Arduino Board with ethernet (or WiFi) + Relay Shield

[salasidis]

Can you suggest an appropriate Arduino board and Ethernet shield to use, as well as a recommended relay board.

I would like to make sure I get something that is known to work.

Thanks

[langenet]

I use a Mega board (genuine Arduino) and a generic eithernet sheild along with a 4 -relay board. Works flawlessly. Just do a google search...

My relay is similar to this

[rjm_sadler]

If you’re looking for something simple, any nodemcu board and 5v relay board from amazon work. You don’t have to to run an Ethernet shield, and wifi connectivity is very easy to get going.

[salasidis]

Thanks for the replies.

[Tj in Bristol]

an easier solution is raspberry pi relay board and RaspberryIO (Spud)
It takes a little to get it up and running but after that a graphics screen for naming the relays then you can use in your events

I use Arduino Plugin for pressure sensors a bit tricky


Hope this helps, Tj

[Michael McSharry]

Even easier is a Shelly 1 or 2. It connects to WiFi network and then setup for local control using mcsShelly or mcsMQTT. AlexBK also has a plugin, but he charges for it. Http://mcsSprinklers.com/mcsShelly.pdf. No wires to connect. Just screw what you want to control to the screw terminals.

There are also many DIY solutions using ESP8266 that are dirt cheap.

Another very attractive solution is wired/WiFi 2/4/8 channel unit that has a DIN-mountable case and sells for the $20 neighborhood. Very attractive IP Relay/Input/RS-485/Can/Wifi interface - HomeSeer Message Board that is supported by mcsMQTT

[ksum]

The Shelly or a Sonoff unit can also be flashed with Tasmota and then use MQTT. Some of the newer ones reportedly may not allow this, though. Also, research this before trying. Some of the units require you open them up and maybe solder connections to be able to connect and flash Tasmota to them. As my brother claimed, it feels a bit like a science experiment. It isn't for everyone, but it is an option. Honestly, it comes down to what you want to do. For instance, if you want to control low voltage, these will not work for you without supplying mains as well.

[avpman]

an easier solution is raspberry pi relay board and RaspberryIO (Spud)
It takes a little to get it up and running but after that a graphics screen for naming the relays then you can use in your events

I use Arduino Plugin for pressure sensors a bit tricky


Hope this helps, Tj

Ditto, this solution works great for a Pi. It also gives you input capability.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Michael McSharry]

We come from different perspectives. The RPi is a general purpose computer that runs off of a lifetime-sensitive SD flash. If you have major applications to be run then a general purpose computer under Linux is a good choice. If you have a low level task to perform such as controlling a relay, digital input, or sensor then a microcontroller that does not have Linux or SD flash dependencies is a more reliable, faster response, and more dependable solution at a lower cost.

Arduino environment became a great addition to get a variety of product with ability to run on a microcontroller via use of existing software libraries. Building upon this base was PlatformIO for developer environment and Tasmota, Espurna and ESPEasy to put developer-level sketches into a precompiled binary so the developer role transitions to a user role where all that need to be done was select the sensor, relay, input, etc. that was being used. No longer a need for sketches. With the ESP8266 and now ESP32 the interface to other things became WiFi. Actually, certain ESP32 development board have wired Ethernet as well for those who want wires rather than RF.

ESPEasy and ESPurnia continue as third-party extensions, but Tasmota has emerged as the dominate player with a growing community, interfaces supported, and ESP32 as the host platform.

If all you have a RPi then it will get the job done, otherwise matching the need with the best technology to support the need will leave the RPi out of the low-level interface space. If the relay is co-located with the RPi then it may make sense. If the RPi and the widget the relay is controlling are at different locations then this solution may not be attractive. Each user has specific needs so each user needs to assess what is the appropriate approach to satisfy the need.