Thanks to Element 14 and the sponsors for the Internet of Holiday Lights contest.
While I'm waiting for my components to arrive, I'll lay out my plan.
Part 1: Control of lights
I'll be using MQTT to control the lights attached to the Arduino Yun. The Yun will subscribe to a MQTT server on the Raspberry Pi. Also sitting on the Pi is an installation of OpenHAB. Using the OpenHAB mobile phone app, you can remotely select the color/pattern/on/off of your home lighting - whether that lighting is for windows or trees. The Yun subscribes to a MQTT topic for the lighting request. OpenHAB publishes to this MQTT topic to tell the Yun how to operate the lights.
Part 2: Sensor Control
I'd also like to use the lights as an interactive element. Using a wireless PIR sensor, I'd like to set off different lighting events when someone approaches the door or driveway. The PIR sensor will initiate an MQTT topic to OpenHAB, which relays the lighting changes based on time of day, whether or not the behavior is desired (via GUI selection).
Part 3: Coordinated Lighting Show
It would be neat if the lighting can be coordinated with a couple of neighbors. I don't have the funds for a complete demo of this, but I'd like to work out the technique to use MQTT to coordinate many Yuns so that lighting at several near-by houses can be coordinated. Imagine if you walk up the drive way of one house, and all the houses around you flash in response. The neighborhood Yuns could connect to a single master MQTT broker to achieve this effect. And neighbors can control each other's lighting or neighborhood lighting via the OpenHAB app.
