Keeping indoor plants alive is no small feat. The example project in this chapter will show you how to create a Wi-Fi-enabled soil humidity monitor with actuator options for a pump or similar, like a valve and gravity-fed water tank. Using the built-in web server, we will be able to use its browser-based UI for monitoring the plant health and control system features, or integrate it into a larger system using its HTTP-based REST API.
The topics covered in this chapter are as follows:
- Programming an ESP8266 microcontroller
- Connecting sensors and actuators to an ESP8266
- Implementing an HTTP server on this platform
- Developing a web-based UI for monitoring and control
- Integrating the project into a larger network
