Sparkfun ESP8266 Thing-Based Hue Remote

I thought having network controlled lights would be amazing, and it is, but sometimes you just need a light switch.

This Thing is really just a WiFi SoC with some buttons and some really crappy software. It doesn’t run on kinetic energy, but then it’s not 60 bucks either.

ESP8266 Thing Features

• At about $16 on Prime, you can’t beat the Thing for value.

• WiFi with a Lipo charging circuit on a respectably small board!

Tell me it doesn’t just scream buy me:

Other necessary hardware

• A Philips Hue Bridge and Lights

• A USB to FTDI serial adapter

• Some buttons and proto board, a 3.7V lipo, mine is from a camera, and a project box.

• You’ll need to mash and mangle all of your parts together into some kind of button-shield that will interface with the Thing, someday I’m going to learn CircuitMaker, seriously.

Check out my mad routing skills

The software

• You’ll need some kind of rest client, like this really crappy one, I mean, who doesn’t check response codes, or provide even a modest amount of security?

• On top of the rest client, we can write a simple hue remote app to make pretty much any web request, but in this case, we’ll make get requests the Philips Hue bridge to turn lights on and off.

Customize it

The Hue supports a lot of configuration that their app doesn’t expose. For example, you can create light groups using the API that combine other bulbs (GE anyone?) which lets you control a tri-bulb lamp easily without dumping $180 into the bulbs.

The end result, one of the ugliest remote controls you’ve ever seen.