Raspberry Pi is a small computer that you can use as anything, from a router to a gaming console. Its versatility makes it perfect for IoT projects, which we’re discussing in this article.
Raspberry Pi can help you create an autonomous irrigation system as well as a face recognizing robot. We’re combining it with the Internet of Things and exploring how the two of them can lead to amazing projects.
It lets you explore the power of cutting-edge computing technology to handle routine computing tasks effectively. You would find working on Raspberry Pi projects interesting when you benefit from its versatility. Its versatility proves the prevalence of IoT using raspberry Pi.
It works as a budget-friendly desktop that could be used as a game console, media centre, or router. Moreover, it is used to develop smartphones, tablets, smart devices, robots, intelligent cameras, etc.
The Internet of Things, also known as IoT, is one of the most powerful technologies of recent times. It allows you to use the internet for controlling appliances and tools, which you couldn’t have used through the internet before. Autonomous systems and smart switches are some great examples of IoT applications in real life.
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How does Raspberry Pi work?
It works identically to a computer that connects with external peripheral devices and a power supply. Raspberry Pi models are installed with Linux operating system. Except for Raspberry Pi Zero, all Raspberry Pi models are equipped with WiFi. These tiny, cost-effective, versatile, and portable computers are perfect for any DIY raspberry Pi IoT project.
How to use Raspberry Pi in IoT projects?
You can integrate IoT with Raspberry Pi to explore your imagination easily and without wasting time. It is impossible to substitute hefty IT infrastructure with Raspberry Pi. But deploying a cost-effective server for managing websites, analyzing IP connectivity, and creating dashboards for data visualization using Raspberry Pi are useful projects.
IoT is an evolving technology that allows users to communicate wirelessly with other devices from distant locations. It is cost-effective and easy to access devices from remote locations if IoT technology is used with Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi is regulated by its GPIO pins. You must set those pins to permit the input and output options for the raspberry Pi IoT if you aim to build an IoT project. These pins help you to connect with IoT devices that contain sensors like motion sensors, light sensors, sound sensors, etc.
How to set up Raspberry Pi?
Firstly, you need to connect the power supply and additional peripherals to the Raspberry Pi. Now you need to download any OS and install it using the user manual from its website.
If you’re interested in developing IoT-based solutions, then you’re at the right place. Here, we’re discussing some of the most exciting Raspberry Pi IoT projects. Our list contains projects of various skill levels and sectors so you can choose one according to your interests and expertise.
Top Raspberry Pi IoT Projects
1. Estimate Crowd Sizes and Fight the Virus
The current pandemic has changed our world completely. We are adapting to these new changes by incorporating different technologies and habits into our lifestyles. If you want to build a solution to fight this pandemic, then you can work on this project.
In this project, you’d build a Raspberry Pi solution that can estimate crowd sizes. We all know how crucial social distancing is. By determining the crowd size in a particular place, you can understand if people are social distancing properly or not. You can then use this technology in public places and help the authorities in enforcing social distancing guidelines with higher effectiveness.
To estimate crowd sizes, your system should perform object detection. Object detection is a concept of Artificial Intelligence where your system can recognize particular objects present within an image. Apart from Raspberry Pi, you’ll need a Pi Camera, Python, and OpenCV too. After you’ve completed this project, you’d be familiar with real-life applications of object detection and AI. Moreover, you’d know how you can use technology to fight the pandemic. If you’re already familiar with the basics, then you can make it more challenging by adding more functionalities to it.
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This raspberry Pi IoT project determines whether people are following social distance norms or not. It can inform the authorities if these norms are violated. It uses object detection technology to supervise crowd movement. This movement can be easily monitored through IoT technology if you are using a Raspberry Pi device.
2. Smart Energy Monitor Based on IoT
Energy monitors are devices that show you how much energy a particular appliance (or appliances) is consuming. With this information, you can keep your energy consumption in check and make any adjustments if necessary. An energy monitor can help you in reducing the waste of energy and assist you in saving the environment.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to use your tech skills to build solutions for the environment, this is a great project for you. Before you begin working on this project, you should know that you’ll have to work with an AC supply, which is dangerous. So, follow all the safety precautions before starting your work on this task.
This project is useful if you want to monitor both production and energy use. For example, your home is installed with a solar panel. In that case, this project lets you track the amount of energy your home uses and the amount of power it generates.
The hardware and software are entirely open-source. Data extraction occurs every 0.5 seconds with an ADC sensor and up to six current sensors to provide real-time usage data. This data is showcased using Grafana. Hence, you can view all the information at once.
You can run this raspberry Pi in IoT project on a Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 board. Other components required are a current clamp and a breadboard. The corresponding board for this IoT using raspberry Pi project includes everything you need. You are guided on how to connect the electronic pieces, what and how to program to load on a Raspberry Pi board, and how to communicate with the devices to check your energy usage.
Here, you’ll build a smart energy monitor based on Raspberry Pi. Your energy monitor would have the following components:
- A current sensing unit
- ADC
- A voltage sensing unit
- Adafruit.IO
- Raspberry Pi
The current and voltage sensing units would provide your system with the required input. You can use any current sensor that can work with Raspberry Pi. The voltage sensing unit and the existing sensing units comprise the input section, whereas the ADC and the Raspberry Pi constitute the processing unit. To store our findings (the output) we are using Adafruit.IO. It would save all this information on the cloud. So you can access this data from anywhere in the world at any time.
3. Build a Wi-Fi Range Extender With Raspberry Pi
Everyone faces the issue of ‘limited range’ when using Wi-Fi routers or devices. Wi-Fi routers don’t necessarily cover a big radius, and if you go out of that range, you start facing connection problems and eventually lose the connection completely.
You can expand the coverage radius of your Wi-Fi device by using a Wi-Fi extender. In this project, you’d build one of these.
