• Temperature Sensor – Mk II

    My first go at creating a simple battery powered temperature sensor was really interesting and fun to do, but, like any project, there are always way to make it better! For my Mark II sensor, there were a few things I wanted to improve: Use of mesh networking – Wifi… Read ⇢

  • Set extractor fan to automatic – Part 1

    A few months back, after we discovered mould growing on our bathroom ceiling, I replaced the wall mounted extractor fan with an in-line model, mounted in the loft. I never grasped how important the position of the van was in relation to the source of steam and the source of… Read ⇢

  • Adventures in deep sleep with ESP8266 and a temperature sensor

    One of the small ESP8266 projects I did was the creation of a simple temperature sensor. I build a simple circuit, following the guidance from the following articles: https://iot-playground.com/blog/2-uncategorised/41-esp8266-ds18b20-temperature-sensor-arduino-ide https://www.instructables.com/id/IoT-Temperature-Sensor-With-ESP8266/ https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp8266-ds18b20-temperature-sensor-web-server-with-arduino-ide/ I opted to use a probe on a long wire rather than using the little component. I ordered some… Read ⇢

    Adventures in deep sleep with ESP8266 and a temperature sensor
  • Den – Installing a smart socket

    As part of the Den Automation range, they ship a 2 gang smart socket. It has the ability to be switched on remotely, to determine what’s plugged in and to even monitor the energy usage of the item plugged in. I pre-ordered a few of these units as I saw… Read ⇢

    Den – Installing a smart socket
  • Den – Installing a light switch

    In a previous post, I covered the Den Automation Smart Hub setup. Next up, I’d like to cover the installation and setup of their 1 gang light switch. I ordered four of these, to cover the rooms upstairs in my house. I’ll post the processing I went through to install… Read ⇢

  • Den – The Smart Hub

    The Den Smart Hub is the core component of Den’s smart home offering. You need to have one in order to use any of their other products. The Hub is responsible for remote access and firmware upgrades. It’s worth noting that the Den products will operate *without* an internet connection… Read ⇢

  • Den Automation – Unboxing

    It’s been a long time in the making, but Den Automation finally started fulfilling their pre-orders earlier this month. I received my pre-ordered items, an order I placed in March 2018, last Monday. I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on some Den gear since I first heard about… Read ⇢

    Den Automation – Unboxing
  • Project: Water Softener Salt Level Detector

    In my house, I have a water softener. This requires topping up with salt at varying intervals, depending on the usage. In the year I’ve been living here, I’ve forgotten twice. Whilst it’s not the end of the world, it does mean that we get some limescale build up on… Read ⇢

    Project: Water Softener Salt Level Detector
  • What sort a blip is this?

    I was looking through the analytics on AppConnect this morning and spotted this: Roomr had 102 downloads in one day. What the hell caused that I wonder? Read ⇢