Tank Sync

Solar-powered long-range water-tank monitor — LoRa to an ESP32 hub with OLED + LED indicators. MQTT-native + Home Assistant integration via HACS. Open firmware (AGPL-3.0), open hardware (CC BY-SA 4.0). Works fully offline; hosted PWA optional. First product in the SmartGhar ecosystem.

Internet of Things (IoT)CAGPL-3.0

Abstract

Tank Sync is an open-source Internet of Things (IoT) project. Solar-powered long-range water-tank monitor — LoRa to an ESP32 hub with OLED + LED indicators. MQTT-native + Home Assistant integration via HACS. Open firmware (AGPL-3.0), open hardware (CC BY-SA 4.0). Works fully offline; hosted PWA optional. First product in the SmartGhar ecosystem. Why I built TankSync, the local-first philosophy, and how the rooftop sensor + indoor hub stay reliable when the internet doesn't. Watch on YouTube →. It is built using C, ESP32, MQTT. The complete source code is publicly available on GitHub under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0, making it a useful reference for students building an Internet of Things (IoT) mini project or final-year project.

1. Introduction

Why I built TankSync, the local-first philosophy, and how the rooftop sensor + indoor hub stay reliable when the internet doesn't. Watch on YouTube →

The indoor hub (left), the solar tank sensor with non-contact ultrasonic measurement (centre), and the custom circular TX PCB (right) — current production hardware, REV 2.2 (May 2026), tested through Delhi summer at 45°C ambient.

No esptool, no Python, no CLI. Plug your board into USB, click Install, the browser does the flashing through WebSerial. Works on Chrome/Edge desktop. Takes ~45 seconds per board.

2. Objective

Solar-powered long-range water-tank monitor — LoRa to an ESP32 hub with OLED + LED indicators. MQTT-native + Home Assistant integration via HACS. Open firmware (AGPL-3.0), open hardware (CC BY-SA 4.0). Works fully offline; hosted PWA optional. First product in the SmartGhar ecosystem.

This project demonstrates how C, ESP32, MQTT can be applied to a real-world Internet of Things (IoT) problem.

4. Technology Stack

CESP32MQTT

5. System Requirements

General requirements for this technology stack — check the README for exact versions.

  • Arduino IDE / PlatformIO or a C compiler (gcc)
  • Target board where applicable
  • Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/Techposts/TankSync.git
cd TankSync

Full setup instructions are in the project README.

7. Future Enhancements

Suggested extensions you can add to make this your own project.

  • Add a mobile dashboard using Blynk or Firebase
  • Store readings in a cloud database for history charts
  • Add alerts via SMS / Telegram when thresholds are crossed

8. Viva / Review Questions

Common questions examiners ask for projects in this domain.

  1. Which microcontroller / board and sensors are used and why?
  2. How does the device send data (Wi-Fi, MQTT, HTTP, Bluetooth)?
  3. Where is the sensor data stored and visualised?
  4. How is power consumption managed?
  5. How would you secure the device and its communication?

9. Source Code & License

This project is developed by Techposts and published on GitHub under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.

View Source on GitHubDownload ZIP

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