A scalable, flexible, low cost and secure architectural framework for greenhouse IoT

This paper outlines the development of an experimental IoT network, designed to monitor the environmental conditions within a greenhouse and automate the ventilation system. The system has been developed using open-source tools and low-cost components, including the Raspberry Pi microcomputer and the ESP8266 microcontroller. The combination of MQTT and HTTP communication protocols enables the hybrid system to facilitate the visualization of greenhouse sensor readings, ensure low energy consumption of the nodes and provide remote control of the ventilation system through a user-friendly and scalable dashboard. The paper elucidates the secured architectural framework based on fog computing and the requisite tools that facilitate the IoT network, without the necessity for port forwarding, remote monitoring by the end-user (farmer), on-site reprogramming of the network nodes by a remote technician (programmer) and the ability to scale with ease.