Android-Based Home Automation Using

Bluetooth and ESP8266

Akhil Bhatt, Apurva Saxena, Shubhi Chauhan, Utkarsh Jaiswal

and Yashaswi Verma

Abstract This paper exhibits a minimal effort and adaptable home control and
checking framework for getting to and controlling gadgets and machines remotely
utilizing Android-based smart telephone application. The depiction about the
incorporated system architecture and the interconnecting instruments for the solid
estimation of parameters by smart sensors and transmission of information by
means of web is being exhibited. Home automation or smart home involves the
control and computerization of lighting, aerating and cooling, warming, ventilation,
and security as well as home appliances. It uses Bluetooth for remote checking and
is a component of the Internet of things. The system will be operated on two modes,
autonomous and semi-autonomous. To show the plausibility and viability of this
framework, gadgets, for example, light switches, control plug, temperature sensor,
and humidity sensor, have been coordinated with the proposed home control
framework. The framework will consist of an exhaust, water tank, and an LED
bulb. The exhaust can be used in kitchen/washroom and work accordingly. Water
management is an area of field which needs a thought to work on especially, in
India. For this, we will be using a motor which will automatically start when the
water level reaches to its bare minimum and stops once the water level reaches to
the brim. This will help in conservation of water. The third appliance used is an
LED bulb which will start to glow if someone enters a room and stops glowing once
the person exits.

Keywords IoT (Internet of Things) Autonomous
Semi-autonomous



Automation Sensors Water management

A. Bhatt
A. Saxena
S. Chauhan (&)
U. Jaiswal
Y. Verma

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India
e-mail: shubhi.chauhan22june@gmail.com
U. Jaiswal
e-mail: jaiswalutkarsh15@stu.upes.ac.in
Y. Verma
e-mail: vermayashaswi15@stu.upes.ac.in

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 1767

R. Singh et al. (eds.), Intelligent Communication, Control and Devices,
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 624,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5903-2_182
1768 A. Bhatt et al.

1 Introduction

The Internet of things permits elements to be detected or operated remotely

crosswise over current system infrastructure, [1] opening the doors for more
straightforward reconciliation of the physical world into PC-based frameworks and
bringing about enhanced effectiveness, exactness, and financial advantage in
addition to decreased human intervention [2–7]. When IoT is expanded with
actuators and sensor module or subsystem, the innovation turns into an occurrence
of the more broad class of digital physical frameworks, which likewise envelops
advances, for example, smart homes, intelligent transportation, and brilliant urban
communities. Everything is especially identifiable through its introduced figuring
structure, however can function inside the current Internet foundation. Internet of
things is about physical things conversing with each other [8, 9]. Specialists esti-
mate that more than 60 billion devices will comprise of IoT by 2022 [10].
One of the most important features of the IoT is information. The achievement of
associating gadgets to make them more effective is dependent upon access to and
capacity and preparing of information. For this reason, organizations chipping away
at IoT gather information and assemble data from various sources and store it in
their cloud space for additional handling. This invites protection and security threats
and single point vulnerability of different frameworks. IoT is like bringing your
dreams to reality; it is not a theoretical concept anymore. IoT is a scenario where
machines communicate with each other and with other devices using embedded
sensors. Regularly, IoT is required to present propelled network of gadgets,
structures, and organizations that goes past machine-to-machine correspondences
and spreads a variety of traditions, spaces, and applications [11]. The interlinking of
these embedded devices is relied upon to client in computerization in about all
fields, while additionally enabling impelled applications like a keen framework,
[12] and extending to regions, for example, urban communities. Automation refers
to the capacity to program and calendar occasions for the gadgets on the system.
The essential point of home automation is to control or screen signals from various
apparatuses or fundamental administrations. An advanced cell or web program can
be utilized to control or screen the home mechanization framework. The devel-
opment of indoor regulators empowers computerized control of warming and
cooling at a later stage. Present-day frameworks for the most part comprise of
switches and sensors associated with a focal center point infrequently called a
“network node” from which the framework is operated with a UI that is associated
with a divider terminal, mobile phone programming, PC or a web browser, fre-
quently yet not generally by means of web cloud administrations. The other fun-
damental for front line home automation is remote observing and access.
Monitoring applications can give an abundance of data about your home, from the
status of the present minute to a point-by-point history of what has occurred up to
now. You can check your security framework’s status, regardless of whether the
lights are on, whether the entryways are bolted, what the present temperature of
your house is and much more. When you begin to comprehend the conceivable
Android-Based Home Automation Using Bluetooth … 1769

