This blog came about after I kept getting requests for write-ups on how I was running my IOT systems at home — how do you wire up the sensors, what is your network infrastructure, how are you doing this without using a commercial services, etc. etc.
I have always been automating my homes in one form or fashion since I actually bought a home in 1992. Back then I was using X10 modules, PIC microcontrollers and relays to automate light switches and such. Now a days it is much easier as the whole Home IOT market is heating up. Sensors galore out there now.
I tried using the “SmartThings” products (now owned by Samsung), and they worked great for me ….until their Cloud-based service would go down. That and their initial problems like sensors going away or software updates that would crap out my setup and require a complete re-config….that all gets old pretty fast.
One day it hit me: Why do I need to go all the way out to the Internet and back just to control and automate some lights? I have the intelligence and wherewithal to cobble up a system that would be local and not rely on any Internet-based system to be up and running!
So all the posts on this blog will be documenting how I have my sensors set up, the code required to make them work, how the sensors were built, how they are deployed, and how I use the system.
For me, Home IOT is yet another one of my hobbies that also applies to my work. As one of my fellow techies put it “Your Home Automation is so Getto!” — not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing actually, but I’ll take it as a complement. My code is most likely crude by professional standards — I never took a programming class after High School, and just dove in to learn stuff. I have no degree in Electrical Engineering, so my sensors are probably not as efficient as they could be. …but I sure have a lot of fun doing this, and hopefully this blog can help some people out with ideas or instructions they can use to duplicate some of the things that I have done.
Cheers! — John