DIY Smart Home Solutions: My Journey with MQTT and Arduino

General
1

I wanted to share my journey of creating a DIY smart home solution using MQTT and Arduino. It all started with wanting to control my Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) air conditioner without spending extra on a WiFi adapter. I stumbled upon a GitHub repository that provided the necessary hardware and code to build my own adapter using a Wemos D1 Mini. This was a game-changer for me!

Here’s how I set it up:

  1. Hardware Setup: I used the Wemos D1 Mini to create a custom adapter. This allowed me to connect my MHI air conditioner to my MQTT broker without any additional costs.

  2. Configuration: I configured the air conditioner in my OpenHAB setup by defining the necessary channels and topics in the aircondition.things file. This included settings for power, mode, fan speed, and temperature control.

  3. Items and Sitemap: I created items for each function of the air conditioner, such as power, status, and temperature, and added them to my sitemap for easy access. The sitemap also includes a frame for outdoor sensors, which I found incredibly useful for monitoring the outdoor temperature and fan speed.

  4. Rules: I implemented rules to automate the air conditioner based on the room temperature. For example, if the room temperature is above the setpoint, the AC switches to cool mode; otherwise, it switches to heat mode. This has made my home much more comfortable!

I also explored using Arduino and MQTT to control RGB LED strips. This project was a great learning experience, and I was able to create a centralized system for controlling my LED strips through OpenHAB. The ability to send color and brightness commands via MQTT made this project both fun and practical.

One thing I learned along the way is the importance of proper error handling. For instance, I encountered issues with null values when using Math::floor(), which taught me to always validate inputs before processing them. This experience has made me more cautious and thorough in my coding practices.

Overall, my journey with MQTT and Arduino has been incredibly rewarding. It has allowed me to customize my smart home setup to meet my specific needs while keeping costs low. I highly recommend exploring DIY solutions if you’re looking to enhance your smart home experience!

If anyone has questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear about your projects too!