WebRemote provides a simple web interface for recording and transmitting 433 MHz signals commonly used by remote controlled power plugs and other devices. WebRemote is based on a Raspberry Pi Pico W using a minimal hardware setup comprised of a 433 MHz Transmitter and a 433 MHz Receiver. The programm is written in micropython and it relies on Peter Hinch's micropython_remote to operate the transmitter and the receiver.
I use several remote controlled (RC) power plugs at home, since they make turning on lights and other devices easy. I was searching for a convenient way to operate RC power plugs using a Raspberry Pi Pico W (RPI) for a home-automation project.
I discovered Peter Hinch's micropython_remote which is a command-line tool for 433 MHz radio controls compatible with the RPI. Based on this, I developed a web interface for easy operation of micropython_remote. The web interface allows the recording and transmitting of RC signals by the simple push of a button.
I have placed the hardware setup in my living room and connected it to USB power supply. When WebRemote is connected to my home network, I can access it with my mobile phone and operate all of my RC power plugs in one place. The 433 MHz transmission is strong enough to reach all of my RC power plugs. The signal reaches at least through two walls and several doors.
WebRemote can record the signals of different 433 MHz transmitters and make them accessible via a web interface. The signals can be captured, transmitted and managed using the web interface. A minimal hardware setup was used to make reproduction and customization of the programm easy. The hardware setup is comprised of a Raspberry Pi Pico W (RPI), a 433 MHz Transmitter (TX) and a 433 MHz Receiver (RX).
Since the RPI's network module supports accesa-point (AP) and station-mode (STA), the web interface can be accessed either directly via AP or through local WiFi when used in STA mode.
- AP mode: The RPI creates a WLan-network and devices can connect directly to it. This might be usefull for mobile use of the programm.
- STA mode: The RPI connects to a local WiFi (e. g. home wifi) and can be accessed by all devices connected to the same local WiFi. This is convenient for use in the home network.
On the server side (micropython part), Microdot and asyncio are used to create an asynchronous web-server. A slightly modified version of Peter Hinch's micropython_remote is used to operate the Transmitter and the Receiver.
On the client side, a simple web interface was created using HTML, SASS, CSS and jQuery. All operations are controlled via AJAX requests initiated by jQuery.
CSS was created with Dart SASS. To ensure cross-browser compatability, CSS was post- processed with autoprefixer and normalize.css was included in the web interface. CSS was minified during post-processing. JS was also minified during post-processing. Prepros was used to perform pre- and post-processing of CSS and JS.
- Raspberry Pi Pico W
- Breadboard and wires
- 433 MHz Transmitter (WL102-341) + Antenna
- 433 MHz Receiver (RX470C-V01) + Antenna
The supplied antennas are soldered onto the Transmitter (short antenna) and Receiver (long antenna).
- RX-Vcc, TX-Vcc: 3.3V (Pin 35)
- RX-GND, TX-GND: RPI GND (e. g. Pin 38)
- RX-DATA: RPI GPIO 16
- TX-DATA: RPI GPIO 17
- The Transmitters EN-Pin and the second Data-Pin of the Receiver remain unconnected.
- Connect the RPI to the USB port of a computer
- Install MicroPython V 1.23.0 firmware on the Raspberry Pi Pico W.
- Copy all files in the /dist folder onto the RPI using Thonny.
- Open the main programm (main.py) on the RPI in Thonny and customize the WiFi settings provided as global constants / variables in the config section of the programm:
"""Config"""
WR_HEARTBEAT = True #[True|False] Use onboard LED as heartbead
WR_DATA_FILE = 'signals' #[string:a-Z0-9] Name of the data file used for storage of the signals
WR_CAPTURE_TIMEOUT = const(5000) #[int] Timeout for capture in ms.
WR_STANDARD_MODE = 'STATION' #['STATION'|'AP'] Connection mode of the programm
WR_WIFI_TIMEOUT = const(20) #[int] Timeout for WiFi connection in s
WR_STATION_SSID = 'Local WLan SSID' #SSID of the local wifi for connection in STA mode
WR_STATION_PASSWORD = 'Password12345' #Password of the local wifi for connection in STA mode
WR_AP_SSID = 'WEBREMOTE' #SSID of the AP created in AP mode
WR_AP_PASSWORD = 'micropython' #Password of the AP created in AP mode
#Use at least eight characters- When WiFi connection was successfull the IP address of the web interface is printed in the console of Thonny.
- STA mode: The web interface can be accessed via browser by every device connected to the same WiFi network as WebRemote using it's IP address as URL.
- AP mode: The web interface can only be accessed by a device directly connected to the access point created by WebRemote. When a device has connected to the AP, the web interface can be accessed via browser using it's IP address as URL.
- The IP address seems to be the same after rebooting the programm. The setup can be used independently of a computer requiring only a power supply after the IP address was retrieved from the console on first run.
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Data storage: The recorded data is stored in a file in JSON format (the name of the file can be set in configuration section). Two datasets are initially provided in the data file. Those datasets represent the All-On and All-Off signals of my RC power plugs made by benon. The data file must not be empty otherwise an error will occur. The initiall datasets can be deleted when new datasets are recorded.
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Capturing signals: Enter a name in the web interface and press Capture. Immediately aim your transmitter at the setup from close distance and press the key you desire. A promt will be displayed in the web interface indicating successfull capture or failure.
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Transmitting signals: Press the Play button of the desired signal. A promt will be displayed in the web interface indicating successfull transmission or failure.
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Deleting signals: Press the Delete button of the desired signal and confirm deletion in the promt.
This setup allows switching between STA mode (which I use at home) and AP mode (for mobile use) using a toggle switch. When connected to USB power, all neccessary information are displayed on a display.
I soldered the components listed in section Setup onto a circuit board and added some additional components. Most important, I added an OLED display which displays information regarding the network configuration. A toggle switch is used to select WiFi mode. It allows selection of either AP or STA mode. A green LED and a red LED were added to indicate active transmissions and transmission errors, respectively. A simple push-button acts as a reset switch.