Building a Notification System with Arduino

Introduction: In today's fast-paced world, staying informed and connected is more important than ever. A notification system allows us to receive timely updates and alerts, enhancing our productivity and efficiency. In this article, we will explore how to build a notification system using Arduino, a popular open-source electronics platform. We will provide detailed instructions, example codes, and a list of components required for this project.

Project: Our project aims to create a notification system that can send alerts to users based on specific events or conditions. For example, it can notify us when the temperature in a room exceeds a certain threshold, or when a door is opened. The system will be able to send notifications via various communication channels such as email, SMS, or push notifications.

Components List: To build the notification system, we will need the following components:

1. Arduino Uno board - 1x
2. Breadboard - 1x
3. Jumper wires - as required
4. Temperature sensor (e.g., DHT11) - 1x
5. Reed switch - 1x
6. GSM module (e.g., SIM900A) - 1x
7. Ethernet shield (optional) - 1x
8. LED - 1x
9. Resistors - as required (Note: Links for purchasing the components can be added here, if applicable)

Examples: Example 1: Temperature Alert In this example, we will use a temperature sensor (DHT11) to monitor the room temperature. If the temperature exceeds a predefined threshold, an alert will be sent via email.

Example code:

#include <DHT.h>
#include <Ethernet.h>
#include <EthernetClient.h>
#include <SPI.h>

#define DHTPIN 2
#define DHTTYPE DHT11

DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHTTYPE);

void setup() {
  dht.begin();
}

void loop() {
  float temperature = dht.readTemperature();

  if (temperature > 30) {
    sendEmail("Temperature Alert", "The room temperature is above 30 degrees Celsius.");
  }

  delay(5000); // Repeat every 5 seconds
}

void sendEmail(String subject, String message) {
  // Code to send email using Ethernet shield or GSM module
}

Example 2: Door Open Alert In this example, we will use a reed switch to detect when a door is opened. When the switch is triggered, a push notification will be sent to a mobile device.

Example code:

#define DOOR_PIN 3

void setup() {
  pinMode(DOOR_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);
}

void loop() {
  if (digitalRead(DOOR_PIN) == LOW) {
    sendPushNotification("Door Alert", "The door has been opened.");
  }

  delay(1000); // Repeat every 1 second
}

void sendPushNotification(String title, String message) {
  // Code to send push notification using GSM module or IoT platform
}