Source: https://mokxi.com/learn/esp32-iot-projects-for-final-year-students Updated: 2026-10-05 Learn # ESP32 IoT projects for final year students Intermediate Written by the Mokxi team, updated October 5, 2026 Start building free Open the editor Or see every lesson. - 261 parts on the bench - 31 boards running now - 1.00x real time, on every board Click to open it in the editor A web server with two buttons. Press one in the Web tab and the LED follows. The network is simulated. A final year IoT project usually needs three things: a sensor or an output, a board with WiFi, and a page or an app that shows the data. This page gives you project ideas that fit that shape. Each one starts from a project that already runs on this site. The circuit above is an ESP32-C3 serving a web page. Open the Web tab under the editor and press On, and the LED on the breadboard lights. It is the core of most home automation projects. Read the limits section before you choose. The network in Mokxi is simulated, and that decides what you can test here and what needs real hardware. ## What the simulator can and cannot do for an IoT project The ESP32-C3, the ESP32-C6, the ESP32 DevKit, the ESP8266 NodeMCU and the Raspberry Pi Pico W can join a simulated WiFi network. Your sketch uses the normal WiFi.h, HTTPClient and WebServer code. It serves pages to the Web tab and fetches from a few test addresses. There is no real internet. A request to a real website is refused, with a one-line reason your sketch can print. There is no https, no MQTT and no Bluetooth on the ESP32 boards. So cloud services such as ThingSpeak, Blynk or Firebase cannot be reached from the simulator. That still leaves a lot. You can build the sensor side, the web server, the JSON handling and the control logic, and test them all. Then on real hardware, you change the network name and the address of the real service. ## Project 1: Home automation over WiFi Start with the web lamp above. Replace the LED with a relay module, and add more buttons to the page, one for each load. A relay board with four channels is in the parts bin. For the report, explain why a relay is used, why a relay module is often active low, and how you keep the mains side safe. Test with a lamp in the simulator. Build the mains side only with your guide’s approval. ## Project 2: A weather station with a web page The weather station project reads a DHT22 for temperature and humidity and shows it on an LCD. The DHT library works on every board here, so the same sensor can go on an ESP32. Combine it with the web server: the ESP32 serves a page with the latest reading. Add the minimum and maximum since power on, and a warning when the humidity is high. ## Project 3: A smart plant monitor The plant monitor project reads a soil moisture sensor, a rain sensor and a water level sensor. Add a relay for a pump, and water the plant when the soil is dry. Serve the three readings on a page, and add a button to water the plant by hand. For the report, explain how you chose the dry threshold, and what stops the pump from running forever. ## Project 4: An RFID attendance system The RFID door project reads cards with an MFRC522 reader and lights a green or red lamp. Turn it into an attendance system: add a DS3231 clock for the time, and write each card and time to a microSD card. In Mokxi, the file on the SD card grows while the sketch runs, and you can download it. That is your attendance sheet as a CSV file. ## Project 5: An air quality monitor The air quality project reads an SGP30 gas sensor and an SHT31 on one I2C bus. It shows the CO2 reading on a display and lights a red LED above 1000 ppm. Add a web page with the readings and a history of the last hour. For the report, explain what the sensor measures and why its first readings need time to settle on real hardware. ## Project 6: A solar powered sensor node The solar sensor node charges an 18650 cell from a small panel through a TP4056. A Pro Mini reports the temperature, the humidity, the battery and the panel every few seconds. This is a good project for power budgets. Work out how long the battery lasts with no sun, then work out on paper how sleeping between readings would change it. ## What your report should show A block diagram: the sensor, the board, the network and the page or app, with an arrow for each flow of data. The circuit, the code and a test for each block. Say what you tested in the simulator and what you tested on hardware, and why. The limits of your design. How far can the WiFi reach? What happens when the network drops? What stops a stranger from switching your relay? A short, honest answer to each one shows you understood the system, not only the code. ## How to plan the work Build and test one block at a time in the simulator: the sensor, then the display, then the web page. Save each version as its own project, so you can go back. Share the project with a link, so your team and your guide can open the same circuit. With a free account, two people can edit it live together. With Pro, there is no limit on people. Order the parts once the design works. Then build the real circuit and test it on the real network. Keep screenshots and readings from both, because the comparison is good material for the report. ## Questions Can I connect to ThingSpeak or Blynk from Mokxi? No. The simulator has no real internet, so no cloud service can be reached. Test your sensor code and your web page here, then connect to the service on real hardware. Is there MQTT? Not today. The simulated network has HTTP only. You can serve a page, fetch JSON and post data to a test address. Which ESP32 boards are in Mokxi? The ESP32-C3, ESP32-C6, ESP32-S3 and the classic ESP32 DevKit, plus the ESP8266 NodeMCU and more. Each board page says what it runs. WiFi is on the C3, the C6, the DevKit, the NodeMCU and the Pico W. Is it free? Yes. Every board and every part is on the free plan. Students with a school email can get Pro at half price. Related ## Keep going Connect a Board to WiFi and Serve a Page ESP32 HTTP GET Request: Fetch the Weather as JSON Arduino Relay Module: Active LOW and Startup Clicks Arduino DHT22 Temperature and Humidity Sensor Arduino Soil Moisture Sensor: Code and Wiring Arduino RC522 RFID Reader: Wiring and Code Arduino SD Card Module: A GPS Data Logger Arduino Uno vs ESP32 vs Pico: Which to Learn First? The ESP32 simulator The weather station project Intermediate The plant monitor project Intermediate The RFID door project Intermediate The air quality project Intermediate The solar sensor node Advanced Simulated WiFi: what works and what does not Pro at half price for students The project page, with the full sketch Intermediate ## Build this for real Open the editor, change a value and watch the number move with it. Nothing to install, and no account needed. Start building free Open the editor