Internet is full of intetesting IoT projects built using Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP8266, ESP32, and many other hardware platforms. I will collect links to intetesting IoT projects to comments.
Feel free to post your best IoT project links to comments…
435 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
ESP8266 Adds Web Control To Old Home Theater
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/06/esp8266-adds-web-control-to-old-home-theater/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantified Desk IoT © GPL3+
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/vmehmeri/quantified-desk-iot-6647bf
Keep track of how much time you spend sitting (or standing) on your standing desk during the course of a day with this IoT project.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Espressif Launches ESP32-WROVER-E-Based ESP32-Vaquita-DSPG for Alexa, Google Voice Projects
https://www.hackster.io/news/espressif-launches-esp32-wrover-e-based-esp32-vaquita-dspg-for-alexa-google-voice-projects-208d21353065
Design includes dedicated audio processing capabilities and a daughterboard with dual beamforming microphones with echo cancellation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Weather Station © LGPL
Easily monitorize your garden’s environment with simple components.
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/Kyrpy/iot-weather-station-adbff4
Tomi Engdahl says:
Track Your Throws with This Smart Foam Football
Students embed dual accelerometers and a NodeMCU inside a Nerf ball for in-air analysis
https://www.hackster.io/news/track-your-throws-with-this-smart-foam-football-9161cb1f7b1f
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your Environmental Data on Arduino IoT Cloud © CC BY-NC
Group all the information collected by a MKR WiFi 1010 + MKR ENV Shield in a single, web-based dashboard.
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/148064/your-environmental-data-on-arduino-iot-cloud-4e29bf
By making this project you will learn how to read the data from the various sensors available on the ENV Shield, and you also learn how to visualize data on the widgets available in the Arduino Cloud.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Full Control of Your TV Using Alexa and Arduino IoT Cloud © CC BY-NC-SA
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/313276/full-control-of-your-tv-using-alexa-and-arduino-iot-cloud-9e7c4d
Learn how to use Arduino IoT Cloud and Amazon Alexa to switch the channel, adjust the volume and turn on or off any TV.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi: Turn the popular single-board computer into a smart home centre with IKEA TRÅDFRI and Home Assistant support
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Raspberry-Pi-Turn-the-popular-single-board-computer-into-a-smart-home-centre-with-IKEA-TRAADFRI-and-Home-Assistant-support.465874.0.html
A new project turns the Raspberry Pi into a control centre for smart home gadgets. The project supports both IKEA smart lighting and Home Assistant.
Set Up an IKEA TRÅDFRI Light with Home Assistant
https://www.hackster.io/michael-becker2/set-up-an-ikea-tradfri-light-with-home-assistant-3e0557
How to set up and configure an IKEA TRÅDFRI (Swedish for “wireless”) light with Home Assistant to get an affordable smart light.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Build a Cheap Telepresence Robot for Remote Work
https://www.hackster.io/news/build-a-cheap-telepresence-robot-for-remote-work-ec12a37b5b6d
If you’re working at home through quarantine, you may want to craft this cheap telepresence robot that you can move around on desks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ESP8266 IOT DASHBOARD – STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL USING THINGSBOARD via LDR Circuit Example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs7gaqq-ezM
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/05/06/three-dollar-router-rebooter-has-one-job/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/27/instruction-set-hack-for-protected-memory-access/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Get Your Microcontroller Online At The Speed Of Light
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/28/get-your-microcontroller-online-at-the-speed-of-light/
When developing a network-enabled project with the ESP8266 or ESP32, the easiest way to handle WiFi credentials is to just hardcode the access point and encryption key into the program. But that means recompiling the firmware if you ever want to use it on a different network, which isn’t really an option if you’re trying to make something that other people can easily use. If you’re expecting grandma to bust out the UART cable, we’ve got bad news for you.
There are various ways around this problem, but we think the one developed by [Pekka Lehtikoski] is particularly clever. With a simple application, network credentials can be literally “flashed” to the waiting microcontroller by rapidly blinking the flash LED on an Android device. This allows the information to be transferred quickly and easily regardless of the user’s technical proficiency. One could even make the argument that it’s more secure than some of the other methods of doing initial setup, since an eavesdropper would literally need to see you do it if they wanted to steal your encryption key.
