Monitor Your Home Temperature with a Raspberry Pi Dashboard

What You’ll Build

By the end of this guide you’ll have a live web dashboard that displays a temperature history graph for each sensor you connect to your Raspberry Pi. The interface is clean, responsive, and can be accessed from any device on your network.

Hardware Requirements

• Raspberry Pi Model A or B (any recent version will work)
• DS18B20 digital temperature sensors (one per reading you want on the dashboard)
• 4.7 kΩ resistor (one per sensor)
• Jumper wires and a breadboard (or soldering tools if you prefer a permanent build)
• Power supply for the Pi (5 V USB or official adapter)

All components are available from the PrivateEyePi Store. When ordering, look for the parts listed above by their model numbers (DS18B20 for the sensor, 4.7k resistor).

Step 1: Assemble the Circuit

1. Insert the DS18B20 sensor into the breadboard. If you plan to use multiple sensors, chain the V_DD (pin 3) and GND (pin 1) lines and daisy‑chain the data line (pin 2) through a 4.7 kΩ pull‑up resistor to 3.3 V.
2. Connect pin 3 of the sensor to a 3.3 V GPIO pin on the Pi (e.g., Pin 1).
3. Connect pin 2 to GPIO4 (Pin 7).
4. Connect pin 1 to a ground pin (e.g., Pin 6).
5. For each additional sensor, repeat the wiring, ensuring each has its own pull‑up resistor.

If you see the sensor’s unique ID displayed in the Pi’s filesystem after boot, the wiring is correct. If not, double‑check the resistor color code (yellow‑violet‑red‑gold for 4.7 kΩ) and confirm the sensor’s orientation.

Step 2: Verify Sensor Detection

sudo modprobe w1-gpio
sudo modprobe w1-therm
cd /sys/bus/w1/devices/
ls

You should see one or more directories named with a 12‑character hex string, e.g., 28-0000040be5b6. Record this ID for later use. If nothing appears, check the wiring or resistor placement.

To read a sensor’s value, run:

cd 28-0000040be5b6
cat w1_slave

The output contains a raw temperature reading in Celsius; for example, 20812 equals 20.812 °C. The dashboard can later convert to Fahrenheit if desired.

Next Steps

With the hardware verified, you can proceed to the software section of the project, which sets up a web server, collects data from the sensors, and visualizes the readings in real time.

For support, suggestions, or to share your own builds, email email@example.com or leave a comment on our blog.