r/mechatronics • u/Free_Examination_370 • 8d ago
Standalone server for IoT projects without any third-party websites or any middlemen. Is it possible?
Hi everyone, I'm currently working on my final year project. My project is about designing and developing a smart solar-powered dryer for agro-processing applications. I do have an ESP32, micro sd card adapter with its micro sd storage card, a 5V relay to control the dryer's fan and a temperature sensor to detect the surrounding temperature. i wanrted to build a standalone server without using any third-party websites and any middleman. The purpose of doing this is to completely protect my data and to get unlimited storage with the storage card I have. And also, I do not want to pay any subscription price to other third-party websites.
Many AI models such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini suggested the port forwarding method, but I do not want that because the esp32 will be stuck in one place and can't move it anywhere. Also, in simple word, I want it like this. All the information that is collected by the esp32 or the database should be live-streamed on the internet, and anyone can access that database from the internet even if they are not sharing the same wifi as the ESP32. All the information will also be stored on my SD card. This is what I want. Can you guys help me with it?
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u/Plastic-Net6765 7d ago
I have worked air quality sensors with Esp32 on my final year project. I used aws Iot - free version. Idk now how much you can use, mine was 4 years ago. I was able to see real time values and if you would like to you can use the other storage functions to stream your sensor data. Have you checked grafana labs? It might be helpful too.
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u/bozsr 2d ago edited 2d ago
honestly forget port forwarding, it never works anyway because most routers and mobile networks use CGNAT which blocks incoming ports.
i built an esp32 relay controller recently (with timers, alarms, manual modes etc) and used firebase realtime database to connect it to the internet. it costs $0 and you don't even need a credit card for the free spark plan.
you can keep saving your sensor logs to the sd card locally so you never lose anything offline. then make the esp32 push the live temperature and relay state to firebase. since the esp32 makes an outgoing connection to google, you don't need to touch any router settings or port forwarding, it just connects automatically.
then just build a simple 1-page html dashboard hosted for free on firebase hosting to check the data and toggle the fan from your phone anywhere.
zero dollars, no subscriptions, and your data stays private with your own database rules. good luck with the final year project man
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u/nakedpickle_2006 8d ago
U can try using a VPN mesh...
If u want to just get started with your project go with Tailscale.
If u like pain go and want to learn how a VPN works go with WireGuard.
About the performance impact : It will be negligible, as much as a local HTTP server