Smart home design with XBee Wi-Fi and Android-based graphical user interface

Abstract

The smart home concept has constantly gained popularity over the past decades following the advent of technology. However, concerns on flexibility and infrastructure requirements discourage the widespread implementation of this concept. This project aims to improve the overall experience of a smart home by integrating the Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 wireless communication standard into a standard smart home sensory network. The tasks of the project were centred on the development of a Wi-Fi integrated smart home system with a PIC® microcontroller and a Wi-Fi module as the core components. Additional components such as light-dependent resistor (LDR), temperature sensor, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and DC motor were included to mimic a real life home environment. A custom designed Android graphical user interface (GUI) application was also developed to enable automated and manual control of the modelled smart home. The final smart home prototype presented the integration of Wi-Fi into a smart home network that grants users with greater flexibility while preserving the existing smart home experience.