SMS Home Appliance Controller with SIM800L

Controlling home appliances doesn’t always require internet-connected tools or smart apps. Sometimes, you can control, turn on, or turn off devices at home or at work using much simpler remote methods.

One of the most practical and useful ways to do this is by using SMS. In the following section, you’ll get more familiar with this method, and you can watch the full tutorial in the video. By the end, you’ll be able to set up your own SMS-based remote control system step by step.

Getting Started & Getting to Know the Required Components

Alright, first of all, we need a module that can receive SMS messages, process them, and then send the data to a microcontroller. So in the first step, we need an SMS receiver and transmitter.

There are many SMS send/receive modules available on the market, but one of the cheapest and at the same time most practical options is the SIM800L module. This module is widely used for SMS-based remote control systems, and in this project, we’ll be using the SIM800L.

Next, we need a microcontroller that can receive commands from the SMS module, process those commands, and based on them, control a number of relays. The number of relays you can use in this project depends on the output capabilities of the microcontroller, not the SMS module itself.

In this project, you can use different microcontrollers such as ATmega8 or ATmega16, and you can also easily use Arduino Nano or Arduino Uno.

For learning and testing purposes, it’s recommended to use an Arduino Nano or Arduino Uno. However, for real-world and final implementation, it’s better to build your project using a standalone microcontroller like ATmega8.
Keep in mind that you can easily program different microcontrollers (like ATmega8) using code written in the Arduino IDE, making your project suitable for real-world use.

Now, go ahead and watch the rest of the tutorial videos. You’ll also find the download links for the project files and training materials below the video.
Just note that to download the files, you need to be a registered member of the website.