Smart Home – SuperHouse Automation

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

Gesture Controlled Smart Home

It is already possible to easily control devices in your house using an app on your phone, but what if you could turn on the lights or open the blinds with a simple movement of your hands? This is exactly what Joaquim has done using an MYO gesture control armband.

Joaquim has explained his project in great detail, but the results certainly have to been seen to be believed. To find out more check out the following link.

Fundamental to almost all home automation project is the ability to connect devices to Wifi. If you are wondering how to connect your Arduino to Wifi, why not checkout the Freetronics ESP-01 WiFi Module shield for Arduino. The shield has a socket that’s perfect for the ESP-01 module (a very common and cheap wifi module), and addresses all the needs of the ESP8266 including supplying the correct power and connections to your Arduino. Don’t fiddle with jumper wires or sub-standard power supplies – order your Freetronics ESP-01 WiFi Module Shield today! They’re in stock right now for only $14.

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

Inspired to start work on this project? Are you working on 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 15, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Arduino Smart Letterbox

Never forget to collect the mail ever again with this useful Arduino mail notifier! Using 315MHz wireless radios, Riley Porter has created a system that lets you know whenever the mail arrives. With this system you never have to worry about soggy mail ever again, and can even keep track of the typical times that mail arrives in your letter box. The notifier uses a light sensor to detect when a letter has been received and then transmits a notification to the receiver over a 315MHz wireless signal. To get started on this project check out the following link.

This project would be a great addition to your existing smart home, or would be a fantastic project to start with if you are looking to add 21st century smarts to your home.

The wireless functionality in this project is based on a 315MHz wireless connection. These types of connections are very common and have the potential to be used in many different projects. If you are planning on working on this project, or any other that requires wireless communications, SuperHouse Automation recommends the Freetronics 315MHz Receiver Shield. The shield has a large, gold plated prototyping area, three status LEDs and a built in reset button. For more information visit the 315MHz Receiver Shield page.

Subscribe to SuperHouse Automation on YouTube to learn more about creating internet of things devices!

Have an idea of another common household item that could benefit from being connected to the internet? 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 7, 2016 by Daniel de Waard — Leave a comment

Monitor Your Rubbish Usage with the Arduino Smart Bin

Sick of your rubbish bin overflowing? Sick of never remembering to take out your bins? Check out this Arduino powered smart rubbish bin! The project allows you turn your bin into an internet of things (IoT) device so that you can keep track of how full your bin is, and even schedule reminders to take your bin out. The bin uses an IR distance sensor to sense the height from the top of the bin to the current rubbish level. This information is then sent to an Arduino which makes a comparison between the current distance and the height of the bin to work out the rubbish level and update a web app (or push data to an existing home automation system).

You can even configure your smart bin to tweet or email you when the bin reaches capacity! This would be a perfect project to incorporate into an existing smart home. Love the idea of a smart trash can and can’t wait to get started? check out the Instructable from jsigmier to get started.

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

Started on your own home automation project? Inspired by this project? The team at SuperHouse Automation would love to know! Let us know in the comments section below or on Facebook and Twitter.