PiNet Grows a Node

PiNet seems to have taken on a life of its own. What started as one simple wish just gets more and more complicated. And I'm loving it!

The collection of PiNet nodes now numbers eleven if you count the two Linux machines Eyes and Brilliant. I do count them as they each are an important part of the overall functioning of the PiNet.

BugPi is the newest node. It lives in The Bug and sends MQTT messages about the Bluetti power center as well as readings from environmental sensors. But that's only the beginning.

BugPi runs on a Pi4, which is a fairly capable single board computer (SBC). It runs my Python stuff for interfacing with the Bluetti and sensors as well as running a local Mosquitto MQTT broker, a Music Player Daemon (MPD) server, and the usual PiNet node system monitor service.

BugPi is one of what I call the P-Pi's. It has an LCD display like PlayerPi, PiddlePi and PoohPi. BugPi gets most of its display data locally, but when it's connected to our home WiFi, it also displays WeatherPi data from Brilliant.

You might wonder why I'm not using HomeAssistant or similar. You might think this was all too complicated and messy, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that. There are a lot of moving parts that got tacked on one by one. I had no idea the current PiNet would ever exist when I started. But Python is an enabler.

Rabbit!

I love Python. It has become one of my favorite tools. Python took me from wishing I could program to a point where there is nothing I've tried that I couldn't accomplish. The Internet was my tutor and trial and error was my methodology. It started with DoorPi back in 2015. Me, a Pi3 and a couple of switches sitting at my daughter's kitchen table during a holiday visit. I'll never forget the thrill I felt when what I had envisioned actually came to be.

These days I regularly use Python in my daily work, setting up automations that help my company equip some of the world's largest cruise ships with first class entertainment technology.

All because of one simple wish.

So, Welcome BugPi! Welcome to the family. May you live long and prosper.

And may you continue to be one of my Things that Work.