IP remote controlled power strip

Before discovering Arduino’s world, I found a nice ethernet relay board from a french manufacturer : the IPX800 v2. It is a bit expensive (~125€) but works out of the box : no programmation needed. Power it, connect through a brower, and it works !

It comes with (not an exhautive list, see here for more details.)

  • 8 outputs relays (250V / 10A)
  • 4 digital inputs that can be associated to the output (i.e. you can open / close the relays)
  • an ethernet port
  • an embedded tcp and web servers for remote control

What I did with it is a powerstrip for my audio/video system so that I can individually switch things on and off when needed with my smartphone and not leave them in standby mode.

ipx800 01 643x473

I first used the build in web site (with a bit of customization for switch names) and the started using OpenRemote software to build a nicer interface for my smartphone. From there I can individually switch on and of the 8 outlets.

Remote

But remote control is not always as handy as physical button. If you don’t have your phone around, or have not battery left… it is usefull to have a way of manually switching you amp & projector on when you want to watch your film ! So I added 4 buttons connected to the 4 digital inputs available…

IPX800 04 722x386

… and then configured the IPX to toggle the relays.

2013-08-27 20_12_27-gce.electronics relay board

And here I go : I now have an IP remote controlled power strip !

JS