title: ESP-Env
description: ESP32 / ESP8266 & BME280 / SHT2x / CCS811 sensor / actor with InfluxDB support
parent: smarthome
git: https://git.xythobuz.de/thomas/esp-env
github: https://github.com/xythobuz/esp-env
position: 100
date: 2020-01-06
update: 2022-08-21
comments: true
---

<!--% backToParent() %-->

As a first step into smart home automation, I wanted to place temperature and humidity sensors in most rooms of my flat.
To achieve this, I made some simple ESP8266 boards with an I2C sensor, either SHT21 or BME280, as well as a small 3.3V regulator and a USB connector.
The data is written into an InfluxDB instance on my NAS.

Over time I also added support for ESP32 as well as Arduino Uno Wifi Developer Edition boards, MQTT interfacing, relais control, CCS811 and soil moisture sensor support.

Initially I had a separate project, [esp-relais](https://git.xythobuz.de/thomas/esp-relais), for controlling [this ESP8266 Relais board from Amazon](https://amzn.to/3FQdOXB).
This functionality has since been integrated into esp-env!

<!--%
lightgallery([
    [ "img/espenv_10.jpg", "BME280 bedroom, front" ],
    [ "img/espenv_17.jpg", "SHT21 kitchen, front" ],
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_2.jpg", "Bathroom Relais insides" ],
])
%-->

The web interface implemented to query the sensor data is very simple.
I am using the following commands to fetch it.

    curl --silent -m 10 esp-livingroom | grep -E 'Location|Temperature|Humidity' | sed 's/Temperature//g' | sed 's/Humidity//g' | sed 's/Location//g' | sed '2s/$/ \xc2\xb0C/' | sed '3s/$/ %/' | sed 's/: //g' | sed '$!N;s/\n/\t/' | sed '$!N;s/\n/\t/'

The result is shown on my desktop using [conky](http://conky.sourceforge.net/docs.html).

<!--%
lightgallery([
    [ "img/espenv_screen.png", "Screenshot of web interface" ],
    [ "img/espenv_desktop.png", "Screenshot of desktop data" ]
])
%-->

Here you can see some samples of the data I have logged since starting this project.
As you can see, after a while the sensor in the kitchen started giving wrong data.
This is the usual behaviour these sensors show after a couple of months to years.
I replaced it, but shortly afterwards removed the kitchen sensor completely.
You can also see some short gaps in the data, this is caused by the ESPs losing their WiFi connection after a while.
I just had to reset them and they started working again.

<!--%
lightgallery([
    [ "img/espenv_1.png", "Humidity data from ca. 7 months" ],
    [ "img/espenv_2.png", "Temperature data from ca. 7 months" ]
])
%-->
All of the boards, except one, work fine.
The non-working one is just not connecting to WiFi, regardless of which specific ESP8266 I plug in there.
I have no explanation for this, unfortunately.

<div class="collapse">Some more photos of the PCBs I made.</div>
<div class="collapsecontent">
<!--%
lightgallery([
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_1.jpg", "Bathroom Relais in Box" ],
    [ "img/espenv_3.jpg", "BME280 livingroom, front" ],
    [ "img/espenv_4.jpg", "BME280 livingroom, front bare PCB" ],
    [ "img/espenv_5.jpg", "BME280 livingroom, back" ],
    [ "img/espenv_6.jpg", "SHT21 bathroom, case" ],
    [ "img/espenv_7.jpg", "SHT21 bathroom, front" ],
    [ "img/espenv_8.jpg", "SHT21 bathroom, back" ],
    [ "img/espenv_9.jpg", "BME280 bedroom, case" ],
    [ "img/espenv_11.jpg", "BME280 bedroom, back" ],
    [ "img/espenv_12.jpg", "BME280 storage, front" ],
    [ "img/espenv_13.jpg", "BME280 storage, back" ],
    [ "img/espenv_14.jpg", "non-working, front" ],
    [ "img/espenv_15.jpg", "non-working, back" ],
    [ "img/espenv_16.jpg", "SHT21 kitchen, case" ],
    [ "img/espenv_18.jpg", "SHT21 kitchen, back" ]
])
%-->
</div>

The source code can be found [on my Gitea server](https://git.xythobuz.de/thomas/esp-env).

## Relais Update (August 2022)
<a class="anchor" name="relais_update"></a>

After successfully using the first [4x relais board](https://amzn.to/3FQdOXB) I ordered to control my bathroom lights and fan for a couple of months, I decided to use two more of the same boards for my livingroom lights.
This turned out to be quite the feat however.

I initially set up the devices as before without issues, fixing and cleaning up some stuff in the code along the way.
When connecting the load, in my case LED driver modules, the issues started to appear however.

<!--%
lightgallery([
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_scope_1.bmp", "Scope trace of Vcc and RST spikes" ],
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_scope_2.bmp", "Scope trace of Vcc and RST spikes" ],
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_scope_3.bmp", "Scope trace of Vcc and RST spikes" ],
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_scope_4.bmp", "Scope trace of Vcc and RST spikes" ],
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_scope_5.bmp", "Scope trace of Vcc and RST spikes" ],
])
%-->

The ESP8266 simply reset nearly everytime it tried to switch a load.
Investigating with an oscilloscope, it turns out there were nasty spikes on both the supply voltage and the reset pin.
Keep in mind, for the screenshots above I already added a bunch of capacitors (100uF, 100nF, 22pF) to both lines, without any change.
I tried out literally every option I could find suggested in online discussions, like connecting GND of the circuit to PE, switching neutral instead of the phase, adding pull-ups for RST, adding capacitors.
I even bought a filter module for 220V to put in front of the drivers.
Nothing helped.

<!--%
lightgallery([
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_test_1.jpg", "One of the two new relais setups, with power supply." ],
    [ "img/esp_env_relais_test_2.jpg", "Close-up of ESP-01 with capacitors for testing." ],
])
%-->

Getting kinda desperate, I remembered someone online mentioned that "ESP-01s" modules are not only equipped with more memory, they also have better EMV resistance for some reason.
This sounded strange to me, but nonetheless I ordered some ESP-01s modules instead of the ESP-01 I had before.
And it worked!
No problems at all with the new ESPs.

## License

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "THE BEER-WARE LICENSE" (Revision 42):
    <xythobuz@xythobuz.de> wrote this file.  As long as you retain this notice
    you can do whatever you want with this stuff. If we meet some day, and you
    think this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return.   Thomas Buck
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------