Showing posts with label cloud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloud. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Getting Started with AWS IoT on OpenWrt Routers

While the internet is flooded with hello-world examples and simulations demonstrating the connection and message exchange between AWS-IoT Devices and AWS-IoT-Core using various programming languages like Python, C, C++, and Java, some of us beginners, students, or enthusiasts find true satisfaction in delving into the world of connected devices through hands-on interactions with physical components. The real excitement lies in experiencing the tangible effects firsthand, rather than merely observing basic hello-world messages on a computer screen.

Demo Video

How It Works

In this video, I introduce an engaging approach for exploring AWS-IoT connectivity and its real-world implications using affordable and readily available hardware components sourced from online stores. For this demonstration, I use an affordable (~$30) GL.iNet pocket router as an IoT End-Node.

This router runs on a custom-built OpenWRT Linux image and hosts an AWS IoT device agent service based on the aws-iot-device-sdk-cpp-v2. The WebUI of this custom Linux image allows you to easily configure and provision AWS IoT-specific settings such as:

  • Device certificates and private keys
  • AWS IoT Endpoints
  • Publish/subscribe topic trigger events
  • Custom scripts to control hardware accessories (switches, relays, LEDs, sensors)