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IoT Remote Controller for The Return of Attention

ESP32 • MQTT • Node.js • Socket.IO • Web UI

This project is my first IoT build, created as part of “The Return Of Attention – Practices for the Happiness that Stays.”

It features a 9-button wireless remote using an ESP32 NodeMCU that controls a web application in real time. The system is designed to support mindful interaction through a simple, physical interface.

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✨ Features

🔘 ESP32 Hardware

• 9 push buttons arranged as a 3×3 grid
• Start/Stop session control
• LED indicators for feedback
• Publishes button events via MQTT
• Sends device health/status updates

🖧 Backend (Node.js + Express)

• Subscribes to MQTT topics
• Forwards events instantly to the frontend via Socket.IO
• Receives session summary data
• Stores button counts, timing, and patterns for future analysis

🌐 Frontend (Web App)

• Real-time 3×3 grid that highlights button presses
• Start/Stop control UI
• Device status indicator
• Sends Stop-session data to backend

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📊 Session Tracking

When the Stop button is pressed:

• All button presses during the session are recorded
• Each button’s press count is calculated
• Timestamps are stored
• Entire summary is sent to the backend for analysis

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🧩 System Architecture

ESP32 → MQTT Broker (HiveMQ)
       ↓
Node.js/Express (MQTT Subscriber)
       ↓
   Socket.IO Server
       ↓
     Web Frontend

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Hardware: ESP32 NodeMCU, Arduino (C/C++)
• Messaging: MQTT, HiveMQ
• Backend: Node.js, Express, MQTT.js, Socket.IO
• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Socket.IO Client

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🛰️ MQTT Topics

Topic	Purpose
remote/buttons	Publishes button press events
remote/start	Start session
remote/stop	Stop session + send summary
remote/status	Device health (online/heartbeat)

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🙏 Acknowledgment

This project was built as part of “The Return Of Attention – Practices for the Happiness that Stays.” Special thanks to Nadil Siriwardana for the guidance and support.