Hey guys Matt here from mksmarthouse.com and in this video I am going to be giving you
the detailed explanation.
[Intro]
So the point of this video is to tell you exactly in detail how this whole entire system
works and how I am going to teach you.
So, to start off we are going to talk about what is MK-SmartHouse well, MK-SmartHouse
is a resource or solution I created to show people how to make certain devices to either
control things like blinds or sense changes such as a door opening.
But, my favorite part about these devices is that they are super simple to make.
And so, both of these are quotes taken from mksmarthouse.com/about which is where you
can find more information about exactly what is MK-SmartHouse.
And here we have a little picture of the door sensor showing how simple it looks and how
simple it is to make.
So, the system how it all works so let's talk about the network the network is the most
important part of this smart house system it is how all of the sensors, control devices
talk to the main server so all the communication is through the network either it is wired
or wireless so the devices that connect to wired are the automation server and the media
server and then the devices that connect through wireless are the sensor devices and the control
devices but as you can see I made a note that says necessary wifi coverage through entire
home / property since that is how all the devices are going to connect to it is very
necessary and very important to have wifi coverage throughout your entire home / property
but we are going to talk more about the network in the next video and we are going to be actually
starting to set up the home automation system starting from the network.
So, the servers are another part of the network and the first server is the home automation
server this is the central hub for all the smart devices it controls all the automation
so all the rules and tasks you tell it to do everyday and the software that runs on
this and is this main application that controls all the devices and the whole smart house
system is OpenHAB 2 and so this is running on a raspberry pi and we will be talking about
OpenHAB 2 more in depth later on in this presentation and then the next server we have is the home
media server so the home media server is the central hub for all pictures, videos and files.
It also controls data and the software we use on this is OpenMediaVault.
So now let's move on to sensor and control devices because this is what actually makes
the house smart and enhances it.
So, the hardware for these devices is an esp8266 this is the main control and what makes the
device smart you can call it its brain.
So, this is all on a custom PCB so there is no wiring or guess work required if you do
not know what a PCB is then you can go ahead and do a quick google search it is basically
a green piece of copper that all you have to do is just put components in and solder
it together there is no guess work required you just put it in another thing for the hardware
is just some other small electronic components such as resistors, transistors, relays, temperature
sensors, in this case in the bottom right we have a door sensor so it is just a magnetic
reed switch.
And, then for the software we are going to be using the Arduino IDE to flash the esp8266
and the sensor and control devices are going to be talking to the main server through MQTT
and lastly, these devices connect to the home automation server.
Now if any of this sounded complicated at all do not be worried at all this is going
to be made so simple the literally anybody can do it all you have to do is just follow
the step by step guides there won't be any type of you should know this already, no,
no, no, this is all going to be i'm going to show you exactly the step how to solder
each component where to put it literally every single detail is going to be in these guides.
So, OpenHAB 2 Features so, this is the software like I mentioned before that is going to be
running on the home automation server so the user interface's that it has is the HABPanel
for wall mount interfaces as you saw in my demo video I had a wall mounted interface
where I could control stuff and turn stuff off and on and I also have a picture here
to the right and what is cool about HABPannel is that you can design it exactly how you
want it you can move any tile how you want you can make it how ever big you want have
a bunch of pages change the icons literally there is endless customization.
Next, we have the ios app I also demoed this in my demo video as well as the android app
and the web browser I showed all these interfaces but the thing with the ios app is that you
have native control and it includes notifications and the same thing is said about the android
app it is native control it is one application you press it and then boom you have your entire
smart house system, and that one also has notifications. and then you have the web browser
which you can access you smarthome from any web browser anywhere anytime you want.
So, another cool thing about OpenHAB is you have addons so not only can you connect the
devices that I am going to show you how to make but you can also connect other devices
so say you have a samsung smart tv you can also connect that to the smart home system
and I am also going to show you how to do that and then lastly we have rules.
So, this is what actually makes our smart house system smart because it is cool how
you can turn stuff off and on manually with the wall mounted interface and your phone
but what makes things smart is when it happens on its own without you even thinking so with
openhab you can create rules and automate things and routines.
also with rules you can do sensor variables so if the door opens send a notification if
the fire sensor goes off send a notification if the door sensor goes on turn on the light
literally endless possibilities.
Love openhab 2.
