Welcome to Techal! Today, we’ll discuss how you can create your own home automation project using an MQTT cloud broker. With this setup, you can easily control your lamps from your smartphone and monitor their real-time status. This project is not only useful but also affordable, making it a perfect choice for your home automation needs.
To create this home automation project, you will need a NodeMCU, a relay module, and push buttons for manual control. You will also require the Reyax RYC1001 MQTT cloud broker, which can be easily purchased from Amazon.com for just $15. With this purchase, you’ll receive a cloud server for 5 years, with a monthly message limit of 100k times. After purchasing, you will receive a username and password for the Reyax MQTT server in your registered email. If you face any difficulties during the purchase, you can reach out to their sales team for assistance. You can refer to the user manual for detailed instructions on setting up your home automation project.
How Does the MQTT Protocol Work?
MQTT is an efficient and lightweight messaging protocol used for IoT (Internet of Things) applications. In this project, we have an MQTT broker, which is Reyax’s MQTT server, and two MQTT clients – a mobile phone and the NodeMCU.
Each client can publish or subscribe to specific topics. Topics act as channels through which clients can send or receive data from the MQTT broker. For example, client one (our mobile phone) can publish data on “switch one” topic, while client two (the NodeMCU) can subscribe to the same topic to receive the data. By publishing and subscribing to specific topics, we can control and monitor the home automation devices in real-time.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the MQTT protocol works in this project:
- Client one (mobile phone) publishes data on the “switch one” topic to turn on the relay.
- The MQTT broker receives the data on the “switch one” topic and sends it to all the subscribers of that topic.
- The NodeMCU (client two) is a subscriber of the “switch one” topic, so it receives the data from the MQTT broker.
- The NodeMCU processes the data and turns on the relay accordingly.
- After turning on the relay, the NodeMCU publishes data on the “switch one status” topic to indicate the current status.
- The MQTT broker receives the data on the “switch one status” topic and sends it to the subscribers.
- The mobile phone (client one) is a subscriber of the “switch one status” topic, so it receives the data and displays the real-time status of the relay.
With this MQTT protocol, you can implement various types of home automation projects and also read sensor data.
Setting Up the Project
To set up this home automation project, you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Download the code for this MQTT project, which can be found in the description.
- Install the ESP8266 board in your Arduino IDE.
- Install the PubSubClient library by going to Sketch > Include Library > Manage Libraries and searching for “PubSubClient”.
- Enter your Wi-Fi credentials in the code.
- Enter the MQTT server details (username and password) received in your registered email from Reyax.
- Upload the code to the NodeMCU.
- Install an MQTT client app on your smartphone, such as “IoT On/Off.”
- Configure the MQTT broker settings in the app by entering the MQTT server name (iot.react.com), port (1083), and authentication details (username and password).
- Create switches in the app to control the relay. Set the publish value to “0” to turn on the relay and “1” to turn it off. Also, subscribe to the corresponding “switch one status” topic to monitor the real-time status.
- Connect the lamps to the relay module as per the circuit diagram provided.
- Power up the NodeMCU and verify that it is connected to the MQTT cloud broker (indicated by an LED).
- Enjoy controlling and monitoring your home appliances from your smartphone!
FAQs
Q: Can I control more than four lamps using this setup?
A: Yes, you can control multiple lamps by using a relay module with more channels and creating additional switches in the MQTT client app.
Q: Can I use a different MQTT cloud broker?
A: Yes, you can use a different MQTT cloud broker of your choice. However, for this project, we recommend using the Reyax RYC1001 MQTT cloud broker for its affordability and functionality.
Q: Can I use different MQTT client apps for smartphone control?
A: Yes, there are various MQTT client apps available for both Android and iOS platforms. You can choose any app that supports MQTT protocol and configure it accordingly.
Conclusion
With the MQTT ESP8266 NodeMCU Home Automation System and the Reyax RYC1001 MQTT cloud broker, you can easily control and monitor your home appliances using your smartphone. This project offers an affordable and efficient solution for home automation enthusiasts. By following the steps provided, you can set up your own home automation project and enjoy the convenience of controlling your appliances from anywhere. For more exciting technology-related content, visit Techal.
