Internet Of Things with Raspberry Pi – 1

When I was new to IOT (Internet Of Things), I saw that there were hardly any tutorials which were simple enough for a beginner to understand and try out. There was either to much technical jargon, or the hardware was too complex.

So now that I’ve played around with IOT a bit, I decided to make a 10 step tutorial on controlling an LED over a Local Area Network (LAN).

In this tutorial, we’ll be using an LED, a Raspberry Pi, a Wireless ADSL Router with internet connection and a device with a web browser. (Smartphone, Laptop, Computer, PSP, etc.)

On the software side, we’ll be using Apache2, MySQL and PHP.

If you’re new to the Raspberry Pi, you might want to have a look at Getting started with Raspberry Pi before trying out this project.

(Note: This project only uses an internet connection for software installation. After the installation a

nd coding is done, the internet connection is not required. For more info on making the project available on the internet, check port forwarding)

Internet Of Things with Raspberry Pi - 1

Step 1: Gather the components

  • Raspberry Pi (I've used a Raspberry Pi 2 model B, but any model will suffice)
  • ADSL Wireless Router
  • Power adaptor for the router
  • Computer monitor / TV screen which has an HDMI/VGA port (If you're using a VGA port then you will have to use a VGA-HDMI converter)
  • Ethernet/LAN cable
  • 2 Female-Female jumper wires
  • Small LED
  • USB Keyboard and Mouse
  • A computer/laptop connected to the same modem as the Raspberry Pi (This will just be for the final test so even a smartphone is ok)

Step 2: Hardware setup

Step 3: Creating a website for the Raspberry Pi

Step 1:

Start your Raspberry Pi and open the Graphical User Interface (GUI) with the command:

startx

Step 2:

Once the interface is active, open the terminal and type the following commands:

sudo apt-get install apache2 -y

An IOT webpage will require a web server. This command will install a web server called Apache2.

Step 3:

To test the web server, you will need to know your Raspberry Pi’s IP address. Enter the command:

hostname -I

A number will be displayed. Start your Pi’s web browser and enter this number in the search engine. You should see something like this:

Congratulations! Your Apache server is up and running!Internet Of Things with Raspberry Pi - 1 schematic

Step 4:

This is a default webpage which is stored in the ‘/var/www’ directory. To make changes to it and customise it, you need to enter this command:

sudo nano /var/www/index.html

Whenever you’re modifying a file, don’t forget to add ‘sudo’ at the beginning.

This indicates that you are modifying it as a superuser. Press Ctrl + X and hit enter to exit the file.

Step 5:

You will also need a preprocessor called PHP. Install it with the following command:

sudo apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5 -y

Step 6:

Now enter the following commands:

cd /var/www sudo rm index.html sudo nano index.php

 

For more detail: Internet Of Things with Raspberry Pi – 1


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer with a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan University. I have written for various industries, mainly home automation and engineering. My writing style is clear and simple, and I am skilled in using infographics and diagrams. I am a great researcher and am able to present information in a well-organized and logical manner.

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