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New to the whole Internet of Things (IoT) idea? The Cayenne platform provides a friendly gateway to the world of IoT. Built specifically for Raspberry Pi, this IoT platform can help you transform the little machine into a versatile IoT device and put it to some practical uses.
The IoT is one of the most hyped technologies at the moment. Established manufacturers and start-ups alike are doing their best (and sometimes their worst) to capitalize on the trend by bringing us everything from smart light bulbs that can be controlled via the Internet to toothbrushes that post updates when you brush your teeth. While the future may look bleak for some of these products, the underlying idea of turning dumb hardware into intelligent devices does sound sensible. And if you decide to dip your toes into the IoT waters, the next logical question is where do you start?
A number of IoT platforms are in circulation, but Cayenne [1] is a good choice for a number of reasons. First, it's designed to work with Raspberry Pi (Rasp Pi), so it allows you to use your favorite single-board computer as an IoT device. Second, Cayenne developers went to great lengths to make the deployment process as easy and smooth as possible. Third, the entire platform is designed to be easy to use, so you can devise simple and complex projects with a minimum of effort and without any coding.
The Cayenne platform consists of four key components. The Cayenne agent software runs on the Rasp Pi, and it's responsible for communicating with the server as well as managing incoming and outgoing commands, triggers, and alerts. The Cayenne cloud processes and stores user and sensor data from the device, while the online dashboard provides a graphical environment for working with your IoT project, as well as monitoring and managing the Rasp Pi. Finally, the Cayenne app for Android and iOS is used to set up and manage Cayenne on the Rasp Pi.
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Small-board computers (SBCs) are getting more and more powerful. The Raspberry Pi 3 (RPi3), which just came out in February of this year, is a case in point. This latest in the Rasp Pi line now has four cores running at 1200MHz with 1GB of RAM and on-board WiFi and Bluetooth. If you need even more power in a small computer, however, you are not left wanting. In this issue, we look at three SBCs with more cores, more memory, more ports, and more possibilities.
A greenhouse environment has to be just right. The temperature can't climb too high or sink too low, and the plants need water. Why not put your Raspberry Pi to work as the gardener?
Combine great hardware projects that use the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins and a Node.js web server that interacts with the underlying operating system and hardware, and you have a winning team.
Transform an old air popcorn popper into a coffee bean roaster controlled by a Raspberry Pi and a slick user interface.
Create super easy Pi programs to turn on lights, speak to you, or control motors.
Price $15.99
(incl. VAT)