Triggering IFTTT From Arduino Using Lithouse

In this instructable, we will build a motion detector and trigger IFTTT events from that device.

You may create IFTTT recipes for receiving email if someone is inside the house or switching a Belkin WeMo when you walk into a room.

As the motion detector cannot directly contact IFTTT, we will use Lithouse as the broker.

Step 1: DIY Motion Detector

You will need the following components:

PIR Motion Sensor

Arduino UNO R3

Arduino Ethernet Shield

330 Ohm Resistor

LED, Breadboard and some Wires.

Please connect these components as shown in the image.

Mount the Ethernet Shield on Arduino.

Connect the 5V and GND pin of the PIR to the respective heads of the Arduino Ethernet Shield.

Connect the PIR’s output pin to the pin #2 of the Ethernet Shield.

Connect the negative (short) leg of the LED to GND of the Shield.

Connect the positive (long) leg of the LED to one of the end of the 330 Ohm resistor.

Connect the other end of the 330 Ohm resistor to the pin #7 of the Shield.

Step 2: Register With Lithouse

Now, let us register the device with Lithouse:

Login to Lithouse portal.

Go to Devices tab and click the '+' button. A new window will show up.

Provide a meaningful name and description for your device group.

Then hit Add.

Step 3: Software Setup

We are going to setup the Arduino development environment and configure the device:

Download and install Arduino IDE.

Download Lithouse Arduino library.

Go to the Arduino IDE’s home folder. Then go inside the libraries folder. Now, unzip Lithouse client library here and rename it to Lithouse.

Launch the Arduino IDE. Open LithousePIR (File > Examples > Lithouse > LithousePIR).

You may have noticed that the device key is missing in the LithousePIR sketch:

char deviceKey [] = "YOUR_DEVICE_KEY";

We need to update this with an actual key.

Go back to Devices tab and expand the group you just created by clicking the '+' on the left of group name.

Then click the 'copy' icon beside the device key to copy it into the clipboard.

Paste the device key in your sketch.

The program is now ready. Please upload it to Arduino.
You can test by moving a hand in front of the PIR sensor. The LED should turn on.

For more information regarding setup and debugging, please visit our tutorial.

Step 4: Activate IFTTT

At this stage, the device is connected to Lithouse. But, it cannot trigger IFTTT events yet. That will happen once you activate IFTTT on Lithouse:

Login to Lithouse portal.

Open your profile and click on activate.

On the resultant pop-up, please provide your IFTTT email channel's address.

Once you hit Verify, you will receive a verification email from Amazon Web Service (We use AWS for sending emails to trigger@ifttt.com on your behalf).

Please check your inbox and accept the verification request.

Step 5: Sample Recipe

Congratulations! Your DIY Motion Detector can now trigger IFTTT events. Here is a recipe for turning on a WeMo switch. You may change the ‘that’ part of the recipe based on your needs.

Please contact us with your questions and suggestions.