Auth token only

Ideas App Features Ideas
1

I’m currently busy with an automated home lighting system deluxe super fancy stuff, but I was running into the following situation:

1x Arduino Nano connected with ethernet to my Local Raspi (with 3 LDR’s for measuring light)
1x ESP-12 with four leds attached to a living room light
1x ESP-01 function as the hallway light.

What I want to accomplish is automating the hallway light. But I don’t need a dashboard for this, just an auth token. I want to control the thing (which is basically 1 LED with a wifi chip) form my Nano. Is this possible or maybe even an idea?

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2

You can setup your dashboard and use Bridge widget to control one Blynk device using another.
Then Dasboard can be used for monitoring the system, and override the control maybe… It’s up to you!

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3

I do like that idea, but I have absolutely no use for a dashboard for this thing whatsoever. All the controlling and checking wil be done from another ESP because it only needs to turn off/on a single pin.

I will have an empty dashboard just for a single auth token, which is kind of useless if you ask me. For now I’ll use the same auth token for all my bridge devices but this is not the ideal situation I think. All I want is my hardware to be authed by my server and nothing else. I can imagine some more uses for this.

4

Hmm… sound like a good idea to introduce empty and always running dashboards, but wouldn’t it be simpler and more reliable in your project to control the nano without Blynk, just some serial/ethernet/wireless connection to raspberry?

5

Well, the Nano has the LDR’s attached to it and they need to be graphed, for which, needless to say, Blynk is ideal (and this works like a charm). I then make some calculations to compute the average values and decide wether the curtains are closed, it’s daytime or nighttime with about the following values:

  • 80 <> 130 == nighttime, but the living room lights are on

  • 130 == nighttime, but curtains closed and dark outside, which means we are in bed

  • < 80 == daytime, curtains open, no lights on

So when it’s above 130 I like to turn on a night light attached to an ESP (wireless ofcourse) for when we need to take a, you know, bathroom break without ourselves breaking anything. This light will be very minimal.

So, all I need to do is an analogWrite with a low value to the remote ESP, but everything will be controlled via the Nano (which is attached to the ethernet for stability of course).

So you see, all I need for the ESP is have an auth without a dashboard because all control be done from Blynk nano (and later Mega because memory issues…).

6

Inspiring project I must say, maybe I’ll think about doing something similar:)

But I see your point, you would have an empty dashboard for each of the ESP nodes, which you don’t like (fortunately you only have 2 of them, not 50). It’s a good idea to have token only or at least a possibility to make the dashboard set to “always running” and possibility to hide it - this way you could put for example notification if device is down on the dashboard. I upvote your idea.

7

Sorry to suggest in here, but how about you use Raspberry Pi to run the logic, you might find NodeRed that come standard with Jessie would be interesting. So the ESP can be very simple node. Then you can decide if in the future you want to control and register to Blynk server, from Raspberry Pi (not from each ESP). Just an idea…

8

He could also directly connect ESP nodes to Arduino without blynk, thats also simple enough, but there are as many solutions as the users:)

9

True enough, many possibilities, unfortunately, I made a prototype which worked fine, but my small print with LDR’s almost blew up in my face, so I need to review the soldering and stuff. The idea is still valid though :slight_smile: