Design and implementation of a low-cost Arduino-based smart home system

A smart home is the residential extension of building automation. It initially involved the control and automation of systems that ensure human comfort such as lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and security. Recently, it has evolved to encompass most home appliances that use Wi-Fi for remote monitoring. Technological progress has enhanced the ubiquity of smart home systems resulting in improved standards of living. Commercial home automation systems are still unaffordable to a vast majority of the middle and lower class families. However, the emergence of cheap microcontrollers, like the Arduino, has enabled the implementation of low-cost smart home systems, incorporating the majority of features present in commercial systems. In this paper, we present a highly scalable, low-cost and multi-faceted home automation system based on Arduino microcontroller that is capable of integrating appliance and equipment automation, thermal comfort control and energy management.