🪞 Smart Mirror Project (Raspberry Pi)

A smart mirror project built using Raspberry Pi hardware.

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📋 Project Overview

This project transforms a Raspberry Pi into a functional smart mirror. The mirror displays weather, news, and other useful information. A dedicated Android mobile app can be used to configure and control the mirror.

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🔧 Initial Setup

Follow these steps to set up your Raspberry Pi for the smart mirror.

1️⃣ Install Required Software

Install the following packages:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install chromium openjdk-21-jdk python3-pyqt5 libqt5gui5 libqt5test5 \
libatlas-base-dev libhdf5-dev libhdf5-serial-dev python3-libcamera python3-kms++ -y

2️⃣ Create Python Virtual Environment

Create a Python virtual environment:

python3 -m venv --system-site-packages camera

Activate the environment and install required Python packages:

source camera/bin/activate
pip install opencv-python
pip install picamera2
pip install opencv-contrib-python==4.5.5.62

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🗂️ File Structure

Add the following scripts to crontab to run them automatically on boot:

@reboot /home/admin/Desktop/startup-scripts/conf.sh
@reboot /home/admin/Desktop/startup-scripts/front.sh
@reboot /home/admin/Desktop/startup-scripts/detector.sh

Add the Chromium Service to /etc/systemd/system/chromium.service, then reload and enable it:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable chromium
sudo systemctl start chromium

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⚙️ Permissions

Edit visudo to allow passwordless execution of certain commands:

admin ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:SETENV: /home/admin/camera/bin/python
admin ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/nmcli

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📱 Mobile App Integration

You can interact with the smart mirror service using a dedicated Android app.

Option 1: Build the Mobile App

• Clone and build the mobile app yourself.
• The app scans the network for the Raspberry Pi and displays its IP address.

Option 2: Reverse Engineer the REST API

• Identify the available endpoints and control the service manually.
• Note that the service operates using an H2 database and a properties file created at runtime.

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🌐 Network Configuration

1. Hotspot Mode: Each time the Raspberry Pi service starts, it switches to hotspot mode to allow app-based configuration.
2. Wi-Fi Connection: Once Wi-Fi details (SSID and password) are configured, the Raspberry Pi attempts to connect.
   • If Wi-Fi fails, it reverts to hotspot mode.
   • No continuous connection check is performed, so a restart may be needed if the connection fails.

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🛠️ Configuration Settings

The following configuration entries can be set via the app or properties file:

Key	Example Value	Description
location	Seattle	Location for weather information.
news-api-key	some-key	API key for fetching news.
wifi-password	test	Wi-Fi password.
news-categories	sports,tech,health	Categories for news updates.
wifi-ssid	test	Wi-Fi SSID.
news-language	en	Language for news articles.
weather-api-key	some-key	API key for weather service.

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🔄 Data Refresh Flow

Component	Update Interval	Details
Frontend	Every 2 seconds	Requests new data from the backend.
Backend (Weather)	Every 15 minutes	Pulls weather data from API.
Backend (News)	Every 3 hours	Pulls news updates from API.

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🔍 How Mobile App Detects Raspberry Pi

1. The app scans the local subnet (IP range x.x.x.1 to x.x.x.254).
2. When the Raspberry Pi is detected, its IP address is displayed in the app.
3. Ensure port 8080 is open for communication.

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📢 Notes and Tips

• Firewall: Ensure port 8080 is open for app-to-Raspberry Pi communication.
• Service Notification: Every configuration change triggers an event to notify other components to refresh data.
• Restart Requirements: If the Wi-Fi connection fails, a full restart of the Raspberry Pi may be required.

Optionally disable touch screen input

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1️⃣ Create a New udev Rule File

Run the following command to create a new udev rule file:

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-touchscreen-disable.rules

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2️⃣ Add the Following Content to the File

Copy and paste the following line into the newly created file:

ACTION=="add|change", ATTRS{name}=="YOUR_TOUCHSCREEN_NAME", ENV{LIBINPUT_IGNORE_DEVICE}="1"

🔍 Note: Replace YOUR_TOUCHSCREEN_NAME with the name of your touchscreen device.

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3️⃣ Find the Name of Your Touchscreen Device

Run the following command to list input devices and find the name of your touchscreen:

cat /proc/bus/input/devices | grep -i "Name="

Look for the device name that matches your touchscreen.

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4️⃣ Apply the Changes

Reload the udev rules using the command below:

sudo udevadm control --reload-rules

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5️⃣ Reboot the System

Finally, reboot your system to apply the changes:

sudo reboot

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