Tinkering with IoT, One Project at a Time
Step-by-step tutorials and guides for building your own IoT projects using platforms like ESP32, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and more. Learn how to create smart home devices, automation systems, and connected gadgets with hands-on instructions and code examples.
This system allows you to control a physical barrier using a mobile-friendly web interface. Admins generate guest PINs. Guests enter them through the browser. No hardware keypad. No cloud subscriptions. Just ESP32, Wi-Fi, and a modern user experience. This is not just a prototype or tutorial — it’s a fully deployed system controlling a real … Read more
Introduction: A Smarter Way to Open Our Shared Barrier In our quiet private street, 20 households share a single automated barrier gate. For years, we relied on outdated remotes, NFC keyfobs, or even phone calls to let people in — all of which felt increasingly clunky as smart technology became more accessible. I wanted something … Read more
Last year, my family and I spent a few days in Italy, staying at a small vineyard in the countryside. It wasn’t anything fancy—just a few guest rooms, a stunning view of the hills, and some of the best wine I’ve ever tasted. What made it truly memorable, though, were the people. We got to … Read more
Introduction If you’re tired of smart devices that only work with cloud apps or closed platforms, it might be time to take back control — and Tasmota ESP32 is one of the best ways to do it. Tasmota is an open-source firmware that gives you full control over your devices using MQTT, web interfaces, and … Read more
When I started building IoT devices, the wireless part always tripped me up. Wi-Fi felt like the obvious go-to, but then I’d see tutorials using Bluetooth or LoRa instead—and suddenly I wasn’t so sure.
If you’re in that spot, this guide is for you. I’ll break down how Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (especially BLE), and LoRa work, what radios and frequencies they use, and how to decide which one fits your project best.
The ESP32 isn’t just Wi-Fi-capable—it also comes with built-in Bluetooth Classic and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). That makes it ideal for a whole range of wireless projects, from audio streaming to smart home automation.
If you’re just diving into Bluetooth projects, this post is for you. I’ve collected 10 DIY ESP32 Bluetooth/BLE projects you can build right now. Some are quick weekend builds, others are great for learning about low-power communications and BLE services.
Let’s dive in.
The world of embedded systems is evolving fast — and with it, the need for more powerful, flexible, and secure real-time operating systems (RTOS). Whether you’re building a low-power sensor node, a Matter-ready smart device, or simply want to move beyond Arduino-level projects, Zephyr RTOS offers an incredibly robust foundation.
But it can also seem intimidating at first.
This guide is for makers, developers, and curious tinkerers who want to get hands-on with Zephyr — no prior RTOS experience required. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have:
Whether you’re using a Nordic nRF52-DK, STM32 Nucleo, or even just running code on a virtual board using QEMU, this guide will walk you through the essentials — step by step.
Let’s get started.
When working with IoT projects, you often face a trade-off between local, low-power communication and internet connectivity. What if you could have both—efficient local sensor data transfer and seamless cloud integration—all without draining your batteries?
That’s where the ESP-NOW + Wi-Fi gateway setup comes in.
By combining the low-power, peer-to-peer communication of ESP-NOW with the internet capabilities of Wi-Fi, you can create a hybrid system that collects data from multiple ESP32 or ESP8266 nodes and pushes it to the cloud using a single ESP32 gateway.
This kind of setup is perfect for:
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to build a simple but powerful ESP-NOW + Wi-Fi gateway system using the ESP32. You’ll learn how to:
Let’s get started!
If you’ve ever worked with the ESP32 or ESP8266, you probably know they’re absolute powerhouses for DIY IoT projects. But did you know they can talk to each other without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth? That’s where ESP-NOW comes in—and it’s honestly one of the coolest features I’ve come across.
ESP-NOW is a fast, low-power, and connectionless communication protocol developed by Espressif. It’s perfect for scenarios where you want ESP boards to exchange small bits of data directly—think sensor networks, remote controls, or smart home devices that just need to “say something” and move on.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything I’ve learned about ESP-NOW, from how it works, to setting it up, to writing your own sender/receiver code. If you’re building a project where power efficiency and low-latency comms are critical, you’re going to love what ESP-NOW can do.
Let’s dive in!
Ever since I got my first ESP32 board, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of building my own smart assistant — something like Alexa or Google Home, but completely offline, DIY, and way more under my control. No cloud processing, no big tech snooping on my commands — just aes tiny, powerful microcontroller listening for voice commands and flipping real-world switches.
It started with a simple idea: What if I could talk to my house and it actually listened? Like, literally say “lights on” and see the lamp click on, no phone, no app — just voice and code.
So I grabbed an ESP32, a microphone module, some relays, and dove head-first into the world of embedded AI. In this project, I’ll walk you through how to build a voice-controlled smart home assistant using nothing but an ESP32, a few common components, and a bit of clever on-device machine learning.
We’re not just talking blinking LEDs here. This is real, usable voice control — trained to recognize your commands, process them locally, and trigger anything from lamps to fans to coffee machines. And the best part? No internet required.
If you’re the kind of person who loves combining wires, code, and a bit of magic to bring your environment to life — you’re in the right place.