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Published on: July 27, 2018
Home automation using general purpose household electric appliances with Raspberry Pi and commercial smartphone
Imran Ashraf1, Muhammad Umer2, Rizwan Majeed2
1Department of Information & Communication Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongsan-si, Republic of Korea.
This study introduces a low-cost home automation system using Raspberry Pi and relay circuits for remote control of common appliances. The system offers smart home customization via a smartphone app and cloud data logging for reliability and optimization.
Area of Science:
- Electrical Engineering
- Computer Science
- Internet of Things (IoT)
Background:
- Traditional home automation systems often rely on expensive IP-based devices.
- There is a need for affordable and accessible smart home solutions for a wider population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and implement a cost-effective home automation system.
- To enable remote control of ordinary electrical appliances using Raspberry Pi and relay circuits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Raspberry Pi as a central server and 5V relay circuits for appliance control.
- Developed a smartphone application with a drag-and-drop interface for home customization.
- Implemented local network and remote access control.
- Integrated Microsoft Azure cloud for data logging and system recovery.
- Used HTTP web interface and Apache server for Android app-Raspberry Pi communication.
Main Results:
- Successfully demonstrated remote control of common appliances like lights and HVAC systems.
- The system allows users to design their smart home layout via an intuitive app.
- Cloud data logging ensures system resilience and provides data for usage optimization.
- Automated appliance control based on user-defined preferences was achieved.
Conclusions:
- The proposed system is a low-cost, energy-efficient, and user-friendly solution for home automation.
- It is particularly suitable for low-income households seeking to adopt smart home technology.
- The integration of Raspberry Pi and readily available components makes the system affordable and accessible.
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