Connecting Microcontroller (MCU) with Mobile App
📅 2023.11.25 - 👤 Borbély Viktor
IoT capable devices
Today’s modern microcontrollers (MCU) are not only cheap but can be used for numerous tasks. Automation is unimaginable without them. Such are the Espressif, Raspberry Pi Pico, and NodeMCU microcontrollers. These can be particularly interesting from a mobile app development perspective. These microcontrollers are excellently suited for connecting various sensors, actuators, and other devices. They allow you to add new functions to your mobile applications.
Microcontroller with mobile app can be deployed in multiple areas
These are essentially the increasingly widespread IoT (Internet of Things) solutions. Small, cost-effective devices monitor their environment. The data obtained this way can be used in numerous applications.
Smart home integration
You can use Espressif or NodeMCU modules to control smart home devices such as lamps, thermometers, or security cameras. With a mobile application, you can remotely control these devices.
Environmental data collection
The Raspberry Pi Pico and other microcontrollers combined with various sensors, such as temperature, humidity, or air pollution meters, can collect useful data that your mobile application can display.
Healthcare applications
For example, by connecting a heart rate sensor, the microcontroller can collect health data that your mobile application can process and analyze.
Gaming and interactivity
With microcontrollers, you can create special game controllers or interactive devices that communicate with your mobile application via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
In September 2023, the Flutter Firebase Festival (F3) event was held in Prague, where similar microcontroller mobile apps could be tried hands-on. Roman Jaquez ran the stand with his Argentine temperament.
DIY projects and education
These microcontrollers are excellently suited for educational purposes and DIY projects. Combined with mobile applications, they can be made even more interesting and interactive.
Prototype building with microcontroller + mobile app combo
Sometimes a unique solution is needed that steps out of the mobile phone and can interact with its environment. These devices enable rapid and cost-effective prototype creation, which can be vital to the success of a development project.
Let’s look at some advantages these microcontrollers offer:
Rapid development
These microcontrollers are easily programmable and have numerous libraries and development tools that speed up the development process. The popular and now most widespread such environment is Arduino IDE.
Flexible application
You can use them for the most diverse projects, from simple sensor data collection to complex IoT (Internet of Things) applications.
Testing and iteration
They allow you to quickly test your ideas and iterate on prototypes, which increases the quality and reliability of the final product.
Cost-effective
Microcontrollers with development tools are generally affordable. These can be obtained for 2-3-10,000 HUF. This allows you to experiment without incurring large costs.
Community support
Large and active open-source communities have been created. Arduino IDE already supports many MCUs. The community helps solve problems if we get stuck. This is all useful during development. We really only need to focus on the value.
Videos have been created on YouTube in Hungarian that show the basics very clearly.
Primusz Péter – Hobbielektronika
Online Arduino tanfolyam a Vaultban
What are the characteristics of a microcontroller mobile app?
The advantage of these devices equipped with Wifi and Bluetooth communication is that they are cheap, and the mobile phone itself provides the display. Thus, anything can be measured remotely and securely, and with two-way communication, we can even intervene. It helps with remote configuration.
Cost-effectiveness: Since the mobile phone serves as the user interface, there is no need for a separate display or complex control panels, which significantly reduces development costs.
Remote accessibility: With mobile applications, users can access data, control the system, or modify settings anywhere and anytime, which increases the system’s flexibility and accessibility.
Interactivity and intervention: Two-way communication allows not only data collection but also intervention in the system’s operation, for example, making changes in the storage environment or automated processes.
Security: Using the security protocols provided by modern mobile applications, it can be ensured that communication is secure and protected against unauthorized access.
Easy configuration and maintenance: Mobile applications make it easier to configure and maintain systems, as the user interface is intuitive and easily accessible.
We have seen that a microcontroller can be deployed in numerous areas and can be integrated with a mobile app in many ways.
If you are interested in this application area, contact me. Let’s see what project you are thinking about.