.serveone.at) | the page comes from our server, without cookies and without an access log. It reaches the car through the bridge, end-to-end encrypted; the pairing key stays on your iPhone. For place search your search text goes to byd.serveone.at, <a href="/en/datenschutz#handy-orte">details</a>. | only when you use the web app |
| Telegram | message texts and guard pictures (on by default, can be turned off; they are then stored at Telegram) | only with your own bot |
| Tailscale | connection for remote access and emergency access, in your own Tailscale network | only with remote access set up; emergency access is off by default |
| Your wallbox | charging commands in your home network; Easee, Zaptec and the Tuya cloud via the manufacturer cloud | only if you set up a wallbox; manufacturer cloud only with your own consent per device |
| Route planner (byd.serveone.at/ev) | charge level, consumption factor, driving status and your charge cards for the price query (the server does not store them); your approximate position only for a newly suggested charging stop or, if you allow it, for price suggestions after charging. The trip log only if you turn it on (off by default) and fetch it yourself on /ev/: end-to-end encrypted; the server only receives encrypted data and, according to the route planner, keeps it in memory for 2 minutes at most. | only after linking, can be disconnected at any time |
| Community server (byd.serveone.at/community) | shared rules, only if you share them; road damage, only if you report it, <a href="/en/datenschutz#panoptes-community">details</a> | off by default |
| Weather (via our server byd.serveone.at, which asks Open-Meteo) | a rough area of about 10 km, no identifier | only with your consent, off by default |
| Panoptes counting (optional, off by default) | random ID and version, once a day; car model and DiLink version only if you have confirmed that separately. No IP address stored, no VIN, no location. Switching it off deletes the entries on the server; entries without a report for 90 days are merged into an anonymous monthly number. | only if you switch on “Count anonymously” under Settings → Privacy (byd.serveone.at/panoptes/ping, from 0.1.17) |
| Reporting a problem and cluster test (byd.serveone.at) | your text or the test report, version, car model, DiLink version, language; a redacted diagnostic extract only if you tick the box. No identifier, no IP address stored, no location. Deleted after 180 days, <a href="/en/datenschutz#fehler-melden">details</a>. | only when you send it yourself |
| Map search and places along the route (map in the car) | your search text and, to find results nearby, the car's position rounded to about 1 km go directly from the car to public services: Photon (komoot), Nominatim (OpenStreetMap), depending on settings Stadia Maps. If you ask for the address of a point on the map, that exact point is sent. For chargers and fuel stations along the route, a rounded map area goes to Overpass (overpass-api.de). | only when you search in the map or use this display; on by default, can be switched off in the settings |
| Addresses for parking spots and recordings (Nominatim) | the coordinates and the language | only with the online switch turned on, off by default |
| Update check (GitHub) | GitHub sees the car's IP address and the time. The update file itself also comes from GitHub. Nothing about you or your car is sent. | every 6 hours; can be switched off (automatic search for updates), the setup asks about it |
| Visitor counting on this website (own Umami, analytics.serveone.at) | page viewed, referring page, browser, device type, country; clicks on the download button as a number. No cookies, no IP address; nothing is counted with “Do Not Track”. This only concerns this website, not the app. | when you visit the website; details in the privacy policy (German) |
| Destination from a Google Maps short link | only the short link itself goes from the car to Google (maps.app.goo.gl) to read the destination. No position. | only if you tap “Nachfragen” (ask) after pasting; long links and Waze links are read without any request |
| go-e Cloud (go-e GmbH, *.api.v3.go-e.io) | Status and commands of your go-e wallbox (charging on/off, charging current, power) and your API token. The token is handed to your car once via your phone and stored there encrypted; it never passes through Panoptes servers. | only if you choose “go-e Charger (Cloud)” for your wallbox and explicitly consent (off by default). Turning consent off or removing the device stops it immediately. |
| Wallbox account (Wallbox Chargers S.L., api.wall-box.com / user-api.wall-box.com) | Login with your Wallbox account (e-mail and password, stored encrypted in the car), status and commands of your charger. Unofficial interface (as used by Home Assistant). | only if you choose “Wallbox Pulsar / Commander (Cloud)” and explicitly consent (off by default). Turning consent off or removing the device stops it immediately. |
| aWATTar (aWATTar GmbH / Deutschland GmbH, api.awattar.at / api.awattar.de) | Panoptes fetches the public exchange electricity prices for AT or DE at most once per hour (usually once a day). There is no account, and no data about you or your car is sent; aWATTar only sees the car’s internet address. | only if you switch on “I have a dynamic electricity tariff” in the charge plan (off by default) and choose “Exchange price” as your home electricity price. Switch “dynamic electricity tariff” off: no more requests from then on. |
