Introduction

Discover how a smart IoT device can save energy and enhance your home lighting experience, specifically for your Christmas tree! This project utilizes an ESP8266 with a LUA TCP server and includes an Android app built with Android Studio.

The Need for the Project 🌲♻️

We had a beautiful Christmas tree on our balcony that we wanted to keep illuminated only during the night. However, we often forgot to turn it off in the morning or, if turned off, forgot to turn it on at night. We usually realized this only when driving away from home and noticing the dark balcony.

My parents considered buying an electrical clock to automate this process, but I saw an opportunity to create a custom in-house solution. With my love for bricolage and a passion for innovative challenges, I felt a sense of responsibility to succeed. At that time, IoT wasn't as mainstream as it is today, making this project seem very "innovative".

Project Overview 🌱🔧

• Smart IoT Board: Designed to save energy and provide convenient control over your Christmas tree lights. The setup includes a PCB board with some resistors and a switch, all controlled by an ESP8266 microcontroller.
• ESP8266 & LUA: The core of this device is built using the ESP8266 microcontroller, programmed with a LUA TCP server. The LUA experience was derived from working with ComputerCraft.
• Android App: A companion Android app, developed with Android Studio, allows easy control and customization of the lights from your smartphone.

Results 🌟🔋

After a month of use, the energy savings were modest, around 4-5 euros compared to the previous year. However, it was gratifying to see the potential for energy conservation and the added convenience. Plus, knowing that our small effort contributes to a greener planet is a reward in itself! 🌏🌿