🏠 HomeControl Box – Smart Home Automation System

HomeControl Box is a modular, extensible smart home system designed for monitoring and control of a house using a mobile application and a set of interconnected IoT devices. Developed with a focus on personalization, automation, and real-time responsiveness, the system integrates sensors, actuators, cameras, and smart locks through a centralized hub and a Kotlin-based Android app.

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🚀 Key Features

• ✅ User Personalization: Profiles, rooms, and preferences saved per user
• 🔐 Secure Access: Login with Google Authentication or password
• 🧭 Room Management: Create and organize rooms with widgets
• 📈 Real-Time Monitoring: Track temperature, humidity, light, gas, air quality, power, water leakage, and battery levels
• 💡 Device Control: Remotely manage sockets, lights, outlets, and appliances
• 🔒 Smart Lock System: Access using password, RFID or mobile app
• 📷 Camera Integration: Live view and control in the mobile app
• 🔁 Routine Automation:
  • Based on sensor data
  • Based on user location or context
  • Time-based and adaptive wake-up alarms
• 🕹️ IR Remote Control Support Control lights and devices using remote
• 👏 Clap Detection Automation Control lights and devices
• 🚨 Intrusion Detection: Using hall effect sensors on doors/windows
• 📳 Push Notifications: Alert on poor air quality, gas leak, intrusions, water leak etc.
• 📊 Visual Statistics: Graphs for data by day/week/month/year
• 🔧 Modular & Scalable: Easy to add new devices or sensors

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🧱 System Architecture

The system includes the following core components:

📱 Android Mobile App

Link to the app repo: https://github.com/Dragosh-C/Smart-Home-App

• Developed using Kotlin and XML
• Interfaces with Firebase for data sync and authentication
• Provides a graphical dashboard, control panel, and automation manager

🧠 Central Hub

• Raspberry Pi 5 acting as the MQTT broker and system coordinator
• Manages communication between ESP32 devices and Firebase
• Handles automation routines and as a local database for sensors (InfluxDB)

📡 IoT Device Nodes

• Based on ESP32 microcontrollers
• Equipped with various sensors and actuators:
  • DHT11 (temperature/humidity)
  • MQ2 (gas and air quality)
  • Photoresistor (light)
  • Hall sensor (doors/windows)
  • Water leakage sensors
  • Microphone (for clap detection)
  • Relay modules, IR transmitter, LEDs, and servos
• Housed in heat-resistant enclosures for safety

Diagram for main Box:

🔗 Communication Protocols

• MQTT: Lightweight, low-latency messaging between hub and devices
• Firebase Realtime Database: For real-time data updates and app communication
• Cloud Firestore: Structured NoSQL database for storing user data, preferences, automation, and device configurations

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🔐 Security and Privacy

• Communication is encrypted
• Device-to-hub MQTT messaging uses secure certificate-based TLS
• Authentication via Firebase GoogleAuth and email/password
• User-specific access and configuration

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📦 How to Get Started

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi 5 with Raspbian OS
• ESP32 (multiple nodes)
• Android Studio
• Firebase project set up (Realtime DB, Firestore, Authentication)

Steps

1. Clone ESP-IDF:

   git clone --recursive https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf.git
   cd esp-idf

2. Install dependencies and toolchain:

   ./install.sh
   

3. Set up environment:

    ./export.sh
   

4. Build and flash: for each device individually

      idf.py build
      idf.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 flash 

Firmware components

Folder	Description
main_box/	Device for monitoring power usage and control
rpi_hub/	Contain code for hub
camerabox/	ESP32-CAM module for live video
lock-system/	Door lock device
sensors_box_type/	Device for monitor environment
smart_outlet/	Controllable outlet unit