The world currently makes use of approximately 30 billion IoT devices to build a more interconnected world where information sharing and automation is done with ease. Although a large percentage of available IoT devices are deployed across commercial facilities, the use of IoT for home automation in domestic spaces is at an all-time high.
IoT devices and home automation software serve as the foundation for this growth. These tools are used to automate room temperature, control window blinds, and lighting. IoT can also be deployed for more complex projects such as watering and timing the watering of flowers or in-door plants. You can also choose to stretch the limit of your home automation project by developing an advanced digital home assistant to help you with tasks. But before delving into advanced projects, here are 21 IoT projects you can start with to get a feel of what can be accomplished.
Table of Contents
Simplistic IoT Projects for Kick-starting your Home Automation
DHT11/DHT22 Temperature Sensor
Measuring humidity levels and temperature is useful to anyone who intends to automate the functions of your HVAC systems or automate plant watering timelines. The humidity and temperature provide the data or information the home automation system will require to make specific decisions such as if the room temperature is 40-degrees Fahrenheit, switch on the air conditioner, etc. thus, the DHT11/DHT22 temperature sensor helps you keep track of these important environmental parameters.
The project requires some understanding of working with circuit boards and microcontrollers such as the Arduino and a microprocessor such as the Raspberry Pi. You can find the details needed for this project here.
Functions
- Measure temperature and environmental humidity
- Capable of measuring temperatures within 0 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (0 – 50C)
- Can measure from 20 up to 90% of relative humidity.
Advantages
There are diverse ways this sensor can be put to use but here, the focus will be placed on its use in domestic settings. Its advantages include:
- Having an internal hydrometer which can be connected to an HVAC system to control the air conditioning mode when humidity levels are low
- It also serves as a thermometer which allows you capture room temperature data and control the HVAC system to either reduce or increase the room temperature depending on the sensor’s readings.
IoT Pet Feeder
The IoT pet feeder automates the process of feeding your pets with their favorite meals at specified intervals. This project is one that ensures you have fun while building something useful for your pet. For busy people who spend hours working at the office or from home, the IoT pet feeder ensures your pet gets fed at the appropriate time without you having to move away from your workstation. It also reduces that nagging feeling that comes with trying to remember when last you gave ‘Santa’s little helper’ his last meal.
The project requires some knowledge of circuitry as you will need to configure an Arduino UNO or Genuino UNO board. A motion sensor will also be needed to automate the process, as well as, external hardware housing the feed. You can find the schematics and directions for executing this IoT project here.
Functions
- Feels up your pet’s food bowl at specific times according to your choice
- Tracks movement around the feeding bowl with a PIR sensor. This movement can be used to trigger the servo which refills the bowl
- Supports the use of mobile application to control the IoT pet feeder
Advantages
- The movement sensor is particularly helpful to anyone who lives alone and has to leave pets indoors while working. The sensor ensures your pet always have something to eat
- The IoT pet feeder can be used to train pets by providing the reward they receive through an automated feeding bowl
- For freelancers and everyone working at home during the pandemic, the pet feeder ensures you can stay on your desk for extended periods of time without having to feed your pet.
TF03 Home Security Alarm Device
A home security system will always be helpful to everyone who is interested in keeping watch on their immediate surroundings. Thus one that has the ability to detect motion within a range of 180 meters will definitely be useful. The TF03 is that device and it is IP67 certified which means it can be used under rain, snow, and in dusty areas without fear of it malfunctioning.
This IoT project requires the use of an Arduino Uno and a TF03 sensor which monitors distance. The project also integrates a trumpet and LED light which serves as alerting mediums when the perimeter is breached.
Functions
- Serves as a safety device which alerts homeowners of suspicious movement around their property
- Creates a 180m safety line which when breached immediately alerts the user.
Advantages
- The range of the TF03 device means it can be used for both domestic and industrial safety cases. In industrial settings, it can be used to create segments for only employees while in the home; it serves as a safety device and a motion detector
- The iP67 rating of the TF03 ensures that the device remains functional even in extreme weather conditions.
Arduino Uno Mini Weather Station
A weather station is useful in many ways to homeowners who intend to cultivate a garden or constantly be involved in outdoor activities. The mini weather station is actually what it is called as it measures ambient temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, light intensity, UV index, and dust concentration. Its ability to measure dust concentration also makes it an important IoT device for DIY woodworking tasks.
The build phase consists of setting up an Arduino Uno and connecting it to the different sensors the weather station uses in collecting environmental data. The weather station is also integrated with Wi-Fi which allows you to post data publicly or onto other screens and dashboards. You can find the detail for this IoT weather station here.
