If you want a clean way to monitor your PC in real time without heavy desktop software, this FireBeetle ESP32-P4 project is a smart build. It uses a tiny ESP32-P4 board as the webserver and UI host, while your computer sends live system data over USB serial.
The setup is straightforward: a Python script on the PC collects stats like CPU usage, RAM usage, host details and network info, then sends newline-terminated JSON packets to the board. On the ESP32 side, the sketch parses the JSON and exposes a /data endpoint, while also serving a dark single-page dashboard at the root URL.
The browser UI updates every five seconds using AJAX, so you get a live status page you can open from any device on the same network. The project also includes a simple activity indicator by blinking the onboard LED (pin 3) whenever fresh telemetry is received.
What makes this build useful is that it combines a few practical ideas in one place: serial data bridging, lightweight web dashboards, and microcontroller-hosted monitoring pages. It is a good template if you want to expand into custom machine-status dashboards for servers, NAS boxes or workshop PCs.
You can read the full build walkthrough on Maker.pro.