I am new here. I have been working with Arduinos and various sensors for some time now. I have built numerous sensors and have many more to build. My question may be an easy one but it is overwhelming for me and I am not sure what direction to take.
As I said I have numerous sensors built ready for deployement i.e. temparature, wind speed, humidity, light. They each have there own wireless transmitter either a Bluetooth shield, a Wifi shield or a RF module. I have both XBee modules as well as +Nrf2401. As you can see I have many different forms of communication. I started with one and decided to try the others to see the different capabilities of each.
My question is this: Is it possible to deploy all of my sensors and have them all communicate to one if not several host arduinos and post all the data on a single screen? Either a web page that I can access through my phone or an app on the Ipad. I can get the individual sensors to talk to the host connected to my computer and view the data via the serial screen but this doesn't help when I am sitting in my living room and I want to know the moisture level of my lawn and if it needs watering. I would like to see all my data on a single page that I can refresh every hour or so and make it visible to everyone in my house. That way the wife can water the lawn too!
Please help. I don't have much programing experience. I'm thinking possibly using Xivley to host the data but wanted to ask if there were any other options. Preferably having the data sit on my private network.
I use https://thingspeak.com/ myself. Click at the top on "Channels" to see some examples.
Someone posted few minutes ago in this forum : http://smartcitizen.me/ but I don't know what that is.
You can also create a webpage by an Arduino, allthough that will be slow.
An update once an hour is very long. Most of my sensors transmit data every 5 minutes. I started small, but it's growing and growing... Adding battery voltage, and so on.
I suggest to use the Arduino Mega 2560 board with Ethernet Shield as a start. The Mega has 3 spare hardware serial ports for communication. If your wireless sensors can connect via a wireless router, they can still be read by the Mega.
When you get into trouble with all the libraries and interrupts, you can add an Arduino board that handles the communication and sends it to the Mega. For example, I like to run a VirtualWire / RadioHead receiver on a seperate Arduino.
You could try the Arduino Due board + Ethernet Shield, but maybe it is better to try the Arduino Due and Arduino Yun later.
Do you know how to create multiple files in your project ? Click on the drop-down menu on the right side of the Arduino IDE. You can create a new file (a new tab with a file) for every part.
Can you make a list of the things you want to communicate with, and how much devices use that, and how much data ? your question is overwhelming for me
The type of sensors are as follows. I will try and add a description also. This list grows as I see more uses for the sensors.
Sump Pump: I want to monitor the level in my sump pump. If it overflows the backup pump kicks on. I want to monitor the level (graph it if possible). I would like it to send me a text if the backup pump kicks on. I figure I would use the wifi shield to send the data to the Internet and a GPRS shield to send the text.
Temp. I want to monitor temperature outside as well as inside my observatory. I do astrophotograpy and need to keep my equipment somewhat cool in the summer and the electornics warm in the winter. I want to be able to monitor the temp and possibly turn things on and off (fans, heaters)
weather station: I want to be able to monitor all facets of the weather. If the wind in too strong to send an output to shut the observatory down. If it detects clouds or rain to do the same. Plus it would be nice to know what really is going on outside.
Garden/Grass: I want to monitor the water level of the grass. This way my irrigation system doesn't turn on when the grass doesn't need it. ONLY when it needs it I want to monitor it. To be able to automate this to the point that once it hits the frost season that it turns off the irrigation system.
The other sensors are similar: Basically monitor the pool temp, the pool level. Possibly the PH as well. With the amount of sensors out there the list goes on and on. You can spend a life time building them. Now if I can only get them to send the data to one location that I can monitor anywhere.
The Mega idea is great. I can use it along with a sensor shield possibly to even add more capabilities. I will have to look into the Radiohead receiver. Haven't seen it.
As far as I know bluetooth is a one to one system so every bluetooth enabled sensor would require a separate bluetooth device on the Arduino. I guess a Mega could host 3 bluetooth devices on 3 serial ports and still have one serial port available to communicate with a PC.
I have written a system for controlling model trains that uses 2.4GHz transceivers in a one to many system.
That is probably also possible with 433MH wireless but I have never tried them.
Another possibility might be to use a RaspberryPi or BeagleBone as the data collector.
I am using the Adafruit Bluetooth shield only on a few sensors in conjunction with the ZBee wifi to be able to reprogram the unit. Some of these sensors are going to be installed in hard to reach places and I wanted an easy way to be able to tweak the program once the unit is installed. As for the RPI or Beagle, I don't have much experience with these and the few time I messed with RPI I ended up more frustrated than ever.
Just to recap, you think I should hook all the sensors through whatever communication I see fit. The Wifi shields just upload straight to the web and use a Mega to gather all the radio data and upload to the we via a Wifi shield??
This is the Sparkfun RF guide: Wireless Buying Guide - SparkFun Electronics
I would suggest one of the XBee modules. They are reliable and have a good high bitrate. For example something like the : Xbee Pro 60mW Module with antenna, https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8742
You have to pay more, but it is easier than many other modules.
