DEVELOPMENT OF WIFI-BASED ALARM BOT MOTION DETECTOR

HOME SECURITY SYSTEM

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by: VINCE JUSTINE CRUZ

JANUARY 2023
 ABSTRACT

This study aims to develop a cheap, reliable, and efficient home security system that can

help in protecting homes from unwanted visitors like burglars, robbers, trespassers, etc. The WiFi-

Based Alarm Bot Motion Detector prototype can alert the homeowners if a motion is detected

inside their properties. The optimal location to place the device is hip level right beside the

doorway. This will ensure that pet animals will nut disrupt the operation of the device and still

detect if a human-size intruder enters their home. If the device detects an infrared motion, it will

create a sound from the buzzer inside the device and then, it will notify the phone of the user by

its preference. The user can choose if he/she wants to be notified thru text, e-mail, or call. The only

requirement for this device to run is a powerbank or a battery, and a WiFi. It can send a signal to

your phone if your phone is also connected to the internet. This means that anywhere you are, the

device can still reach your phone. The device has been run through tests to test the efficiency. The

motion detector can work for up to 20 feet. The Wemos D1 Mini can send a signal to your phone

if it is connected to internet with 3 mbps internet speed.

Philippines is a country that is very vulnerable to theft. The last recorded crime rate in

Philippinesin 2018 is 6.47 per 100k population (Macrotrends, 2020). People need gadgets to protect

their belongings, especially their houses when they are not home; but they can’t do that since anti-

theft gadgets are very hard to come across and rarely cheap. People won’t be aware if their house

is robbed if they are away.

Motion detectors with alarm system can cost a lot of money that's why many people do not

consider installing one in their homes. Usually, people with higher socioeconomic status can

purchase good quality security systems. Also, one of the researchers had an experience of their

home getting robbedmultiple times by a single person. This incident could have been prevented if

there is a security system installed in their home. There are different types of security system that

can be used at home to defend your house/building from an intruder. The most common is the

security camera system. This involves using a Closed-circuit Television Camera (CCTV) which

can transmit a live footage so that a security personnel can monitor the place even if they are away.

Another type of security system are the ones that involve sensors that will sound an alarm if

triggered. But these security systems can be costly. One may be able to purchase a security system

in a cheaper price, but it may have a low quality. It may stop working after being used for a specific

amount of time. Some may give false alarms. That's why most middle-class to lower class Filipino

homes does not use security systems. The researchers haven't encountered a house with a working

security system using sensors that can trigger an alarm even if you are away.
 This study is focused on developing a low-cost but efficient security system at home. The

product mainly focuses on monitoring infrared movements that can indicate that an intruder has

invaded your home. “With a home security system installed, you can achieve some peace of mind

knowing that your home is protected whether you're away or sleeping soundly. With modern

wireless security systems connected to the internet, you can also check in on your system from

anywhere in the world” (Tuohy, 2022).

The Alarm Bot is designed to work in big or small houses/buildings. It can detect motion

up to 20 feet. This will then sound an alarm that can sound for up to 5 minutes. The alarm bot is

also programmed by the researcher to connect to the internet using the WiFi connection in the house.

This is essential so thatthe Alarm Bot can send a notification to the phone of the owner. The Alarm

Bot will also call the phone ofthe owner if motion is detected. There are lots of option on how the

owner can be notified by the Alarm Bot. The Alarm Bot can send e-mails to multiple people if

necessary. Even if your phone run out of battery,the Alarm Bot can still send notifications to your

phone. It will also indicate the time that it was triggered. The alarm bot can be powered using a

powerbank or a battery. The researcher decided to use powerbank primarily because powerbanks

can last longer than batteries. This gives the Alarm Bot the ability to be left inside the house even

if the owner does not come home for a long time.

To gather data, the researcher has conducted an experiment and used several internet

resources. The researcher has gathered several publications on the subject to broaden the

understanding of this study. When it comes to the product, the researcher conducted some

experiments to obtain results whether positive or negative.

The primary source of information are studies that are related to motion sensors and home

security system. The secondary source of information are the articles that can be found online. The

researcher browsed online to look for ideas to start with and found a simple but effective motion

sensor. But a simple motion sensor might not be enough to notify people especially when they are

sleeping. The researcher decided to improve the product by adding a phone connectivity feature

so that the owner can be notified real-time when that motion sensor is triggered.

In this project, the researcher assembled the parts such as Wemos D1 Mini, PIR Motion

Sensor, Buzzer, Wires, and a Power Bank. The researchers bought the two main components in an

online shopping platform. These are the Wemos D1 Esp8266 Mini Board and a Passive Infrared

Motion Sensor. The other components are bought from a local shop. These are the wires, buzzer,

and batteries and a cardboard box that will serve as a container. All the materials have a good

quality to ensure that the product will run smoothly.

there are no videos that teaches how to build a motion sensor with a built-in buzzer and a circuit

board that can send messages through Wifi that's why the researchers had to experiment with the

components before finally beable to finish the product. First, the researchers created an applet in

IFTTT application that will call our phone if a motion is detected. Then, the Wemos D1 Mini board

is connected to a computer. Then, we modified the codes found on the internet and uploaded it to

the Wemos D1 Mini board. The VCC pin from the PIR motion sensor is then connected to the 5v

pin of the Wemos D1 Mini. Then, the ground pin from PIR motion sensor is connected to the

ground pin of Wemos D1 Mini, and the output pin is connected to the D3 pin of the Wemos D1

Mini Board. For the buzzer, the researchers connected the positive side to the output pin and the

negative side to the ground pin of the motion sensor. This will make the buzzer and the Wemos D1

Mini trigger simultaneously. The skeletal model is then placed inside a customize cardboard box

to keep it in place and safe from anything that can disrupt the circuit's connection.

