MySensors Ethernet Gateway with ESP32

I needed a gateway that does not depend on a reliable WiFi connection, so Ethernet was the only option. The ESP32 processor is already designed to be used with Ethernet, using a LAN8720 interface module, which is available from Aliexpress etc. for under €3. This combination is well supported by the Arduino universe and the ETH library. To work properly, the module needs one minor modification, as described here or here. The MySensors website has instructions for how to build

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Soil moisture sensor with WiFi

In summer, I have a lot of potted plants out on the balcony, and I need to know when to water them. Indoors, most of my home automation gadgets are based on MySensors, but out on the balcony the signal is too weak, so I needed something WiFi-based, but without the high battery consumption typical of WiFi solutions. This was an opportunity to learn about optimizing a WiFi based gadget for low power consumption, and I will share my insights

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