| Telegram: web interface sign-in | A short message to your own Telegram chat with a 4-digit check number and two buttons (Allow/Deny). No device name, no browser name, no IP address. | Only when you tap “Sign in with Telegram” in the browser and Telegram is set up in Panoptes. |
| Telegram: location with /wo | The car's parking position. | Only when you send /wo AND have switched on location sharing for it. Otherwise Panoptes replies without a position. |
| Let's Encrypt and public Certificate Transparency logs (via Tailscale) | For the phone app over HTTPS: Tailscale gets a certificate for your car from Let's Encrypt. This puts your car's Tailscale name (e.g. car.your-tailnet.ts.net) into the Certificate Transparency logs, publicly and permanently. Anyone can see these names. It does not make the car reachable: only your own devices can get into your tailnet. | Only if you switch HTTPS on yourself. It is off by default. |
| BYD cloud: control while the car is off | The command via your BYD login, for example seat heating, climate and preheating, or heating in camping mode. The car is woken for this. | Only when the car is off and you have set up the BYD cloud and chosen the function. When the car is on, Panoptes switches directly in the car and sends nothing to the cloud. |
| Nowhere – stays in the car | Habits: which control (e.g. climate, seat heating, wallbox, guardian) at what time, at which place (home or a saved place, no coordinates), outside temperature, battery level, where it was operated from (screen, phone, cockpit, car buttons) | Only if you said yes to “Remember habits” during setup. Kept for 60 days, “Forget everything” deletes it at once, can be switched off at any time |
| Other services (BYD account, MQTT/smart home, ABRP, Stadia Maps, AI assistant) | depends on the service; the input field tells you where your requests go | only if you set them up yourself |
Phone and PC over the internet (bridge)
On the road, the phone app or EV Cockpit on your PC reaches your car through a small relay service on our server. It is off until you switch it on in the car. End-to-end encrypted: the server only forwards unreadable data and cannot see vehicle data, places or commands. No IP logs, only one count line per hour for the whole service. Server in the Hetzner data centre in Falkenstein, Germany. If you switch the bridge off, your mailbox is deleted. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (a feature you switch on yourself). All details
How it all belongs together
Panoptes is one project. In the middle is the app in the car. Everything else is optional: you only connect it if you want to, and you can disconnect it at any time.
Panoptes in the car
you need itThe app runs on the screen in your BYD. It is the centre: guard with camera, trips, charging, map, cluster. All other parts get their data from here.
See Panoptes →Phone app
optionalSee and control your car on your phone, for example preheat it. You connect the phone once with a QR code in the car. Android as an app, iPhone as a web app.
To the phone app →EV Cockpit
optionalEverything on your PC, big and clear. You allow the Cockpit once with a check number in the car. It also works without Panoptes, then with data from the BYD cloud or Home Assistant.
To the EV Cockpit →Route planner
optionalOur route planner, the alternative to ABRP (A Better Route Planner): it plans your trip with charging stops based on battery and charging curve. It includes weather, wind and hills in the consumption. It shows the cost per charge card, country and time of day, and in Austria, Switzerland and Germany whether a charger is free right now. For Europe and Asia, in the browser, without signing up.
The arrival time includes known traffic jams. Once you connect it to your car, the destination with charging stops goes straight into the car, and on the road Panoptes tells you with “Reicht es noch?” (will it still be enough?) whether the battery will last.
To the route planner →Panoptes Launcher
optionalIts own home screen for the car screen, with climate and apps in the bottom bar. You install it by button in Panoptes. It needs Panoptes.
See pictures →- One project. All parts are ours, free and made to work together.
- You decide. You switch on every connection yourself, with a confirmation in the car. You can disconnect at any time.
- On the road. Phone and PC also reach the car over the internet, encrypted, through the connection you set up.
- Also there if you want: notifications through your own Telegram bot, Home Assistant, your wallbox.
How Panoptes connects to the cockpit, route planner, map and wall box
Panoptes runs in the car. Everything else is optional and can be connected and disconnected one by one.
1Panoptes ↔ EV Cockpit (pairing)
You allow the cockpit once with a check number, in Telegram or on the Panoptes page. The cockpit then fetches vehicle data, settings and the trip log straight from the car, over your home network or Tailscale.
What stays private: remote access, password and ports. None of this goes through our servers; the trip log stays on your PC. The cockpit keeps the access key in your computer's keyring. Anything else it sends to servers (map, 3D model, route planner, usage count) needs its own tick; without a tick, nothing.
2Panoptes ↔ route planner
Once linked, your destination with charging stops goes into the car. Panoptes reports charge level, consumption factor and driving status so the plan is right. If you turn it on (off by default) and fetch your trip log on /ev/, it comes end-to-end encrypted straight from the car to your browser.