[Pekka] has made the source code for the Android application and the “Gazerbeam” library open for anyone who wants to include the capability in their own projects.
https://iocafe.org/989-2/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Free Cloud Data Logging Courtesy Of Google
https://hackaday.com/2020/05/11/free-cloud-data-logging-courtesy-of-google/
Pushing all of your data into “The Cloud” sounds great, until you remember that what you’re really talking about is somebody else’s computer. That means all your hard-crunched data could potentially become inaccessible should the company running the service go under or change the rules on you; a situation we’ve unfortunately already seen play out.
Which makes this project from [Zoltan Doczi] and [Róbert Szalóki] so appealing. Not only does it show how easy it can be to shuffle your data through the tubes and off to that big data center in the sky, but they send it to one of the few companies that seem incapable of losing market share: Google. But fear not, this isn’t some experimental sensor API that the Big G will decide it’s shutting down next Tuesday in favor of a nearly identical service with a different name. All your precious bits and bytes will be stored in one of Google’s flagship products: Sheets.
https://github.com/DecentLabs/officeAir
Tomi Engdahl says:
Voice-Command Chess Board Powered By Alexa
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/22/voice-command-chess-board-powered-by-alexa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Creepy Mask Gives Alexa a Face
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-creepy-mask-gives-alexa-a-face-9cc908918253
Keith Colton’s animatronic project imitates the voice coming from an Echo Dot using an Arduino Nano and an envelope detector.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Control your Arduino with Amazon Alexa via a Broadlink remote.
Connect Alexa to Any Arduino with Broadlink IR © GPL3+
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/florenmichael/connect-alexa-to-any-arduino-with-broadlink-ir-83bdb7
Two years ago I searched for a way to connect my Arduino with my Alexa and came up with this simple solution.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Display quotes and synthesize speech on an Adafruit Industries PyPortal using CircuitPython and Amazon Web Services Serverless.
Adding Voice to a CircuitPython Project Using Amazon Polly
https://www.hackster.io/virgilvox/adding-voice-to-a-circuitpython-project-using-amazon-polly-609873
Display quotes and synthesize speech on an Adafruit PyPortal using CircuitPython and AWS Serverless.
Tomi Engdahl says:
OneTouch is a DIY biometric lock that takes advantage of your smartphone’s fingerprint scanner to provide physical security.
Unlock Doors with Your Smartphone’s Fingerprint Reader Using OneTouch
https://www.hackster.io/news/unlock-doors-with-your-smartphone-s-fingerprint-reader-using-onetouch-05e20b902330
OneTouch is a DIY biometric lock that takes advantage of your smartphone’s fingerprint scanner to provide physical security.
To lock or unlock the electronic deadbolt, you simply open the app and scan your fingerprint. A command will then be sent to the OneTouch device and the position of the deadbolt will be toggled.
The hardware consists of three primary components: the electronic deadbolt, a NodeMCU ESP8266 board, and a relay module that acts as an intermediary between them.
The smartphone app was built using the Firebase platform, which provides authentication when sending the lock/unlock command to the ESP8266. That should provide pretty solid security from remote attacks, but it doesn’t do anything for local attacks. If someone can gain access to the OneTouch hardware itself, they’ll be able to open the lock easily.
https://hackaday.io/project/173372-onetouch
Tomi Engdahl says:
An open source USB transmitter created for a custom home assistant.
Control AC RF Switches with the Open433 USB Transmitter
https://www.hackster.io/news/control-ac-rf-switches-with-the-open433-usb-transmitter-fb2dcd67898b
A USB transmitter created for a custom home assistant. It may not be as pretty as Alexa, but it’s more powerful.
Open433 is an open source USB RF transmitter equipped with a pair of coiled antennas. The device is based on an ATmega328 running at 16MHz with an Arduino Uno bootloader and a CH340 USB to the serial converter. Samuel also added an expansion port for SDA / SCL / A0 / Pin8 (PD0) in addition to the ISCP header with the SPI bus to allow the board to be used as a standalone transmitter to send sensor values.
https://www.tindie.com/products/thestaticturtle/open433/
https://blog.thestaticturtle.fr/creating-a-custom-component-for-homeassistant/
https://github.com/TheStaticTurtle/Open433
Tomi Engdahl says:
For $3 You Can Build a Device to Automatically Reset Your Router
Tired of having to manually restart your cable modem? This super cheap ESP8266 01 workaround will handle it for you.
