Design and implementation of a smart home system with two levels of security based on IoT technology

Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Vol. 21, No. 1, January 2021, pp. 546~557
ISSN: 2502-4752, DOI: 10.11591/ijeecs.v21.i1. pp546-557  546
Journal homepage: http://ijeecs.iaescore.com
Design and implementation of a smart home system with two
levels of security based on IoT technology
Mohammed Murad1
, Oguz Bayat2
, Hamzah M. Marhoon3
1,2
School of Engineering and Natural Science, Altinbas University, İstanbul, Turkey
3
Department of ComputerTechniques Engineering, Al-Esraa University College, Baghdad, Iraq
Article Info ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received May 24, 2020
Revised Jul 27, 2020
Accepted Aug 2, 2020
Besides the development of technology in recent years, there has been an
effective tendency to construct smart cities and homes. Whereas the smart
home control system components can be incorporated with the existing home
appliances to eliminate the need for human intervention, save electricity,
protect homes from accidents as well as the theft, and provide home residents
with comfort. This work comprises the utilising of the internet of things (IoT)
technology to build the proposed design for the smart home. The proposed
design includes many subsystems as well as several types of sensors, such as
the passive infrared (PIR) sensor, the gas sensor, the soil moisture sensor, the
water level sensor, the temperature sensor, the light dependent resistance
(LDR), and the flame sensor. Each sensor will be connected to the Arduino
Nano for the data processing purpose, after which the Arduino Nano will be
connected to the NodeMCU module via the digital pins to implement the IoT
subsystem. The proposed system also includes a smart garage gate based on
Bluetooth HC-05 module with a specially programmed android app.
Keywords:
Arduino
Bluetooth HC-05
IoT
NodeMCU
Smart garage gate
Smart home
This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license.
Corresponding Author:
Hamzah M. Marhoon
Department of Computer Techniques Engineering
Al-Esraa University College
Baghdad, Iraq
Email: hamzaalazawy33@yahoo.com
1. INTRODUCTION
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in smart home systems. Whereas the automated
control of the appliances enables users to perform tasks before arriving at their home, in other words, there is
no need for human intervention. The smart home control system offers an effective solution for assistive the
disabled and elderly by utilising the mobile phone apps as a remote control or for monitoring purposes [1].
The construction of the automation systems for the offices, homes, companies, and other institutions
has been increased on a daily basis with numerous advantages as well as specifications. Where, with the
emergence of smart, easy-to-operate, as well as programmable controllers such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi,
there has been a significant increase in the smart automation systems. The researchers, as well as
manufacturers, are working to create the smart systems that protect the property from disasters and save
energy through automatic operation of electrical appliances based on the need to operate only. Home
Automation gives an individual ability to control things around the home remotely or automatically. The term
of the home appliances means a device or instrument designed to perform a specific function, in particular an
electrical instrument, for household use [1, 2].
Since a few years ago, the term Internet of Things (IoT) appeared and began to spread widely. This
technology has been used in a wide field that includes smart homes, smart control, and even medical

