GuideDraft
beginner· 12 min
Control an ESP32 LED with Node-RED and MQTT
Build your first real-hardware Node-RED project: wire an LED to an ESP32, send ON/OFF commands over MQTT, and monitor device status from your flow.
Saved draftNot published
SolderHub learning pathVisual flows · IoT automation
Node-RED: Go from your first flow to real-world automation.
Learn Node-RED step by step: understand messages and flows, connect an MQTT broker, build dashboards, and bring ESP32 sensors and actuators into useful automations.
- Understand nodes, wires and msg.payload
- Connect flows to MQTT devices
- Build dashboards and reliable automations
Practical guides
0 published articles currently in this path.
Hands-on projects
0 published projects available to build or study.
A connected path
Move from fundamentals to device integrations and more reliable systems.
Explore the curriculum
Guides and projects, by skill level
Published resources open normally. Draft cards are listed for planning, but their article and project pages remain unpublished until they are released.
Beginner
8 resourcesBuild the mental model and get a first working setup before adding complexity.
GuideDraft
beginner· 12 min
Install Node-RED on Raspberry Pi 5: Autostart & Remote Editor
Install Node-RED on Raspberry Pi 5, enable automatic startup after reboot, and open the editor from a PC browser on your local network.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
beginner· 22 min
Node-RED Complete Guide: From First Flow to Home Automation
Learn Node-RED from the first Inject-to-Debug flow to MQTT, live dashboards, ESP32 sensor projects and home automation. Follow a structured beginner-to-advanced path with practical guides, reliability advice and security essentials.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
beginner· 12 min
Node-RED Tutorial for Beginners: Nodes, Flows & msg.payload
New to Node-RED? Learn how nodes, flows, messages and msg.payload work, then build your first Inject-to-Debug flow with simple diagrams and practical IoT examples.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
beginner· 10 min
Node-RED with MQTT: Connect Mosquitto, Publish & Subscribe
Connect Node-RED to a Mosquitto MQTT broker, publish a test message, subscribe to the same topic, and verify the message in Debug. A practical foundation for Raspberry Pi and ESP32 IoT projects.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
beginner· 10 min
Your First Node-RED Flow: Inject, Function and Debug
Build your first working Node-RED flow with Inject, Function and Debug nodes. Learn how messages and msg.payload move through a flow, deploy changes, inspect output and troubleshoot common beginner mistakes.
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GuideDraft
beginner· 15 min
Install Mosquitto on Raspberry Pi 5: Secure MQTT Broker Setup
Install Eclipse Mosquitto on Raspberry Pi 5, start the broker as a service, test publish/subscribe locally, and configure remote LAN access with explicit listeners and password authentication. Explains the Mosquitto 2.0 local-only default and safe next steps for TLS.
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GuideDraft
beginner· 12 min
What Is Blynk 2.0? Templates, Datastreams, Devices and Dashboards Explained
A beginner-friendly explanation of Blynk 2.0: how templates, devices, datastreams and dashboards fit together, what the free plan really allows, and when to choose Blynk over MQTT or Node-RED.
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Intermediate
7 resourcesCombine boards, sensors, brokers, dashboards and state feedback into practical systems.
GuideDraft
intermediate· 16 min
8-Channel Relay Control with Node-RED and MQTT State Feedback
Build an 8-channel relay dashboard using Node-RED and MQTT with separate command and reported-state topics. Plan reconnect behavior, retained-state policy and safe startup without letting the UI misrepresent the hardware.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
intermediate· 14 min
Blynk vs Node-RED vs Home Assistant vs MQTT: Which Should You Choose?
Compare Blynk, Node-RED, Home Assistant and MQTT by purpose, hosting, dashboards, automation, offline behavior and maintenance. Choose a practical stack for ESP32 and ESP8266 projects without adding unnecessary components.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
intermediate· 17 min
HTTP In Node-RED: Build an API and Receive ESP32 POST Data
Create a Node-RED HTTP POST endpoint, send JSON from an ESP32, validate headers and payload fields, return meaningful HTTP status codes, and connect an API response to a flow. Includes network and access-control cautions.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
intermediate· 14 min
Node-RED Dashboard 2.0: Install Buttons, Switches and Gauges
Install FlowFuse Dashboard (Node-RED Dashboard 2.0), create a responsive page, and connect a button, switch and gauge to real flow messages. Includes package naming, a first working layout, troubleshooting and migration guidance from the deprecated legacy dashboard.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
intermediate· 14 min
Read Arduino Uno or Nano Sensors over Serial in Node-RED
Read sensor measurements from Arduino Uno or Nano over USB serial into Node-RED. Use newline-delimited records, configure the serial node correctly, parse JSON, validate data and troubleshoot port and baud-rate problems.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
intermediate· 18 min
Live DHT11 and BMP280 Dashboard with ESP32 and MQTT
Send DHT11 temperature/humidity and BMP280 temperature/pressure from an ESP32 to Node-RED over MQTT, validate JSON telemetry, and build a Dashboard 2.0 view with sensible ranges and clear stale-data status.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
intermediate· 13 min
MQTT Troubleshooting: Connection Refused, rc=-2 and rc=5
Diagnose MQTT connection failures systematically. Understand broker listener and port problems, PubSubClient rc=-2 and rc=5, authentication, client IDs, topic mismatches and reconnect logs for ESP32, ESP8266, Mosquitto and Node-RED.
Saved draftNot published
Advanced
5 resourcesFocus on resilience, security, logging, integrations and maintainable system design.
GuideDraft
advanced· 15 min
Node-RED Automations: Schedules, LDR Lighting and Context Variables
Build practical Node-RED automations with scheduled Inject nodes, an LDR-based light rule, hysteresis and context variables. Learn to avoid rapid switching, handle stale readings and decide which state should survive a restart.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
advanced· 15 min
PIR Motion Alerts from Node-RED to Telegram or Email
Turn PIR sensor events into Node-RED Telegram or email alerts without spamming your inbox. Detect state transitions, add a cooldown and test unavailable-network and repeated-trigger scenarios.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
advanced· 16 min
Reliable Node-RED Flows: Subflows, Link Nodes, Catch and Backups
Organize large Node-RED projects with subflows, Link In/Out nodes, Catch and Status handling, message validation and versioned backups. Learn how to make imports, deployment and recovery more predictable.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
advanced· 17 min
Secure Node-RED: Login, HTTPS, MQTT TLS, Backups and Git
Harden a Node-RED deployment with editor authentication, HTTPS or a secure reverse proxy, restricted network access, MQTT security, secret handling and recoverable flow backups. Learn what not to expose to the internet.
Saved draftNot published
GuideDraft
advanced· 18 min
Store Node-RED Sensor Data in InfluxDB 2.x and Chart It in Grafana
Build a time-series logging path from Node-RED to InfluxDB 2.x and Grafana. Validate MQTT sensor payloads, write measurements with units, configure a least-privilege token and chart trends without confusing missing samples with zero.
Saved draftNot published
Build your stack
These tools work even better together.
MQTT moves messages, Node-RED connects them into logic, and Blynk can provide a mobile-facing device interface. Pick the layer your project needs.
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