DIY Smart Garden Irrigation System Built for Under £10 Per Zone

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A mechanical engineer has shared a detailed guide for building a modular, automated home garden irrigation system at a cost of under £10 per zone. The project was motivated by the tedious task of hand-watering vegetables and flowers during hot summers, and a desire to apply home automation technology. The system uses 12V solenoid valves, a fused 12V power supply, and a Wi-Fi smart relay to control water flow across multiple garden zones. Components were sourced primarily from AliExpress and are designed to be modular and easily replaceable. The builder notes future plans to migrate control to an ESP32 with Home Assistant integration, removing the dependency on an internet connection.

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