outcomes of home automation, you can think of any number of valuable and
creative answers to make your life better. In 2015, the home computerization
market was worth US$6.77 billion (approximately), anticipated to have a market an
incentive over US$10 billion by the year 2025 [13].
A framework is proposed where various sensors are connected with the Arduino
board. The Arduino water-level pointer utilizes an ultrasonic sensor to decide the
level of water in the tank. The module is first flashed using Arduino and then is
programmed to send data to the server. The sensor measures separate utilizing
sonar. An ultrasonic heartbeat is transmitted from the ping sensor, and detachment
to aimed source is controlled by the time it takes for the echo to return. Output from
the sensor is a beat of different length that compares to the separation to the
objective. This is then sustained to the microcontroller that decides the water level.
A method for measuring liquid level in a vessel comprises the following steps:
• Attaching an ultrasonic sensor to the wall of a vessel.
• Directing an energy pulse along the sensor waveguide which determines the
level of water in the vessel.
• The signal arrival times are then translated into the actual liquid level depth by
computation of the pulse travel time.
• The generated data is sent to the application via programmed Arduino whether
to trigger the motor if fluid level is below the marked boundary.
• An alert message is sent to the user about the percentage of liquid left in the
vessel or how much liquid filled after motor starts pumping the fluid inside the
vessel.
• Motor starts pumping the fluid inside the vessel and stops after a specified
percentage is programmed inside the Arduino.
Kitchen fans for ventilating oil-loaded air produced combustible vapors from
commercial cooking gear, for example, stoves and profound fryers amid cooking
are notable. Regularly such fans are physically activated utilizing a toggle switch.
Ordinary fans are not reasonable for giving programmed mechanical ventilation,
since they are exorbitantly noisy and would have a tendency to stir resting
inhabitants of a home when consequently actuated during the evening. In like
manner, the need has emerged for a novel range fan electrically connectable to a
humidity sensor, which is operable at a diminished sound level in a programmed
mode. Humidity sensor fan sense employs unique sensing technology that detects
humidity. These fans turn on when they sense a rise in humidity over time and
include adjustable sensitivity. This takes into account for faster response to rising
humidity levels to clear misted reflects more rapidly than aggressive models which
are activated by pre-set humidity levels programmed inside Arduino.
A customary programmed room control circuit has just a single light sensor. So
when a man goes into the room, it gets one heartbeat and the lights come. At the
point when the individual goes out, it gets another heartbeat and the lights go off.
Be that as it may, what happens when two people go into the room, in a steady
progression? It gets two heartbeats and the lights stay in off state. The circuit
1770 A. Bhatt et al.

depicted here beats the previously mentioned issue. It has a little memory which
empowers it to naturally switch on/off the lights in a coveted manner. The circuit
utilizes PIR sensor which are set in a steady progression (isolated by a separation of
say a large portion of a meter) so they may independently detect a man going into
the room or leaving the room, the sensor stimulates the bulb/LED to the point that
when a man gets into the room it transmits light, and when a man leaves the room it
does not radiates. These yields are at the same time connected to two counters. One
of the counters will consider +1, +2, +3, and so on when people are getting into the
room and the other will consider −1, −2, −3, and so forth when people are escaping
the room.

2 Hardware Development

In Figure 1, Arduino mega is used as a microcontroller for the sensors and their
outputs. It is the most important unit of the project and links all the sensors with the
devices they control as well as control the Bluetooth functioning using an Android
device. PIR sensor is based on the detection of heat by sending infrared rays in this
project, it will be used to detect motion, and as a prototype an LED/bulb will be lit
as a signal of someone entering or leaving the home. LED works according to the
PIR sensor attached to transistor and relay. Temperature and humidity sensors
identify the relative humidity of the present conditions in which they are put. They
measure both the dampness and temperature noticeable all around and express
relative humidity as a rate of the proportion of moisture to the most extreme
temperature that can be held. The sensor is connected to Arduino mega through a
dimmer of 16 levels which will control the speed of the exhaust fan which in this
project is depicted by a PC fan.
Ultrasonic sensor is a sensor that senses the time the pulse takes between
emitting and detection; it has been connected through a transistor and relay which
has a basic functioning to control the power intake of heavy devices like motors and
bulbs; all this in turn will control the water pump motor on/off configuration,
according to the level detected by the sensor. The whole circuit is finally connected
to a Bluetooth module which will be further used to control all functions of
equipment by using an Android device in two modes, i.e., autonomous and
semi-autonomous.
Android-Based Home Automation Using Bluetooth … 1771

