Start • System Overview • Installation & Operation • Garage Door Module • Water Level Module • Temperature Module • Hardware Design • Garage Door Sensor • Water Level Sensor • Temperature Sensor • Software Design • Improvements • Peace of Mind • Sources and PDF

I recently designed a multifunctional wireless alarm system that’s based on the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless data modem specification. Implemented with Freescale Semiconductor’s SimpleMAC software, the system runs on microcontrollers in the MC9S08GT family.

A popular cartoon character who decided to become an inventor was the inspiration for my design, which I call the Everything is OK Alarm. One of his inventions looked like a smoke alarm that beeped loudly and constantly. Over the loud beeping, he yells, “This is an Everything is OK Alarm. It keeps beeping as long as everything is OK.”

Actually, my alarm is more like a security alarm system, yet very different. How many times have you wondered if you closed the garage door after leaving your house? Have you ever worried about your heat shutting off and your water pipes freezing? Or, maybe you’ve worried during a storm that your sump pump has quit and your basement is filling with water.

A traditional security system activates only when something bad happens (e.g., a burglar opens a window). It will not notify you when your front door isn’t locked. Nor can it monitor such things as water in your basement and a particular room’s temperature. My system can do all of these things and more. You can keep tabs on everything from the position of your garage doors to the water level in your hot tub. The system’s remote wireless sensors will give you a status report when you call home and enter your security code.