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Smart irrigation automation for Stevens campus — monitoring, controlling, and optimizing water delivery through IoT sensors and intelligent scheduling.
💧 Save Water🔔 Leak Alerts📊 Usage Data🔗 Campus Integration
Network Layer
IoT Communication Options
Three protocols evaluated for connecting sensors to the central hub across campus infrastructure.
📡
LoRa / LoRaWAN
15–20 km range, low power. Penetrates walls, buildings, and underground structures — ideal for buried pipe sensors.
★ Recommended
🕸
Zigbee
Mesh networking, up to 65,000 nodes. Self-healing, low power. Shorter range but scales well for dense deployments.
Scalable
📶
Standard Wi-Fi
Leverages existing Stevens campus network. Simpler setup but dependent on coverage near mechanical rooms.
Coverage Dependent
Hardware Strategy
Sensor Design Options
Two approaches: building sensors in-house or purchasing pre-made solutions.
Factor
🔧 DIY / In-House
📦 Pre-Made
Cost
Lower — ESP32 + Arduino (~$5–25)
Higher — Seeed / Iskrasonic ($30–200+)
Customization
Fully adaptable to our use case
Fixed feature set, limited modification
Power
Solar panel integration possible
Proprietary batteries or wired power
Setup
Higher effort — code + hardware assembly
Lower — plug-and-play protocols
Reliability
Depends on build quality and testing
Commercially validated, warranty support
Sensing Layer
Sensor Types & Use Cases
Four core sensor types power intelligent irrigation decision-making.
🌱
Soil Moisture
Measures water content per zone. Drives watering decisions — prevents over and under-irrigation.
Primary driver
🔧
Leak Detection
Monitors pipe integrity in real time. Alerts Facilities instantly when a break is detected.
Facilities alert
🌡
Temp & Humidity
Tracks ambient conditions to calculate optimal water volume for current weather.
Weather-aware
☀
Sunlight Intensity
Determines best watering window — after dark — to maximize absorption and minimize evaporation.
Timing optimizer
⚡API Alternative: Temp, humidity & sunlight data can use the National Weather Service free API — cheaper but internet-dependent and less locally accurate.
Control Layer
Control System & User Interface
A Raspberry Pi central hub collects sensor data and controls irrigation valves via relay switches.
🖥 Raspberry Pi Hub
Creates a mesh network polling all sensors. Saves readings to a local database. Connects via Ethernet or Wi-Fi for remote access.
⚡ Relay Control
GPIO-connected relays interface with existing sprinkler valves. Separate microcontroller fallback if no on-site internet.
💾 Local Database
All sensor readings logged locally. Enables historical water usage analysis and full offline operation during outages.
📟 Touchscreen / 🌐 Dashboard
On-site touchscreen needs no internet. Web dashboard allows Facilities to adjust schedules and get live alerts remotely.
System Architecture
Control System Map
Water Today
142 gal
↓ 18% vs avg
Avg Soil Moisture
67%
Optimal range
Temperature
58°F
Humidity 72%
System Status
Active
No leak alerts
Active sprinkler
Idle sprinkler
Soil sensor
Light sensor
Leak sensor
Alerting
Alert System Options
When the system detects a leak or malfunction, it automatically notifies the right people.
📧
Email
Automated alerts to predefined recipients with a dashboard link for instant status viewing.
💬
SMS
Text notification to a predefined number. Fastest way to reach Facilities without requiring app access.
🗨
Slack / Discord
Posts to a dedicated channel. Ideal for EWB team monitoring without individual email chains.
🔗Any alert can include a dashboard link for live sensor readings — configurable as a public read-only view for Facilities staff.
Action Items
Next Steps & Open Questions
Key decisions to resolve before end of Phase 2 — April 29, 2026.
1
Decide communication protocol — LoRa vs. Zigbee vs. Wi-Fi based on coverage at Morton/Kidde mechanical room.
2
Finalize sensor approach — DIY (ESP32 + Arduino) vs. pre-made vs. hybrid strategy per sensor type.
3
Confirm Wi-Fi availability — Ask Dan/Kurt whether mechanical room near Morton/Kidde has usable Wi-Fi.
4
Determine flow rate — Measure or request water source flow rate at Morton/Kidde for design team sizing.
5
Sync with Irrigation Design Team — Coordinate valve interfaces with Claire, Athena, Kylie & Leilani before April 8.