Functions
- Provides regular readings and updates of environmental parameters. This includes temperature, humidity, UV index, and dust contamination
- The weather station is Wi-Fi enabled. This means updates can be broadcast to other mediums.
Advantages
- A mini weather station will be useful to anyone who works outdoors. This includes gardeners, painters, and other artisans
- The dust contamination reading will also be useful for woodworkers and anyone that works around sources that produce sawdust.
Modbus MKR Wi-Fi 1010 and RS485
How much energy does each of your home devices consume? You could say your energy bill highlights your expenditure but the Modbus MKR takes things to another level by allowing you to track the energy consumption rate of each domestic appliance you have in your home. The IoT solution makes use of Finder Energy Meter to ensure measurements are accurate.
This DIY project requires you to configure an Arduino and integrate the use of communication protocols such as MQTT. You will also need to hook the IoT device to a home automation system connected to your appliances to track the consumption rate of each appliance.
Functions
- The major function of this IoT solution is monitoring your energy consumption rate
- The IoT device will monitor and record the exact consumption rate of individual appliances.
Advantages
- The Modbus MKR energy consumption rate monitor enables you to cut out excessive energy consumption rate which reduces the money spent annually on domestic energy
- The monitor can also support your efforts to keep energy sources green and reduce your carbon footprint.
Home Smart Home
Capturing IoT data from domestic appliances and devices are the building blocks of home automation. The Home Smart Home IoT device receives data produced by your IoT hardware and stores them locally. You can also choose to push this data to the cloud if you choose. The smart home device receives the data from sensors attached to IoT hardware and packages it into JSON.
To set up the Home Smart Home IoT system, you will need an Arduino board, Orange PI, and MediaTek Linkit. You can find the instructions and the code needed to set up this IoT project here.
Functions
- Data collection for automated homes has always been something many IoT enthusiasts have looked forward to. The smart home system solves that
- The data captured from interconnected IoT hardware provide insights into the functions and capacity of domestic hardware and appliances.
Advantages
- Setting up the local server costs approximately $15. This means with an affordable sum, you will be able to capture related data that provide insight into the devices running your home
- The collected data can be used to reduce energy consumption rate or fine-tune interconnected IoT devices to ensure your home automation project runs smoothly.
Zigbee Door Chime
Friendly notifications have always served as reminders that ensure we keep to time or do some activity worth doing. In many cases blaring sirens that are headache-inducing are used to notify homeowners whenever a sensor is tripped. The Zigbee Door Chime tries to eliminate these noises through the use of soothing charms that simply notify without alarming anyone. With less than $20 of hardware, you can recreate this IoT project that produces a simple door chime whenever a door, window, curtain, or appliance attached to a sensor is triggered.
For this project, an Arduino board and a home automation platform hooked up to your sensors. You can find the instructions needed for this project here.
Functions
- The Door Chime provides soothing notification when drawing your attention to a closed door or to any activity that requires your attention
- The Zigbee Door Chime is smaller than the Arduino Shield which makes it more compatible for your domestic use.
Advantages
- A notification system that is triggered by sensors in IoT hardware provides multiple use cases and advantages within the home. One example is the notification sent if your garage door is left open, or a heater is left on.
IoT Emoji Sign
The IoT Emoji sign is a fun project to get you started with IoT and using the hardware and software platforms that define IoT implementation. The project showcases happy emojis on a LED screen and can be a welcome addition to your work desk.
To build the IoT Emoji Sign, you will need a development board and in this case, the ESP8266 board was used, LED chips, and some soldering work. You can find the information needed to develop the IoT Emoji Sign here.
Functions
- This is a simple IoT project and its main function is to showcase emojis in light.
Advantages
- The IoT Emoji sign can serve as a decorative piece for your workstation
- It provides a cases study to start your learning process before graduating to more intensive IoT projects.
Extensible IoT Router
A smart router is always an important tool to have when considering home automation. This is because the router enables you to share information in different ways. This extensible IoT router prints out your thoughts on paper so they serve as reminders or notifications for the tasks you have to do. When used, the router prints out the words you input through your computer or phone.
For this project, you will need to configure an Arduino board and embed a thermal printer which is no mean feat. Some woodworking or construction will also be needed to build the router’s housing. You can find a step by step guide for developing an extensible router here.
Functions
- The IoT router prints out notifications once a button is clicked. The router can help the elderly remember their schedules by simply typing them in the previous day.
Advantages
- If you are one of those who like their notification in written format and on paper, the extensible IoT router is just the device you need
- It also provides an avenue to remind anyone who forgets important tasks as the paper appears conspicuously at the top of the router.
IoT Smoke Detector
A smoke detector is something everyone should have in their home due to the important work it does. For those who already have one, this IoT Smoke detector also monitors increasing temperature which makes it more versatile than the average smoke detector. Making this IoT solution is also a cheaper option of purchasing the diverse smoke detector brands on the market.
