#3 How a camper gets smart

As I mentioned before, I am a nerd and so it is quite clear to me that my van has to be smart as well.

The plan:

I want to be able to control any electrical setup of the van via the touch panel and also via the internet if it makes sense. Turning the turn signal off and on from the neighboring town is probably not. But to be alerted if the water tank is leaking or someone wants to break into the van, maybe even broke in, turn on the lights, activate the water pump or the oven, etc., I find it very useful. I also want to be always up to date concerning temperatures, fill levels and energy production/supply. The possibilities are simply unlimited thanks to the small RaspberryPi mini computer and the microcontroller Arduino and relatives. Of course you can also buy ready-made solutions but on the one hand they are often not compatible with each other so that I have to use several apps in the end or they all have their own displays and panels or or or. Last but not least these solutions are simply too expensive for me. So I prefer to build them myself. Then I have control and the system is definitely future-proof and infinitely expandable. You don’t necessarily need programming skills, because everything has been invented and sometimes there are completely finished solutions but that would be less fun for me personally. After all it is called DIY and not let others do it.
The shopping list:

1. Control Center
   1. RaspberryPi 4 *
   2. Display 7″ mit Touchfunktion *
2. Monitoring
   1. ESP8266-Microcontroller (ESP-12E) * (used to connect the sensors to keep cable runs short and communicates with RasPi via WiFi)
   2. Temperatur monitoring (2 vdifferent sensors) **
      1. encapsulated sensor * for Water tanks & pipes, Battery and outdoor
      2. combined sensor * for indoor temperatur/humidity
   3. carbon monoxide * & ***
   4. water ingress * (e.g. leaking tank)
   5. Solenoid valve * (opens the pipe before the pump is turned on)
   6. Water consumption * (mmeasures the flow so I know how much water is left in the tank)
3. Safety & Security
   1. surveillance cams * (indoor & outdoor)
   2. vibration sensor *
   3. motion sensors * & light sensors * (activates the lighting outside and an orientation light inside)
   4. magnetic switch *
   5. GPS modul * (to locate the vehicle)
   6. real time clock modul * (to implement time-based actions)
   7. Relay * (controles all dc items and the Eltakos) & Eltako* (controles all AC items)
   8. RFID modul * (e.g. to prevent ignition by key)
4. Komfort
   1. Relay * (controles all dc items and the Eltakos) & Eltako* (controles all AC items)
   2. …. (mir wird mit Sicherheit eine Menge einfallen, was ich alles über Internet oder am Touchscreen steuern will)

The following note is also important: For the modules mentioned, there is sufficient program code and apps and and and. But as a prospective developer I will write it for myself and publish it here afterwards. So if you order the above mentioned sensors without a project contribution here, you buy the pig in a poke. As soon as I have implemented and tested the project, I will make a recommendation or not.

*The links are so called affiliate links. This is a fair way to support me and say thank you, because it costs you nothing except the regular article price and helps me to realize this project and the following. ** The sensor types DS18B20 and DHT22 are used. The first is a waterproof stainless steel sensor and the second has an integrated humidity sensor *** The monitoring takes place in the living room. It must always be measured at head height which does not necessarily mean standing height! Carbon monoxide mixes with the room air, is odorless and therefore very dangerous, because it does not “fall” down like e.g. propane. Therefore it is more difficult to detect and the time window to react is much shorter. Please inform yourself about this creeping danger and do not ignore it.

* Die Links sind s.g. Affiliate Links. Dies eine faire Methode mich zu unterstützen und Danke zu sagen, da es Dich nichts kostet außer den regulären Artikelpreis und ich für Deinen Einkauf eine Provision bekomme die mir hilft dieses Projekt und Folgende umzusetzen.
** The sensor types DS18B20 and DHT22 are used. The first is a waterproof stainless steel sensor and the second has an integrated humidity sensor
*** The monitoring takes place in the living room. It must always be measured at head height which does not necessarily mean standing height! Carbon monoxide mixes with the room air, is odorless and therefore very dangerous, because it does not “fall” down like e.g. propane. Therefore it is more difficult to detect and the time window to react is much shorter. Please inform yourself about this creeping danger and do not ignore it.