Homelab Environments Monitor

Visit me at MY ESP

Overview

Homelab Environment Monitor is an Arduino-based project designed to provide seamless monitoring of your homelab server room environment. Using either a Generic ESP8266 or ESP32 board and an Adafruit BME280 sensor, this solution offers an efficient way to keep track of temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure without the need for a real-time database like Firebase. The project leverages the ESP's web server capabilities to facilitate easy access to environmental data and demonstrates the principle of SSR (Server-Side Rendering).

Features

• Web-based user interface for convenient access to real-time sensor readings.
• Utilizes Adafruit BME280 sensor for accurate and reliable environmental measurements.
• Minimalistic setup without the requirement of a real-time database.
• Export Sensor data as Prometheus metrics for long-term monitoring and analysis and visualization with Grafana.

Repository Contents

• esp8266/mcu.ino: Arduino sketch containing the code for the environment monitoring system using ESP8266.
• esp8266/data/index.html: HTML file serving as the user interface for visualizing sensor data for ESP8266.
• esp32/mcu.ino: Arduino sketch containing the code for the environment monitoring system using ESP32.
• esp32/data/index.html: HTML file serving as the user interface for visualizing sensor data for ESP32.
• LICENSE: MIT License file governing the usage of this project.

Installation

To set up the Homelab Environment Monitor project, follow these precise steps:

1. Install Arduino IDE: Download and install the Arduino IDE on your computer only 1.x will work (2023/08/07).

2. Install Libraries:

   • Open the Arduino IDE.
   • Go to Sketch > Include Library > Manage Libraries.
   • Search for and install the following libraries:
     • Adafruit Unified Sensor by Adafruit
     • Adafruit BME280 Library by Adafruit
     • For ESP8266: ESP8266WiFi by ESP8266 Community
     • For ESP32: WiFi and WebServer libraries

3. Add ESP Support:

   • For ESP8266:
     • In the Arduino IDE, go to File > Preferences.
     • Add the following URL to the Additional Boards Manager URLs field:

       http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json
       

     • Click OK to save the preferences.
     • Go to Tools > Board > Boards Manager.
     • Search for esp8266 and install the esp8266 board package.
     • Select your ESP8266 board from Tools > Board.
   • For ESP32:
     • Follow similar steps but use the appropriate board manager URL and board package for ESP32.

4. Install SPIFFS Plugin:

   • Visit the Arduino ESP8266 filesystem uploader plugin repository for detailed installation instructions.

   • Visit the Arduino ESP32 filesystem uploader plugin repository for detailed installation instructions.

5. Upload Code:

   • Open the appropriate mcu.ino file (either for ESP8266 or ESP32) in the Arduino IDE.
   • Replace {YOUR_SSID} and {YOUR_PASSWORD} with your Wi-Fi credentials.
   • Choose your ESP board from Tools > Board.
   • Select the appropriate COM port from Tools > Port.
   • Upload the sketch to the ESP.

6. Upload HTML:

   • To enable the web user interface, upload the index.html file from the appropriate data folder to the ESP using SPIFFS. Consult the ESP documentation for step-by-step instructions.

7. Access the Monitor:

   • After uploading, access the user-friendly web interface by opening http://{esp_ip} in your web browser.
   • For programmatic access, retrieve sensor data via the API at http://{esp_ip}/api.
   • For prometheus and grafana access, retrieve sensor data via the API at http://{esp_ip}/metrics.

Usage

• Web Interface: Access the intuitive web interface by navigating to http://{esp_ip} in your web browser. This interface presents an easy-to-read visualization of the server room environment.
• API Access: Obtain sensor data programmatically by making a GET request to http://{esp_ip}/api.
• Prometheus & Grafana: Use the Prometheus and Grafana monitoring stack to visualize and analyze sensor data. This is the recommended approach for long-term monitoring of the server room environment.

Images

Caption: Web User Interface

Caption: Grafana Dashboard

Caption: Sensor Setup on the Server (Dell PowerEdge R610)