Create a Smart Lighting System with MQTT

2024-12-11 - Engine: Gemini

Building a Smart Lighting System over MQTT

Components Required:

Lights: Smart bulbs or LED strips with MQTT support
MQTT Broker: A server that bridges messages between devices (e.g., Mosquitto, HiveMQ)
MQTT Client: Software on lights that communicates with the broker
Controlling Device: A device or app that sends messages to the broker (e.g., Raspberry Pi, Smartphone)

Steps:

1. Setup MQTT Broker:

Install and configure an MQTT broker on a server or Raspberry Pi.
Ensure the broker is running and listening for messages.

2. Setup MQTT Client on Lights:

Install MQTT client software on the lights.
Configure the client with the broker's connection details (IP address, port, username, password).

3. Connect Controlling Device:

Install an MQTT client library on the controlling device (e.g., Paho Python).
Create an MQTT client and connect it to the broker.

4. Sending Messages:

Create a unique MQTT topic ID for controlling lights (e.g., "/home/light").
Send messages via the controlling device to the topic to control lights.
Messages can contain various commands like on/off, dimming, color change.

5. Lights Receiving Messages:

Have lights subscribe to the topic you created in step 4.
When a message is received, the client processes the commands within and controls lights accordingly.

Sample Code:

Light MQTT Client (Python):

import paho.mqtt.client as mqtt

# MQTT Broker Information
broker_ip = "localhost"
broker_port = 1883

# Create new MQTT client instance
client = mqtt.Client()

# Connect to the broker
client.connect(broker_ip, broker_port)

# Subscribe to topic
topic = "/home/light"
client.subscribe(topic)

# Loop to listen for messages
client.loop_forever()

Controlling Device MQTT Client (Python):

import paho.mqtt.client as mqtt

# MQTT Broker Information
broker_ip = "localhost"
broker_port = 1883

# Create new MQTT client instance
client = mqtt.Client()

# Connect to the broker
client.connect(broker_ip, broker_port)

# Toggle light on or off
def toggle_light(state):
    message = "on" if state else "off"
    topic = "/home/light"
    client.publish(topic, message)

# Set light brightness (0-255)
def set_brightness(level):
    topic = "/home/light"
    message = str(level)
    client.publish(topic, message)

# Start a console to control lights
while True:
    command = input("Command (on/off/brightness): ")
    if command == "on":
        toggle_light(True)
    elif command == "off":
        toggle_light(False)
    elif command.startswith("brightness"):
        level = int(command.split()[1])
        set_brightness(level)
    else:
        print("Invalid command")

Note: Topic ID and command formatting can vary based on the specific lights and MQTT client library used.