MQTT to RF gateway

This repository explains how to create a small device capable of driving an RF power outlet over WiFi using MQTT.

Required materials

Any Arduino board
An ESP8266 module (it is a low-cost Wi-Fi microchip)
A 433mhz wireless transmitter module (such as FS1000A)
A 3.3V voltage regulator module (such as AMS1117) (needed because of the ESP8266 voltage)

Note: Make sure to have the latest official firmware of your ESP module. The esp8266 folder contains instructions howto install the proper firmware.

Wiring

Arduino sketch

Before upload the sketch into your arduino, you have to update some variables in order to fit your setup:

File: mqtt-rf-with-esp/mqtt-rf-with-esp.ino

Variable	Default	Description
`ssid`	n/a	Your WiFi SSID
`pass`	n/a	Your WiFi password
`mqtt_host`	(10.0.0.5)	Your MQTT host IP
`mqtt_port`	1883	Your MQTT host port

You can now upload the program.

Debugging

You can open the serial monitor (9600 bauds) to see debug traces.

Debug traces can be disabled by setting the DEBUG constant to 0. Removing debug traces makes the program lighter and a little faster.

Protocol

The MQTT payload is formated like this: X;AAAAA;BBBBB

X: 1 = ON and 0 = OFF
AAAAA: the first part of your socket address. This is a binary string representing the DIP switch configuration of your power outlet. 1 if the the DIP switch is high, 0 otherwise.
BBBBB: the second part of your socket address.

Ex:

If our power is configured like this: UP,DOWN,DOWN,DOWN,DOWN - DOWN,UP,UP,DOWN,DOWN then the address will be: 10000;01100.

Send an ON signal: 1;10000;01100

Send an OFF signal: 0;10000;01100

Play

Start a MQTT broker:

$ docker run -d -p 1883:1883 ncarlier/mqtt

Subscribe to the status topic (status messages sent by the Arduino):

$ docker run --rm -it --entrypoint="mosquitto_sub" ncarlier/mqtt \
  -h localhost \
  -t rf/status

Subscribe to the command result topic (result of a command):

$ docker run --rm -it --entrypoint="mosquitto_sub" ncarlier/mqtt \
  -h localhost \
  -t rf/command/result

Send an ON command to the Arduino/ESP module:

$ docker run --rm -it --entrypoint="mosquitto_pub" ncarlier/mqtt \
  -h localhost \
  -t "rf/command" \
  -m "1;11111;01000"

What next?

Now you can control your RF power outlet using MQTT.

Here are some improvement ideas:

Use Ethernet board to improve network reliability
Add some sensors to publish extra data on another queue
...

ncarlier / mqtt-rf-gw