For this project, you will need an ESP8266 microcontroller, a smoke sensor, and a temperature sensor. You can find all the details you need to build the IoT Smoke Detector here.
Functions
- Helps you monitor increased temperature, smoke, and combustion gases
- Notifies you through a buzzer. Once the exceeded temperature limit or smoke is detected, the sensor triggers the buzzer.
Advantages
- The IoT Smoke Detector ensures you stay safe while cooking or if your home is susceptible to fire outbreaks
- The ability to track temperature can also be used to automate air conditioners with increased room temperatures.
Motorize IoT
The best way to get started with and move to more advanced IoT projects is by starting small. The motorize IoT is a simple project with the sole aim of controlling two motors namely the DC motor control and the stepper motor control.
The motorized IoT consists of an ESP8266 microcontroller and both motors. You can learn more about getting started with this project by using the information provided here.
Functions
- This IoT project isn't a finished item but the procedures to be learnt here will help you understand IoT and IoT-related concepts.
Advantages
- The motorized IoT is a learning tool and it provides learning opportunities for designing a circuit board and attaching electronic components to it.
IoT Weather Station with Multiple Sensors
This IoT project expands on the mini IoT weather station discussed in the 4th project on this list. The IoT weather station comes with extra sensors that record environmental parameters such as air pressure, dew point temperature, altitude, light intensity, and rain value. To create this extensive weather station, you will need a breadboard, wires, resistors, and the different sensors for recording environmental factors. You can find all the details for building the IoT weather station here.
Functions
- A weather station with extended features for monitoring rain, altitude, and light intensity can be used in the home for diverse purposes
- The IoT weather station is also capable of sending notification about the environment to the developer.
Advantages
- Gardeners and workers who carry out their activities outdoors can keep track of the weather when making choices.
Pixo Pixel IoT Display
The Pixo Pixel is an excellent LED display that can display figures, alphabets, emojis, and other figures. This IoT project provides another excellent opportunity to get acquainted with IoT and DIY projects. To get this project going, you will need circuit boards, supporting hardware, and a microcontroller.
Functions
- Displays items on its LED lights which makes it an excellent desktop item to spice up your workspace
- The Pixo Pixel is a foundation project and it provides you with the opportunity to learn more about DIY IoT.
Intel IoT Analytics Dashboard
Data capture from IoT devices within manufacturing settings is a big deal as they provide insight into manufacturing equipment to optimize efficiency. This can also be extended to home automation projects and the IoT analytics dashboard provides the platform for capturing IoT data and sending it to the cloud. The dashboard also takes things up a notch by allowing you to control your IoT devices using cloud applications.
To build this IoT analytics platform, you will need the Intel IoT developer kit which comes with hardware components, IDE support, and cloud services. You can find the information you need for setting up the IoT analytics dashboard here.
Functions
- This project puts all your data in one place for in-depth analysis
- Doubles as a cloud-based home automation system because it can be used to control individual devices or appliances with cloud applications.
Advantages
- Brings the data coming from your IoT devices under a dashboard. The data visualization from this can be applied in different ways including reducing energy consumption or optimizing device performance
- Collected data can also serve as an inspiration for your next IoT idea.
Arduino IoT Robotic Arm
Fans of Rick and Morty may remember the mobile robotic arm Rick created to simply pass the butter. If that interests you, then here is an opportunity to create an IoT robotic arm although a stationary one. This robotic arm was built with 5 degrees of freedom including the gripper which is capable of handling certain items.
To build this robotic arm, you will need a couple of tools and electronics which include an Arduino board, servo motors, resistors, and plastic which serve as the arm structure. For this advanced project, knowledge from prior projects such as the motorized IoT will help. You can find the information needed to create the IoT robotic arm here.
Functions
- The robotic arm is a fun-sized IoT project which allows you to put the skills you have learnt creating simpler IoT projects to the test
- The robotic arm can serve as a decorative piece on your workspace or be used to handle light items.
Advantages
- The learning opportunity this IoT project provides is an excellent way to delve into IoT and robotics at the same time. The knowledge you gain from this can be put to much bigger uses later.
IoT Doorbell
The IoT doorbell or smart doorbell as we like to call it, not only chimes when pressed but sends notifications to your devices if you are one of those who always miss the chimes from your bell. The IoT Doorbell also includes a USB webcam that takes pictures of your visitor and sends them alongside the notification to your devices. We don’t know how legal taking these pictures may be, so you may need to check this out with your local authorities before implementing this.
The project requires you to set up an AWS IoT node, and build the hardware using a USB camera, an Arduino board, and a Raspberry Pi. You can find the instructions needed to build the IoT doorbell here.
