2016 – Page 7 – SuperHouse Automation

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Open Your Garage Door Using Your Smartphone

For those who are chronically forgetful or who often find themselves locked out of home, Instructables member MegunoLink has developed a system that allows you to open your garage using only your smartphone, granting quick and easy entry even without your keys.

The project uses a Freetronics EtherTen (recommended by SuperHouse Automation) to host a web page which can be accessed from any device on your local network. When you enter the password on the website, the Arduino switches a relay that triggers the opening of the garage door. The project should work on most motorised garage doors and only requires basic soldering to assemble. All of the parts are readily available, and completing this project will introduce you to the basics of controlling anything and everything over the internet.

Once you have obtained the parts required, you could easily add internet connectivity to your garage door in a few days – visit the Instructables page to get started.

Always wanted to create your own home automation system? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start! If you have a home automation project you would like SuperHouse to write about let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on August 3, 2016August 5, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Arduino Powered Thermal Imaging Camera

Are you fascinated by the idea of thermal imaging? Well I bet you didn’t realise that you can make your very own thermal imaging camera using Arduino! With this awesome project from stoppi71, using an Arduino, some servos and a thermal sensor you can be producing awesome thermal images in no time.

This is quite an advanced project but if you are willing to put in the effort you will be rewarded with a whole heap of new skills and a working thermal imaging camera. Worth it in our opinion! From a home automation perspective the applications of this project are not immediately obvious, however, they do exist. For example you could use a thermal imaging camera to check for hot and cold spots in your insulation so that you can lower your heating and cooling costs!

To get started on this fantastic project check out the instructable!

If you are looking for an Arduino board to power your thermal imaging camera, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Are you are thinking about making your own thermal imaging camera? Have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Arduino Night Lamp

Are you kids scared of the dark? Do you spend a lot of time and effort setting up lights for your kids so that it is the perfect ambience for them to get to sleep? With this Arduino-Controlled Night Light from Andre you can very easily automate this process and never have to worry about setting a night light ever again. The project is very simple and uses an Arduino and a photodiode to automatically turn on a night light when it gets dark. You could very easily get all the parts to make this project in a quick (and cheap) trip to your local electronics store! Furthermore, you can easily customise this project to suit your exact needs. Although it is a very basic project, from a home automation perspective, it is sometimes the very basic projects that can provide the greatest benefit. To get started with this cool project check out the following link.

If you are looking for an Arduino board to power your night light, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Are you are thinking about making your own night light? Have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Internet Connected Swimming Pool

You may be wondering why you would ever want to connect your swimming pool to the internet? The answer is simple. Adding internet connection to your swimming pool allows you to monitor the temperature and water quality, and gives you precise control over the pump, filtering and heating systems! This pool collects data from a number of sensors which are fed into a Raspberry Pi via an Arduino. A relay then allows the system to have precise control over the workings of the pool based on the sensor inputs! Convinced? Check out the instructions Kevin has prepared to find out more!

Check out the video below to see it in action:

If you are working on a projected that requires interaction between an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi the team at SuperHouse Automation recommends the Freetronics PiLeven!

Want to get started creating your own home automation system? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Love this project? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Intelligent Monitor Stand

Do you spend hours in front of your computer each day? With this clever monitor stand from Seeed Studio you can not only raise your monitor to protect your back, but also be provided with useful statistics about how many hours you have been spending in front of the computer. The project uses an ultrasonic distance sensor to determine if someone is sitting at the computer, and a OLED display to provide feedback to the user.

There are lots of possibilities for extra functionality that can be added into the monitor stand, but even in its current form it is a great project that will help you to develop your maker skills, whilst still providing you with a very useful end product. This is perfect for use at home or in the office! To get started on this fantastic project, check out the following link.

If you are looking for an Arduino board to power your monitor stand, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Are you are thinking about making your own monitor stand? Have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Motion Following Motorized Camera Base

Do the blindspots in your static security camera system cause you to sleep uneasily at night? With this motion tracking camera system designed by Lindsay you can remove blind spots and ensure that your cameras will always be recording any intruders! The project uses a motion sensor and servo to rotate a camera to ensure it is always facing the action. To get started on this cool project check out the following link. Full instructions, schematics and source code have been provided so you should have everything you need to get started.

If you are looking for an Arduino board to power your night light, the SuperHouse team recommends the Freetronics “Eleven” Arduino Compatible Board, click on the link to find out more.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Automatic Fish Feeder

Do you ever forget to feed your fish? Are you sick of needing to organise someone to feed your fish when you go on holidays? With this awesome project from DangerousTim you can overcome all these problems and more! The fish feeder uses a clock to determine when the fish should be fed and two servo motors to dispense the food to the fish.

Additionally an LCD screen is used to provide information to the user. This project is sure to save you a lot of time and ensure that your fish are well fed, but never overfed! The instructions for this project are very comprehensive and can be found at the following link.

You could very easily incorporate the fish feeder into an existing automation system so that you can keep track of key aquarium statistics and adjust feeding patterns remotely.

Want to learn more about awesome automation hacks like this? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Thinking about making your own automatic fish feeder? Have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Automatic Door Opener

Do you struggle to open your front door while you are carrying the groceries inside? Do you have elderly parents who could benefit from an automatic door? With this project from Saral Tayal you can add a motor to any door around your house for effortless opening.

The door opener uses an Arduino to control a geared motor which opens the door and an LCD which provides feedback about the door status. Check out the video below to see the door in action!

This is a really cool project and has a lot of potential to be integrated into an existing home automation system. To get started check out the following instructable.

Want to learn more about awesome automation hacks like this? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Thinking about making your own automatic door? Have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on July 27, 2016July 27, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Arduino Smart Doorbell

Do struggle to hear your doorbell while you are outside or along way from your front door? With this project from the ArduinoProjectHub you can make sure that you never miss a visitor ever again! The smart doorbell will notify you on your smartphone or computer when your doorbell has been pressed. The doorbell uses an Arduino and an Ethernet shield so that the notification can be sent over the cloud.

This project is quite simple and easy to make but has a lot of potential to be integrated into an existing automation system. For example, when the doorbell is pressed you could easily have your home automation system automatically display vision from a security camera located near your front door so you can see who is at the door. To get started with this cool project check out the following link.

Want to keep in the loop about the latest in home automation? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start!

Are you are thinking about making your own hidden kitchen shelf or do you have a project you would like us to feature in this blog? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Tell us about it in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Arduino Aquaponics!

Aquaponics is a unique system of raising fish and growing plants together. At a basic level, the fish fertilize the plants, allowing plants to grow in a water saving, chemical free environment. However, developing effective aquaponic systems can be very difficult. This is why Rik Kretzinger has added an Arduino into his aquaponic garden to make things run as smoothly as possible. Adding an Arduino allows the garden to be fully automated with various pumps controlled by the data inputted by water level, humidity, temperature and moisture sensors. The project even allows you to control and log data from your garden over the internet! The aquaponic garden allows you to combine the joy of making with the satisfaction of growing your own veggies! Although the project requires a number of parts to get started, it could be a worthwhile investment in the long run with likely savings from growing your own produce. To get started building your own aquaponics garden check out the following link. The project is extremely well documented and provides many useful tips to ensure that your garden is as productive as possible.

Want to get started creating your own home automation system? Subscribing to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube is the best place to start! Started on your own home automation project? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.