PioT: Off-Grid Farm Automation with Raspberry Pi

A self-hosted hardware and software stack built for real farm conditions

Welcome to the landing repo for the PioT Project, the system that runs the real-world farm infrastructure at Stella Porta. This is the hub that explains what the project is, why it exists, and how the two GitHub components fit together:

• GardenIrrigation — hardware, interface cards, drivers, sensors, and the electronics that survive dirt, weather, brownouts, and lightning.
• piotserver — the full custom server stack written in C and C++, providing device control, REST API, automation logic, plugins, logging, and local-only autonomy.

What This Project Is

This system wasn’t built because I needed another Raspberry Pi toy. It exists because off-grid farm automation has to work every single day, through power hits, rain, mud, and the usual rural nonsense. Commercial platforms either required cloud dependency, couldn’t be modified, or fell apart under real-world abuse.

So I built the entire stack from scratch:

• Custom I²C and 1-Wire interface cards
• Rugged sensor networks
• Valve drivers that don’t die when the soil gets cranky
• A C/C++ server that runs unattended without phoning home
• A REST API for monitoring and control
• A plugin architecture for adding new devices or logic without rewiring the universe

Repositories

GardenIrrigation

Hardware, boards, drivers, and the electronics layer.
https://github.com/vinthewrench/GardenIrrigation

piotserver

The software engine that ties the hardware together.
https://github.com/vinthewrench/piotserver

How It Works

• Hardware devices surface raw capability.
• Software devices interpret, simulate, or aggregate those capabilities.
• Logic, triggers, and schedules decide what actually happens on the farm.
• The Pi runs everything locally.

Read the Full Story

Full article series:
https://www.vinthewrench.com/p/off-grid-farm-automation-raspberry-pi

Why This Repo Exists

This repo provides:

• A single entry point
• High-level overview
• Explanation of goals and architecture
• Links to hardware and software layers
• A stable destination for documentation and cross-project notes

Contributing

PRs welcome if they solve real problems and stay practical.