Category Archives: Home automation

Network monitoring #2: Logging CPU temps with InfluxDB and Grafana

My previous method of logging the CPU temperatures of machines on the network involved a Bash script sending out a message via MQTT. This was intercepted and logged by a Python script running on a server, which wrote the data to text files in a place where the intranet server could see them. Phew! It’s a miracle it worked. But… Read more »

Battery-powered ESP32 IoT room thermometer with OLED display

A while back, I made a couple of ESP8266-based room thermometers. These have been beavering away happily ever since – one on the desk in my office and one in the living room (or salon as we say in France). The only significant change I’ve made to them is to add the capability for them to report temperatures to an… Read more »

Network monitoring #1: Server temperatures, MQTT and Bash

It’s always a good idea to know the state of the machines on your network. Plus, I’m a geek, and messing around with data appeals to me. One metric I especially like to keep an eye on is CPU temperature. Why? Why not? I’ve recently got into InfluxDB and Grafana, and that’s the way all future projects will be going…. Read more »

Are my lightbulbs phoning home?

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Just lately I’ve been getting into home automation. No, not with ESP8266s and lots of soldering and programming – that comes next. I mean the easy way, by buying smart lightbulbs and switches. We have an old, dark house, which means we use a lot of lamps. Every morning, in the living room alone, we’d go around switching on seven… Read more »