App Container
The dedicated software runtime and hardware bridge for AVS Touch Panels.
App Container is the enterprise-grade runtime platform powering the AVS-10 and AVS-15 Touch Panels out of the box. Engineered specifically for commercial room control, smart building automation, and high-performance HTML5 kiosk interfaces, it bridges web applications directly to on-board hardware interfaces (relays, digital I/O, RS-232/485 serial, RGB status bezel light bar), native SIP/VoIP intercom telephony, hardware-accelerated RTSP video streaming, and remote network management.
In addition to running as the native operating environment on dedicated AVS Touch Panels, App Container is also distributed for iOS and Android to enable third-party tablets and mobile devices to join the same AVstudio control ecosystem.
🚀 Why App Container?
App Container eliminates the traditional trade-offs of running web-based control interfaces on touch panels and mobile hardware. Rather than relying on generic consumer web browsers or building custom native apps for every deployment, App Container provides a hardened, local-first runtime environment with:
- Factory Integration with AVS Touch Panels: Pre-installed on AVS-10 and AVS-15 hardware, driving on-board relays, GPIO pins, RS-232/485 serial ports, and the programmable RGB bezel LED bar with zero configuration.
- Zero Cloud Dependencies: Runs entirely offline on the local device. Host and switch between multiple
.zipor.ch5zHTML5 project bundles stored on internal flash storage. - Enterprise AV & Security Bypass: Transparently resolves CORS restrictions and self-signed/expired SSL certificates common in local automation controllers (Crestron, AMX, QSC, KNX, Home Assistant).
- Native Video & VoIP Intercom: Low-latency camera streaming via
libmpv/FFmpegand full peer-to-peer SIP calling between panels and door stations. - Multi-Platform Continuity: Deploy the exact same HTML5 project across dedicated AVS Touch Panels, Android tablets, iPads, and iPhones.
🔑 Core Features & Capabilities
📱 Dedicated Touch Panel Hardware Runtime
- Pre-Installed on AVS-10 / AVS-15: Out of the box, App Container operates as the primary kiosk and execution shell for AVstudio touch panels.
- Direct Hardware Control: Native bridges expose physical relays, digital I/O pins, RS-232/485 serial ports, and the RGB bezel status LED to browser JavaScript via
window.appcontainer.gpioBridgeand over HTTP via the Remote Hardware API. - Technician Access: Dedicated on-screen technician menu for on-site configuration (brightness, volume, network, PIN, reboot) accessed by holding five fingers on the screen for five seconds, or remotely via the web management dashboard.
- OEM Android App Recall: Launch approved native Android apps directly from within the HTML5 touch panel UI without exposing system settings.
🗂️ Project & Multi-Management
- Multiple Project Hosting: Host and organize multiple HTML5 projects simultaneously within a single app instance. Each project maintains its own configuration, custom icon, and access rules.
- Flexible Loading: Load projects from local files (
.zip,.ch5z), direct web URLs, or the built-in demo library. Instant switching between projects. - iOS File Association: On iOS,
.ch5zfiles register as a system file type, allowing projects to be opened directly from the iOS Files app or any system Share Sheet.
🌐 Full-Fidelity Web Rendering & Offline Connectivity
- Unrestricted WebView: Runs with full JavaScript support, unrestricted media autoplay, and zero cross-origin restrictions for local content.
- Localhost Connectivity & Storage: Store and execute projects directly from local device storage for complete offline operation without external web hosting.
- CORS & SSL Bypass: Self-signed and expired SSL certificates are accepted - essential for local network AV deployments.
fetchandXMLHttpRequestcalls to external hosts are transparently proxied through the on-device server, eliminating mixed-content and CORS issues without code modifications. - Camera & Microphone Access:
navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia()works just like in a standard modern browser — the first request prompts the standard operating system camera and microphone permission dialog; once granted, subsequent invocations do not re-prompt.