Indonesian J Elec Eng & Comp Sci ISSN: 2502-4752 
Design and implementation of a smart home system with two levels of … (Mohammed Murad)
547
applications. This term is often used to refer to the growth in the network for connected devices, or “things”,
that are able to exchange data through a low bandwidth network. The connected devices support institutions
to improve automation and performance, while at the same time may exhibiting the system to the security
threats. So, institutions must, therefore, have a proper security strategy and solutions while deploying IoT
within their infrastructure, thus would help them achieve their business objectives correctly [3-6]. The IoT
system consists of many components which can be listed as follows:
a) Sensors and appliances, which are the elements of the device connectivity layer. These smart sensors are
continuously accumulating the data from the environment and transmit the information to the next layer.
b) Gateway, IoT gateway controls the bidirectional data traffic among various networks and protocols. The
second purpose of the gateway is to translate the difference in the network protocols and make certain
interoperability of the connected appliances and sensors.
c) Cloud, IoT produces extensive data from appliances, applications, and users which has to be managed in
an expedient way. IoT cloud provides tools to handle, process, manage, and store huge amount of data in
real-time. Industries and services can easily access these data wirelessly and take decisive decisions
when necessary.
d) User interface, User interfaces are the apparent and physical part of the IoT system which can be
accessed by users, Figure 1 illustrates the general components for any IoT system.
Figure 1. The architecture of the IoT system
In this work, the smart home system design will be proposed and will consist of a set of subsystems
that can be listed as follows: the first part is two levels of security; the first level is based on the Passive
Infrared (PIR) sensor which received the emitted infrared from the human body and the second level is based
on the laser beam. The second part of the proposed system includes the automation as well as the safety
system where it will be responsible for the detection of gas leakage, fire, low water tank level, monitor the
temperature, and low water level in the garden soil. Also, in the toilet a gas sensor will be installed which is
responsible for exploring the undesired smells, thereby operating the air evacuator and thus saving electrical
energy as well as the increasing the operating life of the device. The two parts of the proposed system will be
based on the IoT technology, as the homeowner will be able to remotely monitor his home via a local IP
granted by the NodeMCU microcontroller which enabling the user to access the system's Graphical User
Interface (GUI). The third and final part is the design of the smart garage gate, which will be opened/closed
utilising a specially programmed app installed on the Android smartphone, allowing for the wireless control
of the garage gate via Bluetooth technology. The paper is organised as follows: Section 2 illustrates the
proposed system modules as well as sensors such that flame sensor, gas sensor, water level sensor, soil
humidity sensor, temperature sensor, flame sensor, PIR sensor, Arduino Nano, HC-05 Bluetooth module,
Arduino Mega, and NodeMCU module. Section 3 presents the necessary steps for the system design,
implementation, working principle, and the obtained results after applying the practical test for the
implemented design. Finally, Section 4 demonstrates the conclusion of the paper.
2. SYSTEM HARDWARE
In this part of the paper, the hardware and the components that will be utilised to build up the
proposed smart home system such as the sensors and the other modules will be explained.

 ISSN: 2502-4752
Indonesian J Elec Eng & Comp Sci, Vol. 21, No. 1, January 2021 : 546 - 557
548
2.1. Arduino microcontroller
Arduino is a single-board microcontroller that can be programmed utilising an open-source
programming language called the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The Arduino can be viewed
as a small computer, in other words, the Arduino can be programmed to process input as well as output data
between the device and peripheral components. In this work two types of the Arduino are utilised, the first
one is the Arduino Mega which is based on the ATmega2560, as shown in Figure 2. The Arduino Mega
comprises a 54 digital input/output pins (15 of them can be utilised to produce the analogue output via the
PWM technique), 16 analogue inputs, 4 hardware serial ports, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connector,
a power jack, ICSP header, and a restart button [7-10]. The second utilised microcontroller is the Arduino
Nano board this type doesn't contain DC jack so that the power supply can be fed utilising a small USB port
or can be directly through the VIN & GND pins. The Arduino Nano contains a 14 digital input/output pins, 6
analogue input pins, and 16 MHz CLK speed [11]. Figure 3 illustrates the Arduino Nano board with the
configuration of the pins.
Figure 2. Arduino mega microcontroller
Figure 3. Arduino nano microcontroller
2.2. NodeMCU microcontroller
NodeMCU is a low-cost, open-source microcontroller board that supports the IoT technology. It
included firmware running on the ESP8266 Wi-Fi System on Chip (SoC) from Espressif Systems and
hardware based on the ESP-12 module. The NodeMCU uses the micro USB cable that makes it possible to
run like the Arduino microcontroller board. Figure 4 illustrates the NodeMCU module with its pins
configuration. This module has a high processing speed than Arduino and some other controllers, but the
main drawback of this module is the containing of a single input analogue input pin [12-14].

