Therm Term

Abstract

1. Introduction

ThermTerm solves all the problems I've had with these physical controls, while integrating the heat pumps into Home Assistant via MQTT. Additional sensors pipe temperature, humidity and light data, for statistics and automation. Out of the box, ThermTerm supports Mitsubishi's infrared protocol, since that's the system I have. Thanks to integration with IRRemoteESP8266, you can make ThermTerm work with your own heat pumps by writing a few lines of adaptor code. No signal analysis or reverse-engineering required. See Customization for more details.

I love my heat pumps. They're energy efficient and the fastest way to heat or cool any room.

But I've always hated the remote controls that come with heat pumps. They're clunky and hard to read, especially in low light. In theory, you can program schedules for your heat pumps, but in practice the remotes are too frustrating to use for that.

2. Objective

Open source heat pump controller and home automation terminal, built on ESP32

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

4. Technology Stack

• Adafruit, whose thorough libraries and thoughtful breakout boards made hardware integration a breeze
• IRRemoteESP8266, a library with bulletproof software-based PWM, a great API, and a shocking compendium of IR protocols
• arduino-home-assistant, an MQTT library with exhaustive implementations of Home Assistant-supported devices

5. System Requirements

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

• Arduino IDE / PlatformIO or a C++ compiler (g++)
• Target board (e.g. Arduino, ESP32) where applicable
• Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/daniloc/ThermTerm.git
cd ThermTerm

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 daniloc and published on GitHub under the MIT License. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.