Control devices on your Rasp Pi network with text messages
Texting from Android
If your text scheme is simple (e.g., turning one light on and off), you could manually just output an ON or OFF message. However if you are controlling multiple lights, heaters, and other devices, then manually typing the text messages gets awkward.
To manage multiple commands, I wrote a simple Android app in MIT App Inventor [5]. App Inventor is a free web-based Android development environment that only requires a Google login for access. In about 10 minutes, I was able to get a prototype going with multiple inputs. The first step was to drag and drop some buttons from the User Interface palette onto the Viewer pane and then drag and drop a Texting component from the Social palette onto the view. Note that the Texting component will appear as a non-visible item (Figure 7).
After you have a basic layout, select the Blocks button on the menubar to open a logic page. Logic is created by clicking on objects in the Blocks panel and dragging and dropping the blocks onto the Viewer panel.
To have a button send a text message (Figure 8), the following pieces are required:
- The
when <Button>.Click
statement is called when the user touches the button object. - The
set Texting1.PhoneNumber
statement defines the remote phone number. - The
set Texting1.Message
statement defines the text message. - The
call Texting1.SendMessage
statement sends the message.
To build the application, use the Build menu item (Figure 9). For my test project, I configured four devices and eight commands (Figure 10).
Final Comments
I found that Node-RED on Android is a lot faster than I expected; however, I noticed that some of the added features (e.g., Bluetooth support) only worked on the Raspberry Pi/Linux version of Node-RED.
For a final solution, I would definitely move to dedicated SMS hardware, but I found it nice to build a proof of concept test with just some basic Android phones. Also, don't forget to set Node-RED to start up automatically on a power up.
Infos
- "Fun with Node-RED" by Leah, Brook, and Pete Metcalfe. Raspberry Pi Geek, issue 20, 2016, pg. 90, http://www.raspberry-pi-geek.com/Archive/2016/20/Create-amazing-Pi-apps-without-writing-code/
- Node-RED on Android: https://nodered.org/docs/platforms/android
- Termux: https://termux.com/
- PowerSwitch Tail II: http://www.powerswitchtail.com
- MIT App Inventor: http://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.
-
Kubuntu Focus Team Releases New Mini Desktop
The team behind Kubuntu Focus has released a new NX GEN 2 mini desktop PC powered by Linux.