It is one of the best Raspberry Pi IoT projects for the enthusiast of electronics communication. As it is an Internet-of-Things project, you’d be able to use the extender remotely, and you can automate it as well. To work on this project, you’ll need Nodemcu ESP8266. It is an IoT development platform that has Arduino’s features and a Wi-Fi module as well. You can use the Arduino IDE by connecting it with a USB interface and program it accordingly.
To use ESP8266 property, you’ll need to download its Flash Download tool from its website. It would allow you to configure your ESP8266. After completing this project, you’d be familiar with many concepts of IoT and electronics communication. It is among the beginner-level projects so if you haven’t worked on an IoT solution before, and you should start here.
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4. Create an IoT-Based Agricultural Solution
We hear about the applications of technology in homes and offices, but in this project, you’ll build a solution for a garden (or a farm). Here, we’ll use Raspberry Pi to create an agricultural solution. It would monitor the moisture level in the soil and water it automatically. So, if you maintain a garden (whatever the size maybe), you’d like this project particularly. It would help you in keeping your garden and remove a lot of your hassles.
You’ll need a relay module, an Arduino, a soil moisture sensor, a pair of a pipe and a hose, a Bluetooth Hc 5, a solenoid valve, and wires. This project is a great way to learn how you can use IoT in real life and automate mundane tasks. You can start with a small potted plant, and after you’ve implemented the system successfully, you can move onto a bigger garden or a group of potted plants.
5. Develop a Face Recognizing Robot with Raspberry Pi
Face recognition is an AI-based technology in which a computer recognizes a face by analyzing its features. Face recognition has become prevalent in modern devices, and you must’ve seen its application on multiple places such as smartphones and social media. If you’re familiar with this concept and want to implement it in a robot, then you can do so through Raspberry Pi.
It is among those Raspberry Pi IoT projects which require a little extra effort. However, once you’re finished, the result would be worth it. Also, you should know about Arduino, Raspberry Pi cameras, and robotics before you begin working on this project.
You’d need an amplifier, USB data cable, a power adapter, servo motors, and a robot head (you can use INMOOVE). You should also be familiar with programming a Raspberry Pi board so you can complete this project efficiently. You’ll need the following Python libraries to complete this project:
- Matplot
- CV2
- OpenCV
- Numpy
- Keras
- Face Recognition
- Scipy
- Espeak
If you haven’t built a robot before then, we recommend you start with the basics and only add the function of recognizing faces in your robot. On the other hand, if you want to make this project a little more challenging, you can add the functionality of speaking in the robot, where it would speak the name of the face it recognizes. It would take a little extra effort, but after that, your robot would be fully functional.
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6. Build an IoT-based Smart Home System with Raspberry Pi
Are you familiar with Smart Homes? In a smart home, most of the appliances are automated, and you can control them remotely. They are among the most popular applications of the Internet of Things. You can make your home a smart home with Raspberry Pi and Bluetooth. As Raspberry Pi already possesses a Bluetooth module, you’ll only have to connect it to an appliance (or multiple appliances) and then configure it with your mobile so you can control that particular appliance through your mobile device.
After you’ve connected it with the appliance and configured it, you can join it to the cloud so you can access the necessary tool from anywhere at any time.
You can start with one appliance, and after you’ve implemented it successfully, you can move onto building a more extensive network of tools that you can access remotely. Working on this project will help you explore the various real-life applications of IoT.
This smart home system uses a Raspberry Pi board to let you control smart devices via the WebThings IoT gateway. It states that you need to use a Raspberry Pi to create your version of Amazon’s Alexa. However, it is fully customizable.
Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 is preferable for this IoT using raspberry Pi project. It can also work with a few other models. You may only need a Wi-Fi dongle. Other accessories required are some cables and smart devices to connect with.
You can go through the project’s GitHub page to know which smart devices are compatible with this project. It is straightforward to set up your smart home hub based on raspberry Pi in IoT and add devices like a smart bulb or power outlet or any other devices you want to control. You just need to configure your WebThings gateway.
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Final Thoughts
We hope you liked our list of Raspberry Pi IoT projects.
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Is Raspberry Pi Good for IoT?
IoT devices don't have to be low-power SoC devices with a microcontroller as the main CPU and a Wi-Fi module as the networking interface. For example, a standard PC can be utilized as an IoT device, but doing so would be challenging due to the fact that PCs require hundreds of watts of mains electricity. The Raspberry Pi, on the other hand, is a computer that is significantly more powerful than many IoT devices and is an excellent option for IoT processing. The Raspberry Pi computers are extraordinarily small, measuring just slightly bigger than a credit card and consuming very little power. Some Pi computers contain a 64-bit quad core processor, which gives them decent processing power. They also offer up to 1GB of RAM, built-in Wi-Fi, and plenty of GPIO for connecting to additional electronics.
What is IoT with Raspberry Pi?
The internet of things (IoT) has become a big topic in recent years, especially since Apple's AirTags were released. The internet of things (IoT) is a network that connects various devices with data-gathering technology (such as sensors) that may share data. The goal of the Internet of Things is to allow individual devices to communicate and collaborate in order to provide you, the user, with the greatest possible experience. Due to their tiny size and extensive capabilities, Raspberry Pi boards are extremely popular single-board computers that are well adapted for DIY IoT devices. Raspberry Pi boards come in a variety of sizes and configurations, each with its own set of connectors and sensors.
What is sensor in IoT?
Sensors are crucial in the development of IoT solutions. Sensors are devices that detect and replace external data with a signal that people and robots can understand. Sensors have made it possible to collect data in virtually any situation, and they are currently employed in a variety of industries, including medical treatment, nursing home care, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, agricultural, disaster protection, tourism, regional enterprises, and many more.
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