Functions
- The IoT Doorbell sends notifications letting you know someone is at the door and an image of the person. The notifications are sent via email with the thought that you are always with a smart device
- The IoT doorbell lets you know exactly who is at your doorsteps thus it doubles as a security device.
Advantages
- The IoT Doorbell is an excellent tool for anyone with hearing challenges who would like to know who is at the door. Here, the USB webcam will also prove useful as a picture of the person using the bell will help
- The IoT doorbell is a fun project which can help you get started with developing your IoT solutions and other experimentations.
IoT Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Face Tracking and Recognition
Face recognition solutions are currently in use in different spheres of life including for unlocking your phone, entering secluded sections or buildings, and for surveillance. In this case, you are not the state which limits your drive for an IoT face recognition device to security purposes, and as a fun device to have.
The project relies on hardware such as the Arduino Uno and Micro, servos, and the camera from an Android smartphone. You can find the information needed to set up the IoT face tracking and recognition solution here.
Functions
- Leverages Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and android camera technologies to track and recognize faces
- Leverages on automated computer vision algorithms to track facial movement and recognize the face.
Advantages
- You can make use of the IoT face recognition solution as a security feature for small enclosures or expand its capacity for your home
- It is also an excellent project that extends your knowledge of IoT and face recognition technology.
IoT Datalogger
Here we have another data capture IoT solution but this comes with a twist. The IoT Datalogger is built to store all the problematic data produced by your home automation system and IoT devices. This gives you a repository for troubleshooting the challenges you encounter along the way while automating your home. The project requires the use of an ESP32S WROOM, an analog to digital converter, etc. You can find the information you need to create the IoT Datalogger here.
The project is still being fine-tuned and may give more experienced hands something to work on.
Functions
- The IoT Datalogger provides the important service of keeping all your problematic data in one place which, in turn, makes troubleshooting easier.
Advantages
- Troubleshooting IoT frameworks require insight into available problems and the IoT Datalogger can provide the data needed for eliminating automation errors.
IoT Garage Door Monitor and Opener
This IoT project is one of those that has two diverse functions which include monitoring the status of a door and controlling the door. The IoT garage door monitor lets you know when you have forgotten to lock the door once again and prompts you to. You can also use your fingerprint to activate the locking process without having to actually visit the garage.
This is an extensive project and you will need to configure an Arduino Nano board, relays, level shifters, and a fingerprint scanner. You can find the details needed to get this project off the ground here.
Functions
- Monitors doors through sensors and alerts you if a door has been left open
- Integrates the use of a fingerprint scanner which allows you control the door movements according to its current position.
Advantages
- This IoT project is one more security solution that ensures you keep your personal space safe from intruders
- The remote closing and opening feature is also a nice touch that ensures you do not have to leave the bed to go lock the garage the door.
IoT Underground Cable Fault Detector
Underground cables at the domestic front or in commercial properties are prone to disturbances from rodents or wear which can cause defects. The fact that a problem comes from an underground cable means you end up checking everywhere indoors before delving into the earth. The IoT underground cable eliminates this confusion by detecting the exact position on an extended cable that is faulty.
The project is extensive and you will require diverse electronics hardware to get it off the ground. You can find the information needed to develop the IoT underground cable fault detector here.
Functions
- Detects faulty underground cables and pinpoints the exact location where the fault can be found
- Displays fault line data over its LCD display. The data collected includes the position and distance of the discovered fault.
Advantages
- The IoT underground cable detector eliminates the trial and error process that goes into troubleshooting underground fault lines
- The project also saves the time and capital expended in discovering underground cable fault lines and repairing them.
IoT Command Center
A home automation system or a command center, which one is best for automating your home? While the answer to this question is one that depends on your choices, here is an IoT command center that can be used to control many of the home appliances you use.
The command center is packed with sensors for monitoring light, temperature, humidity, gas, etc. It is also capable of sending notifications texting a friend or posting pictures to your social media platform.
To configure or build this extended command center, you will need push buttons, multiple sensors including smoke, motion, and vibration sensors. You will also need a Perf board and you can find the details of how to build it here.
Functions
- This IoT solution combines multiple functions in one command center. You can monitor household appliances with it while sending notifications and messages online.
Advantages
- The major advantage of this is the wide array of use cases it offers. You can use it in your home to monitor and control your home automation projects and in a factory to send real-time messages to operators
- The addition of a process to send messages to social media is also a nice touch which will make the command center attractive to many DIYers.
Conclusion
IoT is slowly but surely being integrated into every facet of our daily lives and if it interests you, here are simple projects to get started with. You can kick start the journey with the motorized IoT project and progress at your own pace. Therefore we have included diverse projects with different levels of difficulties in this post.
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