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/3-you-can-build-device-automatically-reset-your-router?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13629&elq_cid=876648
If your home internet goes down, there’s a 90% chance it’s your cable modem acting up. Sure a good old fashioned reset usually does the trick, but that doesn’t make it any less of a pain in the neck.
On his website WhatIMadeToday, Mike Diamond, a self-taught maker, has figured out a very low-cost solution using an ESP8266 01 and a small relay board. The device works by continuously pinging Google through your modem. If it doesn’t get a response back it assumes the modem is down or has crashed and will automatically power-cycle the modem.
Make an automatic router re-starter for $3 with an ESP8266 01 and single relay
http://www.whatimade.today/make-an-automatic-router-re-starter-for-3-with-an-esp8266-01-and-single-relay/
How it works
In layman’s terms, the process is simple. The ESP periodically pings Google through the modem. If it gets a reply, it does nothing; the relay stays closed and the modem stays on.
If the ESP does not get a reply, it will “understand” that the modem is down. When this happens, it turns off the relay, waits 30 seconds, then turns it back on, thus power-cycling the modem.
Infinite Loop
One flaw had me stumped for a while before I worked it out.
We all know that it takes the modem a few minutes to successfully “handshake” with the line. When I first set up my device, the ESP kept pinging Google during setup. As the modem hadn’t yet connected, the ESP got no reply – so did a power-cycle. I was in an infinite loop getting nowhere.
I needed the ESP to give the modem time to successfully handshake. Once this happened, the ESP would enter its regular polling of Google.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/30/the-challenges-of-monitoring-water-streams-and-surviving-mother-nature/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andrew “bunnie” Huang has published an open source NUS data link reference design, in the hopes it could assist IoT project makers with provisioning.
Bunnie and Xobs Release Open Near-Ultrasound Data Link Reference Design for Cheap IoT Provisioning
https://www.hackster.io/news/bunnie-and-xobs-release-open-near-ultrasound-data-link-reference-design-for-cheap-iot-provisioning-ad03e20ab28b
Following tests carried out as part of the Simmel COVID-19 contact-tracing project, the NUS data link is being repurposed — and released.
While ill-suited to contact tracing, NUS does spell a potential fix for the provisioning issue for low-cost IoT devices: “I imagine one use for this would be a way to provision IoT devices: The ‘how do I get Wi-Fi credentials into an IoT device that lacks both screen and keyboard?’ problem,” bunnie elaborates. “With the addition of a ~$1 microphone to a Cortex-M4 class device, you get a short-range data link to a host device, such as a phone. You can use a web page (via JavaScript) to generate the modulated audio directly, thus bypassing a host of multi-platform issues, or you can generate a file offline and send it to any standard music player.”
The system works by encoding data via PSK31 at a rate of 651 symbols per second, then transmitting it on a 20.8kHz carrier with binary phase-shift keying (BPSK).
More details are available on bunnie’s blog, with the reference design and source code available on the Simmel Project GitHub repository.
https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=5847
https://github.com/simmel-project/nus-link
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://youtu.be/28FS2qix2u4
How to connect NodeMCU ESP8266 with AWS IoT Core using Arduino IDE and MQTT Protocol. In this process, we will see how to create a thing in AWS IoT core, generating certificates and policy, How all AWS IoT core credentials are converted to .der format and directly downloaded into the NodeMCU ESP8266 SPIFFS file system. We will be developing a sketch that will marry ESP8266 and AWS IoT Core using MQTT Protocol. this sketch requires the certificate files to be uploaded to the device’s flash rather than storing them inline with the script. This allows the same script to be used by multiple devices, that each read the required files from their internal flash storage.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Keep tabs on the temperature, humidity and line voltage from an easy-to-use web interface.
