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Featured Project: EnviroLink – Environmental Monitoring & Alerting System

Role: Lead Designer & Systems Integrator
Timeline: 2025
Technologies: PIC18F97J94, ESP8266 (ESP-12F), MikroBUS, SHT40, UART, Wi-Fi, HTTPS, Wix Backend, Chart.js, OLED Display
Domain: Transit Communications Infrastructure / Smart Facilities

Overview

EnviroLink is a modular environmental monitoring and alerting system designed to improve reliability, safety, and preventive maintenance for communications and IT infrastructure spaces. The system collects real-time temperature, humidity, and motion data, displays it locally, logs it for historical analysis, and securely transmits it to a cloud dashboard with automated alerts.

The project was developed in response to recurring environmental-related failures observed in transit communication rooms (CCTV, PERS, network switches), where overheating and humidity issues often went undetected until equipment failure occurred.

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System Architecture

EnviroLink uses a dual-controller architecture to separate real-time sensing from network operations:

  • PIC18F97J94 (Primary Controller)

    • Interfaces with environmental sensors (SHT40)

    • Handles motion detection and relay control

    • Manages OLED user interface

    • Implements deterministic timing and local decision logic

    • Formats telemetry packets over UART

  • ESP8266 (ESP-12F, Secondary Controller)

    • Runs custom Arduino firmware

    • Handles Wi-Fi connectivity and HTTPS communication

    • Sends telemetry securely to cloud backend

    • Decouples network reliability from real-time control logic

This separation ensures system stability even during network outages, a critical requirement for field-deployed infrastructure systems.

Embedded Node Design

🔹 Real-Time Environmental Monitoring

  • Temperature (°C / °F)

  • Relative Humidity (%)

  • Motion detection with configurable hold logic

  • OLED display for on-site visibility

🔹 Secure Cloud Integration

  • HTTPS data ingestion endpoint

  • Device-based identification and authentication

  • Cloud snapshot API for live dashboard views

  • Historical data API for trend analysis

🔹 Intelligent Alerting

  • Severity classification (OK / WARN / ALARM)

  • Contextual reason generation (e.g., Temp elevated + Motion detected)

  • Rate-limited email alerts to prevent alert fatigue

  • Multi-recipient notification support

🔹 Data Visualization

  • Live dashboard with current status

  • Historical charts (Chart.js)

  • Temperature displayed in Celsius and Fahrenheit

  • Clean UI optimized for non-technical stakeholders

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Engineering Challenges Solved

  • UART reliability between heterogeneous MCUs
    → Implemented modular ESP-UART interface with deterministic formatting.

  • Network instability vs. real-time control
    → Isolated Wi-Fi logic onto ESP8266 to protect sensor timing.

  • Alert fatigue risk
    → Designed cooldown-based alert state tracking using a persistent datastore.

  • Scalability
    → Backend supports multiple devices, deduplication, and future expansion.

Demonstration & Impact

EnviroLink was successfully demonstrated to WMATA leadership, including a supervising manager, who expressed interest in escalating the solution for broader review.

Observed benefits:

  • Earlier detection of adverse environmental conditions

  • Improved situational awareness for technicians

  • Reduced troubleshooting time during incidents

  • Foundation for predictive maintenance initiatives

The project aligns with WMATA’s Maintenance Control Plan (MCP) and supports a shift toward data-driven infrastructure reliability.

Why This Project Matters

EnviroLink is more than a prototype — it demonstrates:

  • Systems thinking across hardware, firmware, networking, and cloud

  • Real-world reliability design under operational constraints

  • Leadership-driven engineering focused on service outcomes

  • Practical application of IT, embedded systems, and cloud integration

Future Enhancements (Post-v1 Roadmap)

  • Web-based relay control (timers, scheduled on/off, blinking)

  • Role-based access control

  • Predictive analytics for failure trends

  • Deployment across multiple facilities

  • Integration with enterprise maintenance systems

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Links

🔗 Portfolio: ElevateWithNobanza.com
🔗 Contact: nobanza@elevatewithnobanza.com

Contact

I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.

info@elevatewithnobanza.com

+1 301-778-4415

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