Raspberry Pi projects

Raspberry Pi projects

There are many projects with Raspberry Pi And thanks to MagPi, every month there are more projects that we can do with Raspberry Pi and a little money. In this case we are going to talk about 20 projects that we can do with Raspberry Pi for our home.

Projects that make the house more useful and clearly moving away from the use of Raspberry Pi as a minipc, something that we all already know. These projects are for the house but they are not the only projects that exist for this field, although they are the most popular.

The Home Media Center

Using a Raspberry Pi and Raspbian combined with Kodi we can have a cheap and affordable media center. The process is simple and we can even change it to OpenElec. In any case, we will only need a Raspberry Pi, an hdmi cable to connect it to our TV and a wireless keyboard with built-in mouse to be able to control operating system options. The cost is quite affordable and of course it is something interesting for the home.

commands
Related article:
These are the most common commands used on a Raspberry Pi

SSH gateway

Many of us need outside access to our home computers and computers. This can be a mess for IP addresses and for network security, so we can use Raspberry Pi so that it has the public IP address and connect to through SSH to the Raspberry Pi that will have connection with the computers in the house. These computers will have a private IP address, so outsiders will not be able to access it. For this project we will only need a Raspberry Pi together with Raspbian. Only that.

Keep an eye on pets

Keep an eye on pets

Another interesting project for Raspberry Pi consists of using the famous Pi Cam to monitor babies or pets. We just have to connect the Pi Cam to our Raspberry Pi and place the camera in position to record where the pet or baby is. Then, to see what they have done or what they do We only have to connect to the Raspberry Pi via SSH or with a remote control application to see what has been or is being recorded.

This pet monitor is useful for homes but it is also more expensive than other projects, since we have to add the price of the PiCam to the price of the Raspberry Pi. In any case it is an interesting project for the home.

arcade machine
Related article:
Create your own arcade machine with Raspberry Pi

Home firewall

We have talked about accessing our computers from the outside but we can also make the Raspberry Pi a shield against external attacks. In this case we will only need a Raspberry Pi, a hub (if we have many computers with wired connection) and Tor for Raspberry Pi.

Thanks to Tor and its "onion" technology, we can have a powerful firewall that not only protects us from attacks but also we can perform anonymous web browsing. In this case the project is based on the software. To the well-known Raspbian we have to add Tor and its technology. Something easy and simple.

Google Home

VoiceKit for raspberry

Virtual assistants are catching on. And in this case, this trend is not linked to a specific hardware but can be any device. So anyone can do this Raspbery Pi project and create your virtual assistant thanks to Raspberry Pi. Google has long been in collaboration with MagPi they launched a kit for build a cardboard Google Home. It is an interesting and useful project for the home. A modification has recently been created that replaces the cardboard frame with a a home intercom 80 the years.

Homemade Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo with raspberry Pi

If Google Home has joined Raspberry Pi, Amazon Echo has not been less and long before Google we could already create our own Amazon Echo. Echo is a smart speaker that has become fashionable. Users can build our own Amazon Echo replica thanks to Raspberry Pi. It's been a long time since we tell how to build it and of course it is a great project to have at home. This device can even be better than the original product as we could make it portable or add customizations that the Bezos device does not have.

Onion pi

Onion pi

We have previously talked about building a homemade Firewall thanks to Raspberry Pi. Onion Pi has a similar function, but unlike the other project, Onion Pi offers great security if we want to access from the outside to teams in our house. Onion Pi uses the protocol of the Tor Network, a network that uses the operation of the onion layers to offer more security and privacy than normal. On this link We tell you how to build this project.

KindleBerry Pi

kindle table

The computer is a common, normal and almost necessary gadget in homes. Something that was not like that 30 years ago. In any case, thanks to this project for Raspberry Pi and an eReader, we can have a basic computer which also has an ideal screen to avoid damaging the health of our eyes. Unlike other projects, KindleBerry Pi is very interesting for the simple fact that you can reuse a gadget like an old eReader or be able to have an eReader and a computer in a single gadget.

Arcade machine

Arcade machine with Raspberry Pi

In many homes, the playroom has become an important room in the home. Normally, a comfortable sofa and many gaming gadgets such as video consoles, media centers, etc ... We propose you create a custom arcade machine that features lifelong video games like SuperMario Bros. Thanks to Raspberry Pi, we can create an arcade machine of yesteryear without having to pay the 25 pesetas that they used to ask us for a game. The games can be modified and the cost, thanks to the recycled materials and the Raspberry Pi Zero W, is almost minimal. On this link You will find more information about building an arcade machine for our games room.

GameBoy

Game Boy Zero with Raspberry Pi

Returning to the previous project, in this case we are talking about a reproduction of the original Game Boy. This arcade machine can be perfectly created thanks to the Raspberry Pi Zero W. The difficult thing about this project is the creation of the casing. Either we use an old original machine or we would print a case with a 3D printer. But, far from this, the cost in relation to the entertainment it offers is very low. A long time ago we talked about this project but if you want, in Instructables you will find more similar projects with small differences.

Temperature Monitor

Temperature monitor with raspberry

The temperature of the home is very important. A degree or two can make us spend hundreds of euros a year on heating or electricity. Therefore the use of a temperature monitor can be of great help. For this Proyect We will need Raspberry Pi, temperature sensors and an LCD screen that visually indicates the temperature of each room. If we want to create a more accurate temperature monitor, we can use Arduino boards to expand the sensors throughout any room in the home, but with a simple Raspberry Pi we can obtain great results. On Instructables You will find more information about this project.