Now let's go over the entire system as a whole so to the left here we have the smart devices
so these are the sensor devices and the control devices and those connect to the network mainly
the wifi access points so then in the network we have the wifi access points which can be
the router or an external wifi access point and then you also have an ethernet switch
which would connect to the servers so the home automation server and the home media
server then to the right we have the user interfaces so you can we have voice control
such as the Amazon echo or siri then we phones, tablets, and web browsers so the ios app the
android app and any web browser.
Then we have wall mounted devices such as the HABPannel or tablets we decide to mount
on the wall and as you can see the arrows are all pointing towards the network because
that's what decides which information goes where.
So now, information structure if anything to this point at all sounded confusing difficult
technical do not worry because this is all going to be made simple for you as long as
you can follow step by step instructions you are going to be able to make this system it's
that simple.
So, speaking off the information structure how I am going to teach you.
Well to start off we are going to have two main recourses we are going to have the MK-SmartHouse
Youtube channel which will show you the instructional guide in video form the we are also going
to have the MK-SmartHouse website which is mksmarthouse.com or mk-smarthouse.com which
ever one they both go to the same place and this will show you the instructional guide
in written form so you will have both the guide in video form and in written form.So
this is how the guide is going to be structured there is going to be 4 main parts so if we
look at the youtube video there is going to be 4 youtube videos then if we look at the
written guide there is going to be 4 written guides.
So, the first one is the device demo and this is going to show the device in action and
how it works then the second one is going to be hardware i'm going to show you how to
put the device together so, how to solder the components and place everything.
Next is software Mac and PC will have separate videos so if you have a mac you're going to
watch the video for mac then if you have a PC you are going to watch video on PC and
you maybe asking what is the difference well the software and how you use the software
is different on the different platforms so when you flash a device or put the software
onto the device you created it's different between Mac and PC and also accessing the
home automation server is different on Mac and PC.
So, i'm going to show you how to configure the software for the devices that we create.
And then we will have the final device installation, so, Im going to show you how to install the
device for use so we are going to actually instal the device in the real world environment
so this is what I feel puts my guides and youtube channel and website different than
any other I show you the exact from start to finish and how it actually functions in
the real world.
and how I use mine because this entire system I use it on a daily basis now a very important
factor is the shopping and parts so the product links will be both on the youtube videos as
well as the website mksmarthouse.com to get our parts and tools we are going to Aliexpress,
Amazon, and eBay.
So, we are first going to go to Aliexpress that's going to be our #1 place to get it
and the reason we do this is because the stuff there is cheap and there is plenty of quantity
for everybody so they rarely ever run out of something.
And then if we cannot find it on Aliexpress then we will go to amazon then if we can't
find it on amazon then we will go to eBay.
So, next is the PCB's so where are we going to get the green PCB's the main platform of
each individual device well we are going to get it from iTead I love iTead I have been
using them for quite a while and they create high quality PCBs at a very very good price.
Next we're going to move onto Questions or Problems So, what is you have a question or
are having trouble?
The number 1 place is the community forum which is mksmarthouse.com/forum and the reason
I say to go to the forum first is because when you ask your question then other people
who have the same question can also have it answered at the same time and they all go
to the same place.
Then for future people if they have the same question and what it answered then it is right
there.
Then the second place is the YouTube comments which is the comments section of any YouTube
video now this one I don't recommend because I have no idea how youtube comments are going
to go I know exactly how the community forum is and I know exactly how I want it to go
but youtube comments is really unpredictable and then as a last resort as a last resort
you can go ahead and contact me at mksmarthouse.com/contact.
So, overall if any of this has been complicated at all I stress again do not worry these guides
will be detailed and very simple to follow so this goes along with my overall statement
I am going to make this system so easy to make that anyone can do it, they just need
to follow the guides!
So just follow the detailed guides and you will have a successful smart home system.
So, where to go from here?
well #1 Like this video Please!
#2 please make sure you are subscribed to this channel and #3 go to mksmarthouse.com
and sign up for the email newsletter to receive updates.
So, if I find a common question among people I can go ahead and answer it in a mass email
newsletter I will send you updates when there are new guides, new videos, and overall news
that I have and then #4 Explore the MK-SmartHouse website and Youtube channel.
Alright thank you for watching and If you have any questions leave them in the comments
section below or head over to the mksmarthouse.com/forum where you have a better chance of it getting
answered.
Good Bye!