Fig. 1 Flow Diagram of Input Sensors with their respective Outputs

3 Software Development

In Fig. 2, LCD is connected to Arduino on pins 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. Ultrasonic
sensor is connected on pins 5 and 6, and temperature and humidity sensor on pin 0.
Bulb is connected to relay (RL1) and on pin 3. Other relay (RL2) is connected to
exhaust. Power supply is connected on pin 4 of Arduino. PIR sensor is used to
control bulb and is connected to pin 7.
1772 A. Bhatt et al.

Fig. 2 Model Testing through Proteus Design Suite

3.1 Flow Diagram

Figure 3 explains the working of the model where in data from sensors are fetched
in two modes, autonomous and semi-autonomous. If the mode is autonomous, then
automatic functioning will be there, otherwise it will take data from app for tank,
bulb, and exhaust. For tank, if water level is below certain level then motor will
start, and if it is above a certain level then motor will stop. For bulb, if motion is
detected, bulb will be switched on. For exhaust, a 16-level dimmer will be used
which will regulate the speed of the fan.
In Fig. 4, the first screen of the app shows two modes of selection—autonomous
and semi-autonomous. By selecting autonomous, the autonomous mode will be
activated. By selecting semi-autonomous, the next screen in the app will be dis-
played. The second screen is for the LED bulb control, i.e., switching on and off.
The third screen displays the control of exhaust fan speed. The slider controls the
speed through the app. The fourth screen displays the temperature and humidity
control of the exhaust fan. The last screen receives the data, i.e., water level of the
tank and displays on the LCD.
Android-Based Home Automation Using Bluetooth … 1773

Fig. 3 Flow Chart of proposed Model

1774 A. Bhatt et al.

Fig. 4 Screen Layouts of Android App

4 Result and Conclusion

What sorts of things can be a piece of a home automation framework? In a perfect

world, anything that can be associated with a system can be mechanized and
controlled remotely. In this present reality, home automation most regularly asso-
ciates straightforward binary devices. This incorporates “on and off” gadgets, for
example, lights and electronic locks, additionally gadgets, for example, security
sensors which have just two states, open and shut. Usage of home automation
facility provides a number of benefits to the users, easy access to diminish or
increment the force of lights, control shades, and so on with the touch of a catch on
your tablet/cell phone or a dynamic keypad. Automation can introduce conditions
for you with no genuine exertion. At the most fundamental level, home automation
extends that planned programmability to lighting, with the goal that you can suit
Android-Based Home Automation Using Bluetooth … 1775

your vitality utilization to your standard day-by-day plan. Using computerization

sensors and interchanges advancements, homes can be deliberately and always
observed from any place.
The model provides an ultrasonic mechanical assembly and strategy for mea-
suring the fluid level of a vessel subjected to high weights and temperatures without
uncovering any sensitive electrical gear to the antagonistic condition. This frame-
work measures the fluid level up through the tank base, “skipping” motions off of
the fluid hindrance and afterward registering volume from flag bounce back time,
and then via Bluetooth connectivity sends real-time data to the user through the
application installed on the smartphone. This can be helpful in managing water
management issue and an efficient way of supplying water to households. Keeping
in mind the true objective to encourage the diminishment of expenses in the
development of residences, without giving up air quality, an existing model must be
produced that will provide variety of functions. The kitchen fan with a climatic
humidity sensor which naturally turns on the fan at a low speed setting when
humidity levels in a residence surpass a pre-set cutoff. This has been proficient in a
way that will decrease noise disturbances to dozing inhabitants of the residence.
The energy utilizations of private and business structures are developing signifi-
cantly. One critical commitment to this development originates from the wasteful
use of electrical loads, for example, chilling and warming frameworks, lighting
framework, and so on. The lighting system is one of the largest single consuming
units. A standard customized room control circuit has only a single light sensor—
PIR sensor that measures infrared (IR) light transmitting from articles in its field of
view. They are regularly utilized as a part of PIR-based motion detectors. The
proposed smart LED lightning system normally switches on/off the lights in a pined
way when a person enters/leaves the room. This could spare you from wasting
energy on overlooked lights and machines once you have left for the day.

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