I’m interested in remote monitoring of various things in a small building. Looking for some simple technology that I can use on Windows PC (always on) to read all kinds of sensors. Preferably wirelessly. Stuff like this:
Instant read of what the inside and outside temperature is. Including data logging.
Instant read of the temperature is of the refrigerator. Text alert if it falls below threshold.
Text alert if the smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector is activated.
Remote turn on/off of specific lights or outlets or garage door.
Video capture based on motion or live video of the river (already doing this with webcam).
I just can’t figure out a simple and inexpensive way to do this. Xbee might be part of the answer, but I’m just not sure yet.
I do have some experience in Picaxe stuff, it’s easy and cheap, right up my alley. But it seems like a bit of work to do any of the things listed above.
Well since its on a PC you may want to go Bluetooth because of the ability to be seamlessly incorporated. This all depends on your coding ability though. If you think you can balance a Bluetooth protocol than be my guest.That way all you must do is stick a unit like a [BlueSMiRF to a PIC, PICAXE or Arduino or whatever you are interfacing the sensors and outputs with. PICAXE will probably not be powerful enough though, so it may be time to graduate to a PIC or something more powerful (I’ve always used PICs, they are a nice array of chips). You could also go the X-Bee route, where you have a [ConnectPort X2 connected to your local network and various X-Bees linking back to this to connect to the outside world. Therefore, you could access this from anywhere. Is this expensive? Yes. Is this a lot of work? Yes. I’m more of an expert with PICs so I’m not sure whether a PICAXE has a UART module available (Which would be needed to interface an X-Bee). So pick your poison. I would suggest moving up to PIC if you are ready though.
Disclaimer: Double check what I said above is possible. I am known to forget a mild detail that screws up a whole project.
Or if all else fails, wire your house with serial lines.
Most/all of the sensor reporting you list can be done with the firmware within standard XBee series 1’s. No need for microprocessor at sensor, in most cases.
Suggest you start with what RF-constrained wireless network topology you want: star vs. mesh. If the former, it’s really easy. If the latter, you need to decide on ZigBee vs. a proprietary mesh protocol such as Digi’s Digimesh. ZigBee is a bad choice for the hobbyist, IMO, due to it being closed, dues-based, and so on.
Or if the mesh is “static”, where any node x is immobile and can be told at design time who the neighbor nodes are, in priority, e.g., a static routing table.
But if you’re a novice, start with a star. Using an XBee PRO with more power, you can often avoid a mesh. The trick is, if these are battery powered, to devise a 98% power-down-sleep scheme.
Hi dorkygrin, We may have similar requirements. When building new systems, I generally try to think about how things will be 5 years in the future.
In the future, I think it would be good if all intelligent devices (such as sensors) were on the Internet. Each physical location would have a local wireless network. Each device could be connected to a local system monitor (desktop PC) or could be addressed from remote locations (worldwide).
With that in mind, my current research is to locate wireless components (subsystems) which support IEEE 802.11.
I also monitor webcams (D-Link) remotely from either an iPhone or an iPad. I would like to be able to control a remote autonomous robot from these same devices as well as monitor temperature, etc.
In your case, is there a PC in the small building to collect the readings from the sensors and would that system be monitored from a remote location?
If not, perhaps you could use an Arduino like device to collect the readings and make them available to a remote PC. Or each sensor could have IEEE 802.11 capability and there could be a hotspot to collect the various sensors and make them available for remote viewing.
ConnectPort X2 recommended by Joeisi sounds very interesting for existing technology if no PC in the small building.
If you use an Arduino like device to collect the readings, putting it on the Internet could have advantages.
If you go the IEEE 802.11 route, I would be interested in the solution you find.
I have just started my Arduino project and have not selected a wireless strategy.
Your project sounds very interesting, please keep us informed on your progress.
802.11 is not a good choice for low data rate telemetry. Why? Well, it’s a 20MHz channel for high speed data. Thus, the required signal to noise ratio is high as compared to lower data rate protocols like 802.15.4 (2MHz in the 2.4GHz band, not 20MHz) and them many proprietary ones. This means much shorter range. And, 802.11 radios are power hoggy.
Welp, I’m still interested in doing this project. Has anything changed in the last year or two that might make this easier? Sure are seeing a lot about the Arduino and Raspberry PI boards.
Mostly just interested in wireless temperature logging. I have a Windows PC running all the time at the remote location. It has internet access and LogMeIn running.
Considered getting a LaCrosse weather station … all params: wind, rain, temperature, barometer.
All wireless sensors. Wireless link to USB dongle that goes in a PC. Logging/display software free. You can write software to parse their raw data files.
My software creates web pages that I can view via the Internet - pages of current, history, etc.
I’ve bought several at Costco - seasonal item. $79. Saw it sold last two years. Half the price that you can find at online sellers.
