CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Introduction to IoT-Based Home Appliances Control System

There is an increasing demand for smart home, where appliances can be easily
controlled through one common device. Therefore, home monitoring and control
systems become more and more popular. These systems allow controlling the home
appliances by their smartphones or personal computers from anywhere. This thesis
intends to control the home appliances to ensure their operating systems without using
too much effort. The user can easily control the home appliances using his/her
smartphone or personal computer. This system not only increases comfort but also
allows centralized control of heating, ventilation, air condition and lighting. Hence,
this contributes to reduce waste as less as possible and also save energy which is
certainly the main issue today.
There are many advantages to applying the home control system. First of all,
home appliances can be easily controlled from anywhere and there is no need to go to
control them, therefore it saves time. Since home appliances can be controlled easily,
there is no long run and it also saves money. This system also makes the home more
secure and makes life easy. The main advantage of the system is that it is suitable for
physically challenged and disabled people.

Devices in a home are interconnected into a network and controlled by a

specialized software called system. Control systems such as Bluetooth based, Wi-Fi
based and IoT based technologies were widely used nowadays. These technologies
enable different devices to have capabilities of connecting with each other. Using a
Wi-Fi shield to act as a Micro web server for the Arduino eliminates the need for
wired connections between the Arduino board and computer or smartphone which
reduces cost and enables it to work as a standalone device. The control system not
only enables comfortable light senses, and remote access to take care of optimal
heating and ventilation to keep the air fresh, but also to save power when nobody is
present. For example, light can be on and off easily by a single button from anywhere.
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There are some issues when designing a home appliances control system. The
system should be scalable so that new devices can easily be integrated into it. A user-
friendly interface should be provided on the host side, so that the devices can be easily
set up, monitored and controlled. Devices may be connected through a home network
to allow control by a personal computer and may allow remote access from the
Internet. Through the integration of information technologies with the home
environment, systems and appliances can communicate in an integrated manner which
results in convenience, energy efficiency, and safety benefits.
Home appliances control technologies and devices are evolving rapidly along
with computer sensors and control. The capability of handling home energy becomes
one of the largest markets for smart home all around the world. But, since the offered
systems are often expensive, complicated and inflexible, home control system market
falls far behind the expectations and possibilities. There are many technologies and
hardware to build commercially successful smart homes that people dream of today. It
is all just the matter of good software. An optimal control system for home appliances
control system will be proposed in this thesis.

1.2. Basic Functions of IoT-Based Home Appliances Control System

This wireless control system is composed of the following functional units;
 Android Mobile Phone or Personal Computer
 Internet
 Controller Unit
 Driver Circuit
The basic block diagram of the IoT-based home appliances control system
using an android phone is shown in Figure 1.1. The microcontroller based home
appliances control system using IoT-based technology will provide effective and
modernized living standard. The internet is a wireless technology standard for
exchanging data over a wide range of distances. IoT-based home appliances control
system from a mobile phone or a computer is one of the most popular forms of
wireless technology. Researchers around the world are continuously improving our
lives by creating innovative applications of computing for our daily activities. Today,
mobile phones and computers were created and they can be used effectively to
communicate and to make our lives easier and better than ever. In this IoT-based
home appliances control system, they are used to control the home appliances via IoT-
based technology. Being inspired by the widespread use of wireless communication
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technology, a concept of the home appliances control system that will make homes
convenient and smart is proposed.

Mobile
Phone
Controller
or Internet Driver
Unit
Computer Circuit

Figure 1.1. Basic Block Diagram of IoT-Based Home Appliances Control System
using Android Phone or Computer

The controller unit is composed with WeMos D1 mini controller. The WeMos
D1 mini consists of Wi-Fi enabled built-in ESP8266EX microcontroller. It receives
the data from android phone or computer and then it will control the output driver
units according to the received data.
In this research, the control of light bulbs on/off, fan on/off, and water pump
on/off based on internet and microcontroller are implemented. Users can interact with
the home appliances by wireless mobile interface via the internet. This system also
requires an IoT platform to control the home appliances from the computer and
mobile phones.
With the advancement of internet technology lifestyle of every person is
changing constantly. Internet of things can be described as connecting everyday
objects like smartphones, internet televisions, sensors and actuators to the internet
where the devices are intelligently linked together to enable new forms of
communication amongst people and themselves. It could be defined as the integration
of technology into the intelligent design of an enclosure. The main points of this
technology are energy saving, comfort, security, communication and data
accessibility.
Implementation of IoT based home appliances control system has several
advantages. There is no need to go to switch on or off the home appliances. They can
be controlled by a mobile phone or computer anywhere and it saves time. Since there
is no long run of home appliances, it also saves energy. Old and disabled persons can
manage the home without using too many efforts. Users can read the status of light
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and water tank. The data are sent to the user interface through Internet access. Users
can monitor the room temperature and turn the fan on or off. Mobile phone acts as a
remote control to home appliances which can be controlled by setting their
corresponding keys.
All the applications in the living room can be easily controlled without too
much effort. It can be controlled easily by mobile phone or computer from anywhere
in the home. When the user can’t go to open or close the appliances immediately, it
can be done by pressing the corresponding button in the mobile phone. It reduces the
human energy and effort. It can promote the living standard of human beings with the
effects of wireless technology. This system can be used not only in homes but also in
many other places for many purposes.

1.3. Aim of the Thesis

 To allow a homeowner to control, monitor, and coordinate home
appliances via smartphone or computer using the internet as the
communication protocol

1.4. Objectives of the Thesis

 To sense temperature status and control the fan
 To sense the motion and control the buzzer
 To experiment with other home appliances control such as TV, fan, electric
stove, AC etc.
 To test the experiment in Wireless Connection Range
 To test the experiment in Internet Environment

1.5. Scopes of the Thesis

Scopes of the thesis are as follows:
 ESP8266 is used as a network provider and also implemented as a
controller with sensors and appliances.
 ESP8266 will collect data from sensors and send data to open source IoT
platform www.thinger.io.
 Thinger.io presents real-time data graphically through the website as well
as mobile applications form satellite network to avail data from
anywhere.

1.6. Implementation Program for Thesis

The thesis was implemented according to the following program:
 Search and study the background theory and knowledge of the home
control system.
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 Studying the concepts and uses of the sensors and other components.
 Studying the concepts of Wi-Fi communication.
 Designing and testing the Wi-Fi module and home appliances control.
 Studying the various types of programmer, compiler, assembler and their
uses.
 Selecting the suitable software for this system.
 Designing and constructing the overall system including sensors.
 Implementing the IoT-based communication system.
 Calculating the design concepts and circuit components.
 Testing the monitoring system of this thesis.
 Testing the overall system with hardware and software.

1.7. Outlines of the Thesis

Firstly, in chapter one, the introduction of the thesis is described. And, aim and
objectives, the scope of the thesis and outlines of the thesis are presented. In chapter
two, material components are mentioned and the knowledge of wireless
communication system between the mobile phone and controller are described. In
chapter three, the block diagram of the system and hardware and software
implementation of the system are described by using flowcharts in step by step. In
chapter four, tests and results are described in detail. In the final chapter of the thesis,
chapter five, conclusion and discussions are described.