This DIY Temperature Monitor Lets You Access Data Remotely
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-diy-temperature-monitor-lets-you-access-data-remotely-f5eea96ccf8b
Keep tabs on the temperature, humidity and line voltage from an easy-to-use web interface.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/08/heater-joins-the-internet-of-things-with-esp32-board/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless SD Card Reader [ESP8266]
Just plug the device with an SD card inside into any USB port. It creates an FTP server where we can send and receive data to the SD card.
https://www.hackster.io/Neutrino-1/wireless-sd-card-reader-esp8266-de7f07
Tomi Engdahl says:
Expanding the ESP-01′s Capabilities to Build an LED Matrix
https://www.hackster.io/news/expanding-the-esp-01-s-capabilities-to-build-an-led-matrix-041b89a175fc
Even though the ESP-01 only has four GPIO pins, it can still be capable of some amazing stuff, such as this WiFi-connected LED display.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CO2 Monitor to Improve Health, Wellbeing, and Productivity
https://www.hackster.io/glovebox/co2-monitor-to-improve-health-wellbeing-and-productivity-815fce
With lots of us working from home and closing the door to shut out everyday life then CO2 levels could be making you grumpy, sleepy, or sad.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino-Compatible “Smart Stirrer” Monitors Chemical Reactions, Transmits Data to a Raspberry Pi
Immersed in the liquid itself, the Bluetooth-connected Smart Stirrer adds some sensing smarts to off-the-shelf magnetic stirring plates.
https://www.hackster.io/news/arduino-compatible-smart-stirrer-monitors-chemical-reactions-transmits-data-to-a-raspberry-pi-9ea77a6fb704
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/control-electronics-just-by-looking-at-them-with-hypervisor-66c72addf818
Tomi Engdahl says:
MSCHF’s Alexagate is a device you can attach to your Amazon Echo to prevent it from listening to your conversations until you’re ready.
Alexagate Will Stop Your Amazon Echo From Eavesdropping on You
https://www.hackster.io/news/alexagate-will-stop-your-amazon-echo-from-eavesdropping-on-you-19220128bcc7
MSCHF’s Alexagate is a device you can attach to your Amazon Echo to prevent it from listening to your conversations until you’re ready.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/25/esp8266-makes-a-wireless-card-reader/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digital Multi-Tool Is a Great Use for Spare Sensors
“It’s like a Swiss Army knife, but for sensing.”
https://www.hackster.io/news/digital-multi-tool-is-a-great-use-for-spare-sensors-01d373392ad3
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Toilet Indicator Will Let You Know When You’re Free to Go
Meet Lou, a lil’ Internet-connected toilet model.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-toilet-indicator-will-let-you-know-when-you-re-free-to-go-a58d80359313
Tomi Engdahl says:
The BristleBot brushes artwork based on real-time data.
BristleBot – IoT Data Visualization
Real-time artwork based on collected data
https://www.hackster.io/ivcajer/bristlebot-iot-data-visualization-7c02a8
Tomi Engdahl says:
SS4H-SSR Smart Extension Board – DIY project based on ESP8266
https://smartsolutions4home.com/ss4h-ssr-smart-extension-board/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This developer is working on waterproof, removable modules that add data collection and transmission capabilities to solar street lamps.
Network From Solar Street-Lamps © GPL3+
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/marcosjom/network-from-solar-street-lamps-e39e39
Interconnect solar street-lamps by adding monitoring and communication devices into them.
Warning: be extremely careful when working with high voltage devices (up to 60 volts in this case). The risks of sparks, damage, fire and death are present.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Automating Mini Blinds The Rental-Friendly Way
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/19/automating-mini-blinds-the-rental-friendly-way/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/606364467/posts/10158764881684468/
man coap-client-gnutls
/usr/bin/coap-client-gnutls -m put -e ‘{“15015″:[{ "5536":0.0}]}’ -u “$TF_USERNAME” -k “$TF_PRESHARED_KEY” “coaps://$TF_GATEWAYIP:5684//15001/$TF_DEVICEID”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Edward Chamberlain’s 8-bit-style lamps react to onscreen action!
Enhance Your Gaming or Movie Viewing Experience with Reactive Pixel Lamps
https://www.hackster.io/news/enhance-your-gaming-or-movie-viewing-experience-with-reactive-pixel-lamps-046d564eab03
Edward Chamberlain’s 8-bit-style lamps react to onscreen action!
Interactive ambient lighting, where a display’s sides light up to further enhance immersion, is an interesting technology. Edward Chamberlain, however, decided to take this concept to another level with his reactive “Pixel Lamps.” Each lamp is fashioned in a cube to evoke the feeling of an 8-bit game environment, with a 3D-printed base and a diffuser taken off of a cube-style nightlight.
