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I want to build a home automation system by hooking up various sensors (e.g., passive IR motion sensors, magnetic door contact switches, vibration detectors, etc.) around the house to detect things then send the sensor signals to a central command center / control station.

PIR Motion Sensor

PIR Motion Sensor

I want to do this wirelessly and solderlessly with a budget of roughly $10 per sensor. So, for example, I could hook up a breadboard circuit that receives the sensor signal and sends it to a Wifi network.

Is there a simple circuit component or IC that can convert the analog sensor signal to a wireless signal then transmit that signal to the network via wifi without, say, hooking up an entire microprocessor (e.g., Raspberry Pi) to each sensor? A Raspberry Pi for each sensor would blow my budget.

I'm looking to install a simple component part in, say, a solderless breadboard circuit at the sensor level. Then read all the signals off the network at the control station using a Raspberry Pi or laptop.

What kind of components and configuration would anyone here recommend?

Edit 1

Apparently, a USB wireless adapter or a network adapter might be the component I'm looking for. But would it be possible to build up a separate breadboard circuit for each sensor and pipe all the signals to the wifi network? If so, how? I want to keep my budget to about $10 per sensor.

USB Wireless Adaptor

USB Wireless Adaptor

Edit 2

I found this article which reflects what I'm trying to do with the sensor. But it says nothing about a wireless (analog-to-digital) conversion.

PIR Motion Sensor Schematic

PIR Motion Sensor Schematic

Breadboard Hookup

Breadboard Hookup

Edit 3

I like the suggested ESP8266 chip described here. (Could this really be $ 5-10 per sensor?)

ESP8266 chip

ESP8266 chip

Breadboard configuration

Breadboard configuration

Schematic

Schematic

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    How fixed is your solderlessly requirement? Breadboards can get quite complicated if you don't solder anything. You are okay with more "sophisticated" stuff than simple cables being used on the breadboard if I look at the pictures you provided, correct? Your central command center could get quite big as well.
    – Helmar ♦
    Commented May 9, 2017 at 20:21
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    how about using the 440MHz RF pair. Tx at the sensor and all the Rxs at a raspberry Pi. it has very less connections too.
    – Prashanth Benny
    Commented May 11, 2017 at 5:28

1 Answer 1

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enter image description hereesp8266 is good if you want to operate system through internet otherwise Prashanth Benny is right you can use radio modules for easy of access and less budget.

esp8266 module is only transmits serial data to other wifi enabled device but it requires a micro-controller

so according to me, use radio modules(RF modules) and about sensors use digital sensors in place of analog like digital PIR sensor you can control digital PIR using pot switches.

And at the other hand receive all sensors data using other RF module this module is a part of central system.(see picture)

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    Why does an esp8266 require a microcontroller? The esp8266 can be reprogrammed and is capable of reading a few sensor values and sending them to a central server, no need for another microcontroller.
    – egonr
    Commented May 15, 2017 at 9:15
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    yes you're right, but in ESP8266 module only 2 GPIO pins (GPIO0 and GPIO2). we can multiplex these 2 pins to 4 but it makes whole circuit complicated. So suggested this way.
    – Manav Akela
    Commented Sep 2, 2017 at 19:13

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