Archives

Learn how to wire an LDR photoresistor to the ESP32, read its value with the ADC and use it as the basis for an automation.

Electrical safety for garden irrigation: REBT, ITC-BT-18, 24 and 43, equipment IP ratings, 30 mA RCDs, earthing, pumps in water and safe cabling.

Why plants stop growing, dry out or rot after a watering change: too much water, lack of light, compacted substrate, checking roots and diagnosis.

Automatic irrigation not working: doesn't run, runs too little or too much, ordered diagnosis with valves, solenoids, pressure, filters and clogged emitters.

Substrate and drainage in pots: peat, coco coir, perlite and vermiculite, mixes that retain water, drainage layers, drainage holes and repotting properly.

DIY hydroponics: NFT, DWC and drip systems without substrate, nutrient solution, pH and EC, root oxygenation, light, assembly and common mistakes.

Irrigation for a balcony or terrace vegetable garden: raised tank, drip zones per plant, flow rate, substrate, windbreak and the full step-by-step assembly.

Solar irrigation in the garden: sizing the panel and battery, sun hours, low-voltage pump, timer or sensor, maintenance and the limits of the system.

Automate irrigation in Home Assistant: threshold and hysteresis, missing readings, pump safety, history, alerts and how to avoid overwatering.

Build a DIY weather station for the garden: temperature, humidity, rain and wind sensors, siting and shade, evapotranspiration and AEMET weather data.

How to install a rain sensor for automatic irrigation: tipping bucket or capacitive probe, ESP32 readings, deep sleep, Home Assistant and mistakes.

Soil moisture sensor for the garden: capacitive vs resistive differences, corrosion, where to bury it and how to calibrate it at two points.

Hard water in irrigation: how to spot limescale, why it blocks emitters, which filters to use and how to prevent crusts in the garden and in pots.

How to choose an automatic irrigation controller: solenoid or ball valve, number of zones, flow per zone, pressure and the settings you actually use.

Install drip irrigation in pots or a vegetable plot: emitter flow, filter, pressure regulator, main line, microtubes, flushing and common mistakes.

How to calculate how much water a plant needs based on climate, pot and substrate, with the FAO-56 method, weighing the pot and signs of excess or shortage.

Automatic irrigation at home from scratch: choosing a system, solenoid valves, soil sensor, controller and Home Assistant, plus materials and setup.

ESP32 won't connect to WiFi: a step-by-step diagnosis of credentials, band, signal, power, firmware, router settings and ESPHome config.

A conceptual guide to measuring consumption with SCT-013 and ESP32: wiring, safety, RMS calculation, calibration and the limits of the result.

Design an automatic irrigation system with ESPHome: soil moisture sensor, ESP32, relay, limits, manual mode and safety precautions.

Build a temperature sensor with ESP32 and ESPHome step by step: materials, wiring, YAML configuration, Home Assistant and final checks.

Use a Raspberry Pi as a Home Assistant server: hardware, storage, Home Assistant OS or Docker, step-by-step installation, backups and maintenance.

ESP32 vs ESP8266 vs Arduino: differences in connectivity, processing power, consumption, difficulty and use cases to help you choose an IoT board.

How to wire and configure a PIR HC-SR501 motion sensor with an ESP32: pins, power, trigger time, range, calibration and the most frequent errors.

How to use the HLK-LD2410 mmWave sensor with ESPHome and Home Assistant: wiring, presence zones, configuration and common errors.

A BME280 guide with the datasheet, I2C wiring for the ESP32, ESPHome configuration, I2C addresses, calibration checks and the mistakes to avoid.

Matter vs Zigbee, WiFi and Bluetooth: differences, coverage, power use, hubs and security to help you pick the right protocol for your smart home.

ESPHome guide in English: how to install it, write your first YAML, flash an ESP32, connect it to Home Assistant and debug errors.

How to install Home Assistant step by step: which hardware to choose, when to use Home Assistant OS or Docker, and how to add your first device.

DHT11 vs DHT22: we compare range, accuracy, sampling rate, wiring and ESP32 readings to pick the right sensor for your project.

An ESP32 beginner's guide: what it is, which board to choose, how to wire it up and how to build your first smart home device with ESPHome.

A beginner's guide to home automation: what to automate first, how to choose an ecosystem and devices, how to plan your first project and mistakes to avoid.

A dedicated smart home VLAN: how to separate IoT, guests and your personal data in Home Assistant, with a tagged switch and firewall rules.

CGNAT and ports in Spain: what it is, how to tell whether you are behind it, why ports never open, and the solutions that let you connect from outside.

Home WiFi security explained: WPA3, mixed WPA2/WPA3, WPS, hiding the SSID, MAC filtering, strong passwords and what to do if you suspect your network was hacked.

How many devices your router can handle and why it degrades: real limits per device, symptoms of saturation and how to expand your network capacity.

WiFi cuts out or devices disconnect: the real causes (interference, DHCP, power saving, channel, IoT) and how to fix them one by one.

Slow WiFi at home: the causes ranked by frequency, from most to least likely, with the check, the fix and the order of action for each one.

Mesh system step by step: where to place each node, how to set it up, which settings to change and the mistakes that leave a mesh network worse than the router alone.

Extend your home WiFi coverage comparing repeater, powerline (PLC), network cable and mesh, what works in each type of home and how each one performs.

WiFi repeater or mesh system: real performance differences, when each one works and how to decide without buying the wrong equipment for your home.

WiFi 6 or WiFi 7: what changes in practice, what the 6 GHz band adds, when it's worth it and which criteria matter when picking a home router.

ONT, HGU and neutral router: what each part does, what's inside an all-in-one device and how to connect them for a well-run fibre installation.

PPPoE, IPoE, VLAN and priority by Spanish ISP: a table of Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, Digi, Adamo and more, with review date and warnings.

Replace your ISP router with your own step by step: the three possible topologies, double NAT, bridge mode and which checks to run.

How to measure your home WiFi signal step by step: what dBm means, how to pick a channel, which apps to use on Android, Windows, iOS and macOS and good values.

2.4 GHz or 5 GHz: which band to use at home, its range, wall penetration, interference, real speed and how to choose depending on your devices.