Temp monitored on phone

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linw

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Topic # 222919 4-Sep-2017 09:15

A while ago I mentioned my plan to be able to monitor my still (alco!) temp from my phone. Well, this now has been accomplished.

I used a wemos D1 mini with DS18B20 temp probe which turned out reasonably easy to get functioning with sketches already available.

For the phone app, I used Blynk and its server. You get to choose from a large variety of widgets to show your data. I just selected a simple gauge to display temp to two decimal places.

You are supposed to be able to create the phone app in a couple of minutes but I struggled to get it working for quite a while and still don't quite know what the problem was. But, yesterday, my dutiful Father's Day son was out and he got it going on his S8 and from then I was able to get it on my S5.

So a bit of a mystery but it works now! Really chuffed with this fun/educational project.

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Reply # 1857971 4-Sep-2017 10:59

Is that pulling data from the internet, or local only?

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linw

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Reply # 1858339 4-Sep-2017 18:02

You have a choice, David. You can download a file to create a local server or you can use Blynk's server in the cloud. They provide for a local server in case security is a high priority.

Have a squizz of their site - it may (or may not) be interesting. That link to my phone was the big challenge but blynk seems to have done that admirably.

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hio77

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Reply # 1858393 4-Sep-2017 19:51

Great to see more getting into the esp8266 micros.

I have a stack of these sitting in my room, Drives SWMBO insane, however soon as i feel I need something to be automated, its done :D

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richms

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Reply # 1858410 4-Sep-2017 20:22

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hio77:

Great to see more getting into the esp8266 micros.

I have a stack of these sitting in my room, Drives SWMBO insane, however soon as i feel I need something to be automated, its done :D

I have about 4-5 of most of the common board of them waiting something to do other than a wifi deauther which is fun for a short while.

Richard rich.ms

davidcole

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Reply # 1858497 4-Sep-2017 21:29

They look cool. But I'm at the point where I want to be able to plug them into the wall directly and use them for temp monitoring. Hopefully with no exposed wiring.

SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1858510 4-Sep-2017 21:56

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I had a server cupboard that was overheating. Chucked an Xiaomi temp/humidity sensor in there to monitor it. Found it was getting up over 35 degrees on a warm day so bought a cheap fan, and plugged it in via a Sonoff relay. Now openHAB monitors the temp and if it goes above 31 turns the fan on until it drops below 30.

Problem + Automation = Solved :).

Sorry for slightly OT - but does involve a temp sensor and an ESP8266 micro... :)

richms

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Reply # 1858511 4-Sep-2017 21:58

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could have got the sonoff TH and a probe and taken openhab out of the loop entirely.

Richard rich.ms

SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1858521 4-Sep-2017 22:04

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Nah I like openHAB to be in the loop - means I can disable the fan or force it to run if necessary. Plus can control/monitor when away from home via the OH app.

amanzi

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Reply # 1858961 5-Sep-2017 13:46

SumnerBoy:

Chucked an Xiaomi temp/humidity sensor in there to monitor it.

Did you have to use the Xiaomi gateway with this sensor? If not, how are you getting readings off it?

davidcole

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Reply # 1858964 5-Sep-2017 13:49

amanzi:

SumnerBoy:

Chucked an Xiaomi temp/humidity sensor in there to monitor it.

Did you have to use the Xiaomi gateway with this sensor? If not, how are you getting readings off it?

And are these battery powered or can be AC adapter/usb powered?

SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1858967 5-Sep-2017 13:49

amanzi:

Did you have to use the Xiaomi gateway with this sensor? If not, how are you getting readings off it?

Yep, got the gateway as well. Have a little python script which listens for broadcasts from the gateway and transposes them to MQTT messages, which OH subscribes to.

Find the Xiaomi stuff very very good. Cheap, reliable, and so far the battery life seems pretty good.

SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1858969 5-Sep-2017 13:50

The sensors are all battery powered, with no external power options.

amanzi

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Reply # 1858984 5-Sep-2017 14:13

SumnerBoy:

Yep, got the gateway as well. Have a little python script which listens for broadcasts from the gateway and transposes them to MQTT messages, which OH subscribes to.

Find the Xiaomi stuff very very good. Cheap, reliable, and so far the battery life seems pretty good.

Thanks! Just starting my HA adventures and trying to keep things cheap at the moment.

SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1858985 5-Sep-2017 14:15

Would definitely recommend the Xiaomi stuff then. There are a few Github repos around with examples of how to interface with the gateway. I have mine on an IOT VLAN which is completely locked down and it works just fine. I.e. nothing calling back to some Chinese server, everything is local. Requires a little bit of faffing around to put the gateway into "dev" mode but once that is done it is pretty straight forward.

Good luck.

davidcole

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Reply # 1858986 5-Sep-2017 14:15

amanzi:

SumnerBoy:

Yep, got the gateway as well. Have a little python script which listens for broadcasts from the gateway and transposes them to MQTT messages, which OH subscribes to.

Find the Xiaomi stuff very very good. Cheap, reliable, and so far the battery life seems pretty good.

Thanks! Just starting my HA adventures and trying to keep things cheap at the moment.

If you have a raspberry pi(s) already, whacking on a DHT22 sensor is about as cheap as you can go, just $4 for the sensor, and hack together some code (although I already have some that reads one of these and posts it to MQTT).

But if you don't have some PIs, that's a farily expensive way to do it.

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