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Raspberry Pi Controls Ceiling Fan with Radio Waves
Some of the most fun Raspberry Pi projects come with a warning label and this is one of them! River's Educational Channel recently shared a project in which a Raspberry Pi is used to control a ceiling fan using radio waves. This is an impressive project from beginning to end but be cautious if you choose to remake it yourself at home. Certain radio frequencies may be illegal to use without a proper license.
After capturing the fan remote's signal and decoding it, the Raspberry Pi could be used in its place to issue commands to the Pi. An antenna is connected to the GPIO is used to transmit signals to the fan.
Because of legality concerns, certain radio frequencies need to be avoided. This was resolved by adding a filter to remove the unwanted and illegal bands.
Not only were the makers successfully able control the fan from a Pi but they also developed a custom GUI that can be accessed using a smartphone or PC. This GUI is pre-programmed with common light and fan settings.
Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
