Affordable IoT-Based Controllers for Future-Ready Smart Homes

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become widely used in modern technology and is now a key part of smart device applications. There are several ways to connect these devices, such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and wired options like RS485/Modbus. Among these, WiFi is the most popular because it allows users to connect their devices to the internet and control them remotely from anywhere. While many affordable and DIY smart home setups have been developed over the years, most rely on unique, non-standard communication systems. This makes it difficult to connect everything to a single, unified control system. To solve this, we designed a low-cost control board that uses Wi-Fi and works with standard smart home servers and commonly available smart devices. The system uses microcontrollers from the Espress if family, which can be integrated into any home IoT setup. This approach makes it easier to turn regular homes into smart homes and helps support better energy management for future smart power grids, allowing people to save on energy costs.