Building a Real-World IoT Project Using CounterFit

Introduction

CounterFit allows developers to prototype IoT applications without the need for physical sensors and actuators. In this article, we will build a simple IoT project using CounterFit to simulate a temperature and humidity monitoring system. We will also discuss how this setup compares to a real hardware implementation.

Official CounterFit Repository: https://github.com/CounterFit-IoT/CounterFit

Project Overview

The project will simulate a temperature and humidity sensor and send the readings to an IoT dashboard. We will use the CounterFit simulator to generate sensor data and visualize it in real time.

Components Used

• CounterFit for Virtual Sensors
• Python for Data Processing
• Flask for Web Dashboard
• MQTT for Data Communication (Optional)

Step 1: Setting Up CounterFit

1. Install CounterFit if not already installed:

   pip install counterfit
   

2. Start the CounterFit server:

   counterfit
   

3. Open the browser and go to:

   http://localhost:5000
   

4. Add a virtual temperature sensor and a humidity sensor from the dashboard.

Step 2: Reading Sensor Data with Python

Install the CounterFit client library:

pip install counterfit-client

Create a Python script (read_sensors.py) and add the following code:

from counterfit_shims_grove import CounterFitConnection, GroveTemperatureSensor, GroveHumiditySensor

# Connect to CounterFit
CounterFitConnection.init('127.0.0.1', 5000)

# Initialize sensors
temp_sensor = GroveTemperatureSensor(0)
humidity_sensor = GroveHumiditySensor(1)

# Read and print sensor values
print("Temperature:", temp_sensor.read(), "°C")
print("Humidity:", humidity_sensor.read(), "%")

Run the script:

python read_sensors.py

This will output simulated temperature and humidity values.

Step 3: Creating a Web Dashboard with Flask

Install Flask:

pip install flask

Create a Flask application (app.py) to display sensor data:

from flask import Flask, render_template
from counterfit_shims_grove import CounterFitConnection, GroveTemperatureSensor, GroveHumiditySensor

app = Flask(__name__)
CounterFitConnection.init('127.0.0.1', 5000)
temp_sensor = GroveTemperatureSensor(0)
humidity_sensor = GroveHumiditySensor(1)

@app.route('/')
def index():
    temp = temp_sensor.read()
    humidity = humidity_sensor.read()
    return f"Temperature: {temp}°C, Humidity: {humidity}%"

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Run the web server:

python app.py

Visit http://localhost:5000 in a browser to see real-time sensor values.

Step 4: (Optional) Sending Data to MQTT Broker

To integrate with an IoT cloud platform, install the MQTT client:

pip install paho-mqtt

Modify read_sensors.py to send data via MQTT:

import paho.mqtt.client as mqtt
import time
from counterfit_shims_grove import CounterFitConnection, GroveTemperatureSensor, GroveHumiditySensor

CounterFitConnection.init('127.0.0.1', 5000)
temp_sensor = GroveTemperatureSensor(0)
humidity_sensor = GroveHumiditySensor(1)

mqtt_client = mqtt.Client()
mqtt_client.connect("broker.hivemq.com", 1883, 60)

while True:
    temp = temp_sensor.read()
    humidity = humidity_sensor.read()
    mqtt_client.publish("iot/sensor", f"Temperature: {temp}°C, Humidity: {humidity}%")
    time.sleep(5)

Comparing CounterFit with Real Hardware Implementation

Feature	CounterFit (Simulator)	Real Hardware
Sensor Data	Simulated values	Real-world values
Cost	Free	Requires sensors and microcontroller
Deployment	Local testing only	Can be deployed in the field
Cloud Integration	Supports MQTT & APIs	Full IoT cloud integration
Reliability	Best for development	Required for final implementation

Conclusion

Using CounterFit, we successfully simulated a temperature and humidity monitoring system, visualized data on a web dashboard, and sent sensor data to an MQTT broker. While this approach is excellent for development and testing, deploying an IoT solution in real-world scenarios requires transitioning to actual hardware.

With CounterFit, developers can prototype faster, reduce costs, and debug efficiently before committing to real-world deployments. Try implementing more sensors and cloud integrations to expand this project further!

Read This: Introduction to CounterFit: A Virtual IoT Hardware Simulator