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Vanomation
A home automation project for your campervan
Home automation for my campervan
My name's Chris and I converted a RAM Promaster into a campervan a few years ago. My time in the van is usually spent rock climbing, traveling, and adventuring outdoors — but I'm also always tinkering with projects to improve it.
In 2022 I created a home automation system for the van using a Raspberry Pi running Home Assistant as the central hub. I created this site for my own documentation and for others who want to implement something similar in their own vans.
While some of the original project is out of date now, and the original system has been decommissioned from my van, I'm continuing to work on new updates that I'll be posting here.
See the tutorials →Wireless Light Switches
Zigbee buttons installable anywhere in the van — no wiring
Solar Power Monitoring
See how much power you're bringing in from your solar panels
Water Tank Level
Monitor your freshwater tank level
Propane Tank Level
Track how much propane is left in the tank
Van Tilt Sensor
See how flat the van is parked — front/back and side/side
Auto-Locking Drawers
Drawers that lock automatically when the engine starts
Gallery
Tutorials
Setting up the Raspberry Pi
Flash Raspberry Pi OS, enable SSH, and mount the Pi in the van.
Installing Home Assistant
Install Home Assistant as a Docker container and access it from any device.
Controlling the Lights
Use N-Channel MOSFETs and GPIO PWM pins to control and dim 12V LED lights.
Adding Wireless Switches
Add battery-powered Zigbee buttons anywhere in the van — no wiring required.
Monitoring Solar Power
Read data from a Renogy charge controller over serial and display it in Home Assistant.
Monitoring Water Level
Install a resistive sensor in the freshwater tank and read it with a custom ESP8266 PCB.
Monitoring Propane Level
Reverse-engineer the Mopeka Bluetooth sensor to get propane readings in Home Assistant.
Adding a Van Tilt Sensor
Use an MPU6050 accelerometer to show front/back and left/right tilt in degrees.
Auto-Locking Drawers
Lock drawers automatically with a solenoid latch triggered by the ignition signal.
Future Projects
Ideas for what's next — door locks, battery monitoring, remote access, and more.