Automatic irrigation

Raspberry Pi project to water plants

During festive seasons, many tend to go on vacation. A necessary activity but that brings us problems for the home because we need to water plants, feed pets, etc ... In this case there is a project that thanks to this project with Raspberry Pi we can have an automatic irrigation system for our plants. In addition, thanks to the Wi-Fi function of Raspberry Pi, we can even carry out the task from our smartphone. In this Instructables page You will find the software, the list of materials and even the construction guide for this project.

Turning on lights and other devices

Previously we have talked about creating a home firewall to be able to communicate with the outside. This project proposes to give function to that firewall because we will need it if we create this project. Thanks to Raspberry Pi and smart lights, we can turn on the lights in the house or certain appliances from our smartphone. We can even do the same with normal lights, but for this we have to build an adapter that "returns" smart to the bulbs. In Instructables you can find a building guide of this interesting project, because more than one has forgotten to turn off the lights it's not like that?

Weather Station

Image of a weather station created with Raspberry Pi

Using a screen, we can easily create a complete meteorological station that will offer us a large amount of information such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, ultraviolet radiation, light levels, and even nitrogen dioxide levels.

If we also manage to make it an elegant and well-cared case we can have a spectacular weather station in our house, at the height of any that we can buy, for example, on Amazon.

In this link you have the instructions to get to work right now.

An FM station at your fingertips

If your passion is radio, thanks to a Raspberry Pi, a cable that will act as an antenna and a Python script that will allow us to play the audio, we will be able to become the presenter of a small program that our friends will be able to listen to, for example, through nearby radios.

Thanks to this device, which you can build through the following steps, we will be able to broadcast on frequencies ranging from 1 MHz to 250 MHz, although the ideal would be to broadcast on standard FM frequencies (from 87.5 MHz to 108.0 MHz). Also bear in mind that you must respect the broadcasts of the many stations that have an official station at all times.

HERE you have the instructions to build your FM station.

Electronic pet feeder

Every time the holidays arrive, the problem of where or with whom to leave our pets also usually comes. Luckily for all those who live with cats, they can leave them alone, getting someone to visit them, even if only to give them some affection once a day or once every two days. And is that thanks once again to a Raspberry Pi we will be able to create our own automatic feeder that will distribute doses of food automatically to our cats, or any other animal.

Image of the Power Cat Feeder

The project baptized as Power Cat FeederDeveloped by David Bryan, it has been widely accepted and everyone likes to control what their pets eat, even when on vacation. If we also add a surveillance camera, also controlled thanks to our Raspberry Pi, the project can be very interesting and profitable.

Voice control for your garage

Crab, the well-known voice assistant that the different Apple devices incorporate, can help us in this project and get open our garage door with a voice command. We advise that the task is not easy, but the result is simply spectacular and above all comfortable. And it is that we will never have to get out of the car to open the garage door, and hopefully we will not have to take the key out of the window again to open it.

Motion sensor camera

We have already seen the many products that can be made with a Raspberry Pi where it becomes a surveillance camera, but we can still go one step further. And it is that this powerful device allows us to create, more or less easily, a surveillance camera that detects movement, which for example can allow us to detect possible movements within our home.

If you don't want to give motion control that utility, which can be a bit paranoid, you can always use it to control whether your pets move around the house or go out to the garden.

En this link You have all the steps you must follow to build your own motion sensor camera.

MoccaPi or the best coffee made with a Raspberry Pi

When we say that the uses of a Raspberry Pi are practically infinite, and although many doubt it, I am very afraid that we were wrong not one iota. And it is that this popular device has already managed to reach our kitchen by the hand of MoccaPi, a smart coffee maker to make coffee or tea, according to the opinions of all those who have tried it, quite good.

The total price is not too high, and it is that once we have acquired all the elements we need to build this curious coffee machine, we should not go much above 80 euros.

If you want to start building a MoccaPi today, here are the instructions that you should follow.

A beautiful digital garden

If you like plants and you would have liked to have a small piece of land to have a garden full of flowers, but it could not be, maybe this project with a Raspberry Pi is close to what you always dreamed of. It may sound like a joke, but thanks to one of these powerful devices we can build in the simplest way you can imagine, and also with a little skill, a digital garden in which the flowers move, birds or critters appear around the flowers or in which there is even surprising lighting at nightfall.

In the YouTube video that you can see above you have all the instructions (and in the following link), although once you have a RaspBerry Pi we recommend that you use your imagination to create a surprising and beautiful garden that will come to life whenever you want.

Conclusion

The RaspBerry Pi has gone in a short time from being a device practically unknown to the general public, to becoming an indispensable tool for a huge number of projects. In this article we have shown you a good handful for your home, but the uses and applications of this small and inexpensive device are practically endless. Many people say that the possibilities we have with a RaspBerry Pi go as far as your imagination and ability to invent and work with it.

Have you created a project with a RaspBerry Pi for your home that you think deserves to appear on this list?. If so, let us know through the contact email or the space reserved for comments on this post and we will include it in the list.


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  1.   José María Díaz of San Pedro Riera said

    I have a media center with Raspbery pi and the LibreElec distribution (minimal linux with Kodi built in). It is luxurious and - with a free android application called Kore, you can control it from your mobile phone… It couldn't be cheaper.

  2.   Hugo said

    I am putting together a feeder but for my dogs who cannot have anything within reach other than concrete or steel because they destroy it and the way to dispense the food in the project you post is interesting, although inaccurate. I am using an ESP32 that controls a 64kg force servo that listens to a raspberry server for better scalability. Better separate the api interface from the direct operation.