The researchers acquired all the necessary supplies through several shops including both

offline and online ones. Though, the micro-usb and power bank was acquired through the

researchers’ personal belongings. The overall amount that the researcher used in this project is

around ₱300-₱400.
RESULTS

The findings of the study were divided into parts

Part 1 illustrates the table that shows the efficiency of the PIR Motion sensor.

Part 2 shows the efficiency of the Wemos D1 Mini

Part 3 shows the overall efficiency of the whole product

Part 1

In this part, the researcher will test if the motion sensor detects a movement depending on

the distance.

DISTAN 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH 7TH 8TH 9TH 10TH

CE TRI TRI TRI TRI TRI TRI TRI TRI TRI TRI

AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL

1 Ft / / / / / / / / / /

5 Ft / / / / / / / / / /

10 Ft / / / / / / / / / /

20 Ft / / / / / / / / / /

25 Ft x x x x x x x x x x

The table indicates that the motion sensor can detect motion 10 times in 10 trials for up to

20 feet. The researcher also conducted an experiment to test if the motion sensor will trigger a
false alarm. The product was left for three days inside an unoccupied room to test if it will detect

motion. After three days, the motion sensor registered 0 motions proving its efficiency.

Part 2

In this part, the researcher will test if the Wemos D1 Mini will call the phone when the

uploaded program is triggered depending on the internet speed.

Internet 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH 7TH 8TH 9TH 10TH

Speed TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL

30 / / / / / / / / / /

Mbps

20 / / / / / / / / / /

Mbps

3 / / / / / / / / / /

Mbps

1 X / X / / X / / / X

Mbps

The table indicates that the Wemos D1 Mini called the researcher’s phone all the time in

10 trials when connected to 3 and above Mbps of internet. On the other hand, the Wemos D1 Mini

called only six out of ten trials when connected to 1 Mbps of internet.
Part 3

In this part, the researcher tested the efficiency of the whole product combined. This means

that the program uploaded in the Wemos D1 Mini will be triggered by the PIR Motion Sensor.

After assembling the product, the researcher tested how long can the device run before running

out of battery from the power bank. After 6 days, the power bank still has some charge left which

means the device does not consume so much energy.

The researcher also tested the product if it will call the phone depending on the internet

speed if there is a motion detected depending on the distance. Just like the findings in part 1 and

2, the alarm on my phone only worked when the motion is from 20 feet below and if the internet

speed is 3 Mbps and above.

DISCUSSION

Based on the study conducted by Jusoh et al (2015), the Wi-Fi and GSM based home

security system is a system designed to reduce the high rates of crimes in most personal housing.

The overall project consists of three major parts; the input part that consists of sensors, the

software part that operates the entire hardware structure, and the output part, which consists of

camera, alarm system, and micro secure digital (SD) data storage card. It is based on the principle

of infrared radiation generated by a human body heat which trigger the passive infrared (PIR)
 sensor. The microcontroller processes the received signal, then trigger the buzzer alarm, camera

and alerts the homeowner through an SMS.

Just like the study, the researcher used a phone connection system as a primary alarm and

a buzzer as the secondary alarm. The researcher discovered that programming the Alarm Bot to

call the phone of the owner is more effective that just simply sending a notification or an SMS.

The camera feature from the study by Jusoh et al can also be added to the Alarm Bot but it will

require more budget since a small camerawith a good quality can be costly.

The findings of the experiments on the Alarm Bot indicates that the device can be trusted

by the owner especially when going out of the house for a long time. It can run for days, and if

someone enters your house, it can send an alarm anywhere you are if your phone is connected to

the internet. This can prevent your house from being intruded. The findings also prove that a simple

and low-cost motion detector can be trusted to monitor our house and help us protect them from

burglars or trespassers.

The researcher also encountered difficulties in building the Alarm Bot since there are no

complete tutorials that can be watched in YouTube. Almost 70% of the procedures done in this

project were improvised. Here are the suggestions that we can give the future researchers to avoid

having difficulties in building a project like Alarm Bot. First, using the PIR motion sensor can be
tricky at first because it requires proper configuration. On the first try, the motion sensor does not

work, but when it works, the buzzer sounds for a very long time that’s why I thought it was broken,

but you just need to adjust the potentiometer and after that, the sensor worked fine. Second, the

Wemos D1 Mini Board easily malfunctions if the wirings are not properly placed so we suggest

the future researchers to solder the components properly. The researcher encountered a problem

when installing the wirings of the product. Some wires were connected on the wrong pin that’s

why the Wemos D1 Mini malfunctioned, so the researcher had to order a new one. Lastly, getting

a working code can be tricky. It took the researcher 3 days to acquire a working code because the

video creator from YouTube uploaded a broken code that’s why the researcher had to look for

other codes on the internet. If other future researchers need the code, they can send an email here:

cruzvincejustine01@[Link].
 REFERENCES

[1] Jusoh, e. a. (2015, September 14). Wi-Fi and GSM Based Motion Sensor for Home
SecuritySystem Apllication. Retrieved from IOP
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[2] Macrotrends. (2022). Philippines Crime Rate & Statistics 1990-2022. Retrieved
fromMacrotrends:
[Link]
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