⚙️ Display Controls & Immersion
Fine-grained control over the device display and navigation chrome:
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Status Bar | Visible / Hidden / Extended behind | Controls top status bar rendering |
| Navigation Bar | Visible / Hidden | Hides Android bottom system navigation bar |
| Full Immersive Mode | Enabled / Disabled | Hides both status and navigation bars for total immersion |
| Screen Orientation | Auto / Portrait / Landscape | Locks UI orientation to target hardware layout |
| Keep Screen Awake | On / Off | Prevents device screen dimming or sleeping |
| Settings Button | Visible / Hidden | Toggle visibility of the floating gear icon for container settings |
On iOS, all display settings are also accessible directly from the native iOS Settings app.
🔒 Kiosk Mode & Security Lockdown
Lock down the hardware for public, commercial, or unattended deployments:
- Android Screen Pinning: Activates system lock task (
startLockTask()) with optional PIN protection via device security settings. - iOS Guided Access: Guided setup for single-app locking with direct accessibility shortcuts.
- Technician PIN Lock: Restricts container configuration behind an encrypted PIN code.
🛠️ Developer Console & Diagnostics
- Console Inspector: Captures
console.log,warn,error,info, uncaught exceptions, and unhandled promise rejections, filterable by log level with millisecond-precision timestamps. - Network Monitor: Real-time monitoring of all
fetchandXMLHttpRequesttraffic, displaying HTTP methods, target URLs, status codes, response times, and failed resource loads.
🔗 Custom URL Parameter Management
Define key/value parameter pairs that are automatically appended to project URLs globally or per-project. Inject security tokens, server hostnames, or environment flags dynamically into web projects without editing source files.
📡 Remote Management API & Dashboard
Access the web management dashboard at http://{panel-ip}:8080/manage from any web browser on the local network:
- Remotely switch active projects
- Upload, install, and delete project packages
- Capture live screen snapshots of the device
- Control touch panel hardware interfaces remotely
- Manage WebRTC/WHEP stream proxies
Access is secured via a Bearer token generated in the app settings.
🧩 Advanced Subsystems & Guides
App Container incorporates dedicated subsystems for hardware control, telephony, streaming, and bridging:
📱 AVS Touch Panels (AVS-10 / AVS-15)
Commercial-grade 10.1" and 15.6" PoE+ touch panels powered by App Container. Integrated RS-232/485, relays, GPIO, RGB bezel LED, camera, microphones, and environmental sensors.
🔌 Remote Hardware API
Control terminal shells, GPIO & Relays, RS-232/485 serial ports, RGB LEDs, UDP sockets, RTC sleep/wake schedules, and OEM app execution over HTTP on AVS touch panels.
🌐 JavaScript Bridge API
Direct in-app bridge to control hardware relays, digital I/O, RGB bezel LED strip, native RTSP video overlays, UDP datagrams, and Android packages from browser JavaScript.
📞 Intercom / SIP API
Native SIP/intercom engine engineered for AVS touch panels: panel-to-panel P2P calling, DoorBird/2N door station integration, broadcast paging ("Page All Panels"), audio/video calls, and video overlays.
🎥 Streaming API (Native Player)
Integrate ultra-low latency RTSP camera video overlays into HTML5 apps using Flutter's native libmpv/FFmpeg engine with hardware video decoding on touch panels.
🌐 WebRTC / WHEP Proxy
Embedded gateway bridging local RTSP camera streams to browser-compatible WebRTC over WHEP for zero-plugin playback inside standard HTML <video> elements.
📱 Hardware & Platform Availability
| Platform | Deployment Type | Availability | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVS-10 / AVS-15 Touch Panels | Factory Pre-Installed Hardware | Available | Core runtime with full physical hardware support (Relays, GPIO, Serial, RGB LED, SIP, Camera/Mics) |
| Android Tablets & Phones | Downloadable App | Available | Download on Google Play |
| iOS (iPads & iPhones) | Downloadable App | Available | Download on App Store |
Source code and issue tracking are available on GitHub at AVstudio-Inc/App-Container.
💳 Licensing & Subscriptions
- AVS Touch Panels (AVS-10 / AVS-15): App Container comes pre-activated with full hardware capabilities.
- Standalone Mobile Devices (iOS & Android): Every new installation includes a 14-day free trial with full functionality — no user registration or account creation required. Following the trial, licenses are available via Monthly, Annual, or Lifetime perpetual purchase managed through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.