How have you automated your homes?

Hi

i have taken home automation quite far as I wanted to see where I could go with it, and how “industrialised” I could make it.

i automated the following:

  • Swimming pool motor and light controlled by timers. Internet connectivity for offsite control, status and history

  • 8 Zone sprinkler system with multiple timers. Internet connectivity for offsite control, status and history

  • 5 Security lights and fountains with multiple timers. Internet connectivity for offsite control, status and history

  • 5 sensor weather station on my roof with solar power for measuring and recording temperature, humidity, light, pressure and water (rain). All data is stored every 15 seconds via webservice post to AWS server.

  • Main gate triggered by blue tooth tag or secure code using Telegram

I then build some central functionality to manage the following:

  • Communication module to allow me to send emails, tweets and Telegram messages based on different rules and needs.

  • Heartbeat module to listen for a heartbeat message from all devices every 15 minutes and report status of any devices that go missing.

  • Communication module that houses a number of web services to communicate with the outside world and co-ordinate activities between devices.

All of this talks to an AWS EC2 server which houses the database and website for the overall automation solution. I have also implemented JWT tokens for access control via the website.

All edge devices are on Photons and the central modules run on a Raspberry Pi

The project is complete and it demonstrates that IOT home automation is definitely a possibility and that the options are endless.

Happy to share more if there is interest.

8 Likes

Hi Greg, I'm interested in knowing more about how you integrated Telegram in your home automation (with Particle?). Thanks!

Hi

I publish a set of particle variables which call a webhook integration in the Particle cloud. The web hook posts the data to a small node web server which I have running on a Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi sits at the center of all my devices and does common things such as logging, messaging, heartbeat management and providing a bunch of services for extracting data and reporting. I have a common service that does Telegram messaging for all my devices.

It is really very simple to set up and use. I now use Telegram to report and activate on all devices and services.

Happy to help if you need.

Greg

2 Likes

Our Water Leak Sensor (https://github.com/TeamPracticalProjects/WaterLeakSensor) uses a Photon to publish alarms when a water leak is detected (using Blynk). It also measures and publishes temperature and humidity.

Our Particle Door Open (https://github.com/TeamPracticalProjects/Particle-Door-Open) uses a Photon or Core to trip an electric door strike when a cloud function is called via IFTTT,

Our SIS Project (https://github.com/TeamPracticalProjects/SISProject) isn’t really home automation but does use cheap wireless sensors to record a persons movements around and in/out of the house and make logs of this information available to the cloud.

1 Like

Used a Photon with the Blynk app to run/monitor a hot water recirculating pump and temperature sensor. Basement is unfinished so it was easy to run a return line from the kitchen sink back into the bottom of hot water heater around 30 ft apart. Didn’t want to pay $200 for the off the shelf solution which sends hot water back through the cold water line, although a good option if you can’t put in a return line.
In the end, I probably still have about $200 into it with everything including insulating the pipes. It was a fun project.

1 Like

My favorite is a simple device I made to monitor my furnace and check for water leaks. Unlike most water leak monitors, this one works indirectly in that it measures the temperature of the water line as it enters the house and compares that to the ambient temperature of the room.

I first printed a box using my 3D printer that holds the Photon and the temperature sensors. One temperature sensor sits tight up to the water line. The other sensor, located on the underside of the box and isolated from the Photon and pipe, monitors the ambient temperature of the room (which is the same room as where my furnace is located.)

The ambient and water line temps are sent to Blynk. One graph displays the ambient and water line temps and a second graph shows the difference between the two temperatures. (I also have a Photon outside the house which feeds temperature data to the same Blynk app.)

When the water isn’t being used the water temp approximates the ambient temperature of the room. When a water faucet is opened (or a leak occurs, hopefully) the water temperature drops rapidly relative to the room temperature. I can have the Blynk app send me a notice that the temperatures have diverged. It’s precise enough that I can tell when my wife makes coffee in the morning. The added advantage is that I also receive a notice if the ambient temp drops below a certain level so I know if the furnace stops working (which is often what precedes burst pipes.)

The first Blynk photo shows a 6-hour timeframe, clearly showing when a faucet first opened in the morning. The second one is a 1 month timeframe showing the graph signature while we were traveling.

A few things to consider. The nice thing about monitoring leaks with this method is that it will work no matter where in the house the leak occurs. This is an advantage to placing contact leak detectors all over the house. On the other hand, I don’t know how slow of a leak this system will detect so it might make sense to add some contact leak detectors in critical locations. Another thing that could trip this up is if the power goes out or your WiFi goes out. But it’s cheap and there are no recurring costs.

Fun, practical project made simple by Particle Photon and Blynk.



6 Likes

That was very clever!!!

1 Like

What type of sensor are you using?
And can you share a picture of the inside of your box? The box is pretty neat !

I’m using simple, inexpensive TMP-36 sensors which cost around $1.50 USD each.

The wiring is also simple, as you can see from the photo. The box is zip-tied to the water line and the box cover is press-fit. I took the Photon logo from the box it came in from Particle and glued it to the 3D-printed cover which added a nice touch.

I made the box with compartments to minimize heat effects from the Photon and between the ambient and pipe temp sensors. A little foam insulation and triangle shaped openings in the box also help.

3 Likes

I feel like such a wally but I don’t “get” the logic behind how the sensor detects a leak. ELI5?! Thanks!!

You might have missed my original post from Feb 4. In that I explain everything, including a few potential problems with doing it this way.

Sorry, I don’t know what ELI5?! refers to.

I turned a typical on/off switched plant light to an automated one that every day @3am grabs data from a web site to find out the sunrise and sunset time for the new day, which then controls the LEDs to mimic that. Also has a web interface to see that information is, and to control the LED brightness of the white & pink strips.

1 Like

I use openHAB and connect to several Photons (and a few Arduino Megas) as area nodes. They are all linked by MQTT. I control RGB LED strips, garden irrigation valves, and landscape lighting primarily.

I also built an electronic busy board for my son that is powered by a Photon. The board controls the room’s connected lights (RGB Hue and overhead lights along with a disco bulb) with a parental sanity override!

5 Likes

Impressive. You win!

2 Likes

Would love to see more! A video? Its own post? This is too good not to show off!

2 Likes

Hah, ok- I’ll make a new thread. :grinning:

Originally, I just wanted to make a few finishing touches, but like a true maker my plans quickly turned into a complete remake. I’m in the middle of a move so I haven’t started the new one yet, but I’ll see what I can do to document this one!

Thanks for the kind words!

1 Like

Hi Tom, I came back to this thread and again looked at your project and again I was amazed.
I have to ask: how did you come up with this idea?
thanks,
Gustavo.

1 Like

Please do!! :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

That’s awful nice of you to say, @gusgonnet. How did I come up with the idea? By waking up every morning around 3 a.m. with my mind racing on whatever subject happens to interest me at the time. This was very effective when I was working but can be a bit annoying now that I’m retired! Thanks again for the kind words.

2 Likes

nice trick, I will start setting my alarm a 2:59 am to increase my chances of getting ideas like yours!

2 Likes