What stays private: the server cannot read the trip log; it only receives encrypted data and, according to the route planner, keeps it in memory for 2 minutes at most. Your approximate position is only sent when Panoptes suggests a new charging stop on the road.
3Panoptes ↔ community map
If you choose it as map source, map tiles and charger data come from byd.serveone.at, with live availability where open data exists. Without a choice Panoptes loads no map.
What stays private: trips and recordings. The server only sees your IP address and the map area. Shared rules only go to the community server if you share them yourself (off by default).
4Panoptes → Telegram
Your own bot sends you message texts and the guard's pictures (on by default, can be turned off). They are then stored on Telegram's servers. They often show other people.
What stays private: no videos on our servers, no detour through the project.
5Panoptes ↔ wallbox (beta)
Panoptes talks to your wallbox in your home network, via evcc, Home Assistant, Tuya or directly. Control only works while the car is parked and you have enabled the charge point, each change with confirmation. You can withdraw the permission at any time.
What stays private: none of this goes through our servers. Credentials are stored encrypted in the car. Manufacturer clouds (Easee, Zaptec, Tuya) only with your consent per device.
6Panoptes ↔ Home Assistant
Your car connects directly to your own Home Assistant, without our servers. There you see values like charge level and range, build your own automations and get notifications. This works over MQTT, which you set up in Panoptes. The dedicated integration for Home Assistant is a beta and can be installed through HACS. On the road over mobile data it only works through Tailscale.
What stays private: The data stays with you, not with us.
7EV Cockpit ↔ route planner
The cockpit shows the route waiting for you and your charge cards. When it is paired with Panoptes, only Panoptes reports the charge level, so nothing arrives twice.
What stays private: your trips stay on your PC.
Development status
Honestly, what runs where, as of 0.1.38.12. “Done” means: built and tested. “Only some cars” means: depends on the model. “Beta” means: it runs, but has limits.
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Guard with person detection, deterrent only for a person, Telegram notifications | Done |
| Map, monthly report, route planner, EV Cockpit | Done |
| Trip log, charging costs, charge cards in the car, “Where did you charge?” | Done |
| Setup assistant, places, switching from OverDrive | Done |
| Phone app over the bridge: see the car, preheat, live picture on the road | Done |
| Web app for iPhone | Beta: checked on an iPhone; unlocking and notifications do not work there |
| Update right in the app | Done |
| Home Assistant over MQTT | Done |
| Camping mode: guard “occupied”, night screen, battery protection | Done |
| Dashcam clips on hard braking or a bump | Done |
| Notice about new versions on the screen | Done |
| Reporting a problem in the app | Done |
| Navigation and apps on the cluster | Only some cars: not on the Dolphin Surf and Seagull, locked on DiLink 5 for now |
| Videos and trip log table in the phone app | Done |
| Emergency access | Done; off by default |
| Warning for a weak 12-volt battery | Beta: just retuned after false alarms |
| Wallbox via evcc, Home Assistant, Tuya or directly | Beta: control on a real wallbox not confirmed yet |
| Telegram with a menu and big buttons | Done |
| Updates by button from Telegram, phone or Cockpit (only with permission, only when parked) | Done |
| Panoptes sets itself up again after an update and reports when everything runs | Done |
| New bar with seven areas, page “Display” | Done |
| Guard and trips with a big switch, rules as “When … / Then …” | Done |
| Set up the launcher on your phone or in the Cockpit (only with your permission) | Done |
| Screen: own picture, lock with number code, apps off and on, USB stick | Done |
| Cluster: “What does the cluster show?”, displays, “also while driving” per app, “Cluster back to normal” | Only some cars: not on the Dolphin Surf and Seagull, locked on DiLink 5 for now |
| Panoptes Launcher (separate app) | Done |
| Turning off safety systems only after a confirmation | Done |
| “Laut Säule” and “Cheapest nearby” | Done |
| AI assistant only for climate, seat heating and sunshade | Done |
| Small helpers: screen cleaning, destination from a link, files phone ↔ car, permission check | Done |
| Parked report in Telegram, logs kept through updates, trigger per clip | Done |
| Pet mode: climate for your pet | Done. Only an aid, no guarantee, you stay responsible |
| Camping: heating | Beta: dry run by default. Heats after you allow it, if you choose also with the car off via the BYD cloud |
| Own integration for Home Assistant (via HACS) | Beta: on the road over mobile data only through Tailscale |
Notes
Private hobby project, free and without warranty. Use at your own risk, for private use with your own vehicle only. Users alone are responsible for lawful use (data protection, camera recordings, remote commands, traffic rules). Guardian recordings are intended for your own private property only, without capturing public space or neighbouring property. To the extent permitted by law, the developer accepts no liability; liability for intent, gross negligence, personal injury and mandatory consumer rights remains unaffected. Not affiliated with BYD; all trademarks belong to their owners.