A Wemos D1 mini ESP8266 module is implemented in each for WiFi communication and lighting control. Light is provided by a “traditional” (i.e. non-programmable) RGB LED, with the appropriate resistors and transistors to allow the Wemos board to adjust the lighting.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Reactive-Pixel-Lamps/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Upgrading a Nerf Blaster with a Bluetooth Module for Fly-by-Wire Operation
Daniel Veilleux modified a fully-automatic Nerf Mega Mastodon blaster with a Nordic Semiconductor Bluetooth dongle to make it “fly-by-wire.”
https://www.hackster.io/news/upgrading-a-nerf-blaster-with-a-bluetooth-module-for-fly-by-wire-operation-6d1048fce6f7
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Rotary Slack Status Updater Is a Must-Have for Remote Workers
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-rotary-slack-status-updater-is-a-must-have-for-remote-workers-ace2e1864f20
Becky Stern and Brian Lough team up to create a slack status updater using an ESP8266.
specifics are available via Stern’s project tutorial. Addditionally, Lough goes over his Slack API library in the second clip, and if you’d like to check out the code, it’s up on GitHub.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Slack-Status-Updater-With-ESP8266/
https://github.com/witnessmenow/arduino-slack-api
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amine Mehdi Mansouri’s device is small enough to fit it in hidden places like books, shelves, or his pocket.
Legally Track Smartphone Users via an ESP8266 Microcontroller
https://www.hackster.io/news/legally-track-smartphone-users-via-an-esp8266-microcontroller-7bd91d2ce328
Amine Mehdi Mansouri’s device is small enough to fit it in hidden places like books, shelves, or his pocket.
What started as a project for checking the connection status of his IoT plant sensors, engineering student Amine Mehdi Mansouri found (after doing some research) that people were using the probe requests sent by mobile devices to announce the SSIDs they connected with. Smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets routinely check for Wi-Fi connections, and most of them save previously connected network information, which is shared with anything that’s actively listening. Those public packets essentially show where the user has been, as well as the device’s unique MAC address.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This perpetual calendar was designed using CNC-machined acrylic, WS2812B LEDs, and an ESP8266 that provides the date via NTP server.
Backlight Automated Perpetual Calendar Powered by an ESP-01 Module
https://www.hackster.io/news/backlight-automated-perpetual-calendar-powered-by-an-esp-01-module-636d00b58a81
The calendar was designed using CNC-machined acrylic, WS2812B LEDs, and an ESP8266 that provides the date via NTP server.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Backlit-Automated-Perpetual-Calendar-a-CNC-Project/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://github.com/ruuvi/ruuvitag_hw
Tomi Engdahl says:
Solar Scare Mosquito 2.0
An open-source IoT platform to monitor and prevent epidemics such as Malaria, Dengue and the Zika Virus.
https://hackaday.io/project/174575-solar-scare-mosquito-20
Tomi Engdahl says:
ResQ Aims to Help Find Lost Hikers by Capturing WiFi Beacon Frames
Eric Wiiliam’s open source, air and ground-based tools can detect people by using their existing cell phone signature.
https://www.hackster.io/news/resq-aims-to-help-find-lost-hikers-by-capturing-wifi-beacon-frames-6608e10e4b22
Tomi Engdahl says:
Turning an Espruino Puck.js Into a Universal Presentation Clicker
Espruino boards are unique, because they’re programmed with JavaScript. Parasquid used one to build a universal presentation clicker.
https://www.hackster.io/news/turning-an-espruino-puck-js-into-a-universal-presentation-clicker-4921dacc0bb6
Tomi Engdahl says:
WaterAid Finds Potable Water And Stops Polluters
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/29/wateraid-finds-potable-water-and-stops-polluters/
Millions of people all over the world don’t have access to clean drinking water, and it’s largely because of pollution by corporations and individuals. Solving this problem requires an affordable, scalable way to quickly judge water quality, package the data, and present it to an authority that can crack down on the polluters before the evidence dissipates. Ideally, the solution would be open source and easy to replicate. The more citizen scientists, the better.
[Andrei Florian]’s WaterAid flows directly from this line of thinking. Dip this small handheld device below the surface, and it quickly takes a bunch of water quality and atmospheric readings, averages them, and sends the data to a web dashboard using an Arduino MKR GSM.
WaterAid
WaterAid is an IoT empowered, smart water quality monitoring device enabling remote data collection and visualisation on a dashboard.
https://hackaday.io/project/174026-wateraid