549
Figure 4. NodeMCU microcontroller board
2.3. Flame sensor module
The flame sensor module consists of a photodiode and operational amplifier used utilised to adjust
the sensitivity, this sensor designed to detect the presence of the flame as well as the ordinary light which has
a wavelength in the range of 760 to 1100 nm, with a detection range up to 100 cm. Generally, the module
consists of four terminals, two of which are used for the sensor power supply (i.e. VCC&GND), the third
terminal for the analogue output, its output voltage increases with the increasing of the flame amount, and the
left terminal is the digital output which indicates the HIGH output in the case of a flame being detected
[15, 16]. Figure 5 illustrates the flame sensor module and the sensor output voltage vs. the detection distance.
(a) (b)
Figure 5. (a) Flame sensor module, and (b) Flame sensor value vs. detection distance
2.4. Soil humidity sensor
As shown in Figure 6, the soil moisture sensor consists of two probes that allow the current to pass
through the soil and then obtain a resistance value. When the water is present, the soil will conduct more
electricity and give low resistance, while in the case of dry soil, the flow of the electricity is poor so the
resistance has a high value. The utilised microcontroller will compare the resistance value and, depending on
the higher resistance, the water pump will be switched on [17, 18].

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Figure 6. Soil moisture sensor module
2.5. Passive infrared sensor
The Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor designed to sense the movement dependent on the emitted
infrared from the human body and the other living organisms. The PIR is composed of a pyroelectric sensor,
which can recognise different levels of infrared radiation. The level of radiation will increase with the
increase in the object’s temperature when the human passes from the front of the PIR, the sensor will detect
the human temperature and return a logic "1" from the sensor output pin [19, 20]. To increase the detection
range of the sensor, a hemispherical lens is used to collect radiation from different angles and direct it to the
sensor as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7. PIR sensor module
2.6. MQ-05 gas sensor
MQ-5 gas sensor is used for the applications of the gas leakage detection in both consumer and
industrial systems. This sensor is proper for the detection of liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, and coal
gas. The working principle of the MQ-5 sensor module can be described in Figure 8. The heating coil “H” is
associated with a SnO2 filament, in the presence of clean air, its resistance across the heating coil doesn't
vary. But in case of combustible gas is present, the resistance of the SnO2 filament decreases, which results
in a corresponding increase in output voltage pin of the sensor, this output voltage can be measured to
indicate the concentration of any combustible gas [21, 22]. Figure 9 shows the MQ-8 gas sensor module with
its pin configuration.
Figure 8. Internal structure of the MQ-5 gas sensor Figure 9. MQ-5 gas sensor module

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2.7. Servo motor
The servo motor is an electrical component that can be utilised to push or rotate an object with high
accuracy. The servo motor differed from the other motor types where it could rotate according to the required
angles that can be obtained from the pulse length with the help of the microcontroller unit. In addition, the
servo motor is characterised by a good torque and constant speed that is not affected by the change in load
[23-25].
3. SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
This section includes the necessary steps for the design of a smart home system with two levels of
security based on IoT technology. This section also includes a presentation of the results obtained after the
practical test for the proposed system has been applied.
3.1. System design
The proposed system consists of two main parts, the first part is a security system and the second
part is an automation control system. The security system consists of the PIR sensor and the laser beam with
Light Dependent Resistance (LDR). When the thief passes in front of the PIR sensor, the sensor analyses the
infrared radiation that emitted from its body, then the Arduino Nano activating the alarm, Wi-Fi camera, and
send logic “1” to the NodeMCU in order to display the alarming message on the GUI. Besides, when the
thief cuts the directed laser beam to the LDR, the resistance value will increase and the Arduino Nano doing
the same previous steps. The security system is powered by a control system based on the Arduino Mega,
relay controller, and a 4 × 4 keypad, as shown in the connection diagram in Figure 10. In order to turn
ON/OFF the security as well as the automation system, a different password for both the ON and OFF states
should be entered. In addition, a 16 × 2 liquid crystal display is also utilised to indicate that the system in the
ON or OFF state, as illustrates in Figure 11.
Figure 10. Connection diagram of the power control system
Figure 11. Implemented power control system

