DEVELOPMENT OF REAL TIME HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEM WITH SMS ALERT ON NIGERIA GSM NETWORKS

The comfort and security of homes are continuously being challenged by the needs for monitoring and controlling some domestic devices. Previous researches on real time home automation used microcontrollers for appliances switching and access control, on the world-wide-web, android applications and emails for transmission of information without consideration for the cost and time which are essential factors in automation. This study has developed a simple real time home automation system for door control and electrical appliances management. Camera, relay, servo motor and electrical power sensors were interfaced with Raspberry pi-3 board for image capturing, switching, door control and electrical power monitoring respectively. The captured image was processed for recognition using a CNN based model for access control. A keypad provides an alternative means of entry for authorized person who is not a regular home user to input a one-time-pin (OTP). Information about entry to the house and the electrical power status were transmitted via SIM800L GSM module as SMS to the house owner over Nigeria GSM networks. The research was tested; the electrical appliances switched autonomously when door opens or closes, the circuitry shot down when the supply voltage is less than 161Vac or above 240Vac. At the point and time of transmission, SMS transmission speed was found to be fastest (average of 5.4 sec) on MTN to MTN network in Nigeria. This research has shown a simple way of implementing a real time smart home system capable of providing security, efficiency and convenience at minimum cost.