What You Can Control with a Smartwatch and ESP32

To build a robust automated home, our smartwatches will certainly act as a good device to trigger intended actions. Presently there are certain areas where various brands are pushing their products. The areas are Smart Lights, Security Cameras, Smart Thermostat, Automobile Automation and Smart Locks. Almost everything in the smart things and IoT stuffs market can be built completely at home.

Philips Hue and LIFX lighting are made compatible with smartwatches. However, none of them will work directly with the Samsung smartwatches. Samsung SmartThings is completely a different world. Philips Hue does need a smartphone to work with Samsung smartwatches.

In a detailed guide we have explained how to turn on/off AC lights with a Samsung smartwatch. When your smartwatch is closer to an electrical device it’s supplied electricity can be controlled via a relay attached to an ESP32. Making a particular Smartwatch work as a proximity switch (with ESP32) opens a wider array of possibilities. This kind of design avoids designing the custom app for your smartwatch yet it performs the intended action. In the same way, you can design control for your curtains. Controlling an air conditioner in this method is not recommended.

We already described the principles of unlocking a car with a smartwatch. Maybe you can use the principle to control the locking and unlocking of your garage. I would not suggest depending on various types of solenoid locks for primary security. The cost-effective selenoid locks do not need any hacking – you can also break them with a hammer. If a thief realizes that your smartwatch is a key to access the important areas then that watch will become their first target.

Regardless of the maker of the thing – it can be built by you or by Samsung you should limit the automation within the tasks which do not directly involve security. Automatic light control of a corridor or bedroom becomes most easy with a smartwatch. The same goes for controlling curtain. Controlling the solenoid locks with your smartwatch can be good for a drawer inside your bedroom that does not contain many valuables. You can not use a smartwatch in real life to unlock your safe with valuables inside. Electronic locks are safe when the unlocking device (such as a smartwatch) is an additional criterion of unlocking. A lock must have a manual key.

In short – imagination to automate is unlimited but the imagination of the thieves put it under a limit.