Abstract:

In vocational and technical education, Internet of Things (IoT) is often introduced through isolated sensors demonstrations. Students can reproduce single circuits, yet they may struggle to connect hardware, code and system behaviour into a coherent system. This paper reports the design and classroom use of a low-cost, modular smart-home prototype as the backbone of a project-based learning (PBL) sequence in an upper-secondary context. The learning path combines concise inputs on sensors, actuators and communication protocols with guided laboratory activities that gradually increase in complexity.

The system is based on open-source Arduino hardware and is organised into three layers: sensor modules, actuator modules, and a central control module.

Students first explored temperature–humidity, proximity and ambient-light sensing, together with common actuators (LEDs, relays and servomotors). These elements were then integrated into a sequence of hands-on challenges: a keypad-controlled gate opener, an RFID-based door-access system, outdoor lighting driven by ambient-light levels, and indoor lighting plus forced ventilation triggered by motion. In the final stage, the subsystems were connected to a web-based control interface hosted on an Arduino Ethernet module, enabling centralised management of lighting, climate control and access functions. A lightweight embedded web server exposes a simple human–machine interface for monitoring and manual control. To enable remote reachability without a fixed public IP address, the setup uses a Dynamic DNS service.
The modular structure allows additional inputs/outputs to be added with limited changes, and the complete bill of materials is easy affordable for schools.

The contribution is twofold:
(1) a replicable architecture built around open-source Arduino components, and
(2) a structured PBL sequence that moves from component exploration to system integration.

Classroom implementation produced a functional prototype and a portfolio of student artefacts (circuits, code and iterative prototypes), supporting assessment and reflection on both technical and transversal competences. As a design report, the work does not claim causal effects; instead, it offers practical design choices, constraints and transfer notes to support adoption in similar STEM and vocational education settings.

In laboratory use, the prototype supported a set of core smart-home scenarios: gate and door access control, ambient-light-driven lighting, and motion-triggered ventilation. Separating the system into modules helped students debug and replace components without propagating faults across the whole build. The paper discusses practical trade-offs (e.g., wired versus wireless connectivity) and outlines extensions that can be introduced once the baseline system is stable, such as wireless protocols and energy-aware control strategies. Overall, the architecture is intended as a replicable blueprint for educators who want a hands-on environment for teaching IoT system design and integration.

Keywords:

Internet of Things, project-based learning, vocational education, Arduino, smart home prototyping.