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The automation and control part based on the Arduino Nano microcontroller with many types of
sensors, such as the two gas sensors, the flame sensor, the soil moisture sensor, LM 35 temperature sensor,
and the water level sensor, the task of each sensor in this part is demonstrated in Table 1. In addition, the two
parts of the proposed system are linked to the NodeMCU microcontroller, which supports the IoT
technology, where the Arduino Nano read the sensors data and send logic “1” or “0” to the NodeMCU to
display the necessary messages on the GUI, this method is utilised due to the limited analogue input pins of
the NodeMCU as well as to provide the reliability to the proposed system, if one of the microcontrollers fail
or damaged will not effects on the rest of the system. The homeowner can continuously monitor his home
remotely via local IP address, enabling him to access the GUI which is programmed to monitor the home in
different cases. The HC-05 Bluetooth with its compatible Android app and the servo motor is also utilised to
remotely control the garage gate. The Android app was programmed through the MIT App Inventor platform,
which was created by Google, and supervised by MIT University, which boils down to the easy-to-develop
graphical programming blocks, as illustrated in Figure 12.
(a)
(b)
Figure 12. (a) The graphical blocks of the programed app for the garage gate and (b) The programmed app
inside the Huawei smart mobile phone

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Figures 13-16; respectively, illustrates the block diagram of the power supply control, the block
diagram of the security part, the block diagram of the automation and control part for the proposed system,
and the implemented system for the smart home.
Table 1. The task of each sensor in the automation part
Sensor Task
Flame sensor Detect the fire
Gas sensor #1 Detect the leakage of the LPG
Gas sensor #2 Detect the unwanted smell in the toilet
Temperature sensor Monitoring the room temperature
Soil moisture sensor Monitoring the soil moisture level
Water level sensor Monitoring the tank water level
Figure 13. Block diagram of the control circuit for the power feeding
Figure 14. Block diagram for the security part of the proposed system

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Figure 15. Block diagram for the automation and control part of the proposed system
Figure 16. The implemented smart home and security system
3.2. Results and Discussion
Several steps must be taken in order to operate and test the proposed smart home system, the first of
which is the entering of the ON state password for the operation of the system power supply circuit, as shown
in Figure 17. Thereafter, a connection should be established between the NodeMCU microcontroller and the
Internet via the Wi-Fi. The last one is the wireless connection between the Android smartphone and the
Arduino Bluetooth to test the remotely opening/closing of the garage gate through the programmed app
(Figure 12-b). Several methods are utilised to test the work and performance of system sensors, as
demonstrated in Table 2.

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(a) (b)
Figure 17. (a) The activation of the power supply circuit and (b) The deactivation of the power supply circuit
Table 2. The practical test procedure for the system sensors
Sensor Test
Flame
The performance of the sensor was examined by placing a fire source, such as a lighter near the sensor, after
which the Arduino Nano switches ON the LED that represents the water pump and sends logic “1” to the
NodeMCU in order to display the warning message on the GUI
Gas
The performance of the sensor was examined by placing a liquid gas source such as the one in the lighter near
the sensor, after which the Arduino Nano sends a logic “1” to the NodeMCU in order to display a warning
message on the GUI
Temperature
The sensor was tested by placing a heat source near it, after that the NodeMCU activates the cooling systems
represented by the LED and displays the temperature value on the GUI
PIR
The sensor was tested by passing in front of it, then Arduino Nano activates the alarm, Wi-Fi camera, and
sends logic “1” to the NodeMCU in order to display an alerting message on the GUI
Tank water level
The sensor was tested by putting it in a small container filled with water, then the Arduino operates the water
pump represented by the LED, and the same procedure is utilised to test the soil moisture sensor
Figure 18 respectively, illustrate the messages appeared on the GUI in the case of fire detection, gas
leak detection, motion detection, and the safe mode case. Figure 19 presents the implemented system during
the ON-turning operation.
(a) (b) (c) (d)
Figure 18. Appeared messages on the GUI in the case of: (a) Fire detection, (b) Gas leak detection, (c)
Motion detection, and (e) Safe mode

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Figure 19. The implemented system during the practical test
4. CONCLUSION
This paper investigates the concept of IoT-based smart home and automation systems. This paper
proposes the design of smart home based on Arduino and NodeMCU microcontrollers. The designed system
was included a smart garage gate that is remotely controlled by a smart mobile phone, two levels of security
to protect the home from theft, as well as an automation and control system to delivers the best performance.
Security and automation parts were linked to the IoT technology which supported by the NodeMCU
microcontroller. The NodeMCU was programmed through the Arduino IDE to create a GUI that is accessed
via the granted local IP address from the NodeMCU, thus facilitates the process of the home monitoring
wirelessly. The implemented system was tested practically and good performance has been achieved.
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