Node-RED: Connecting the button to the world

This documentation is part of the Use case: connect mailboxes guide. You can view the complete guide here: Seamlessly connect hundreds of mailboxes in a post office.

👋 Welcome to the Stackhero documentation!

Stackhero offers a ready-to-use Node-RED cloud solution that provides a host of benefits, including:

• MQTT server included (Mosquitto).
• Full access to Node-RED admin UI.
• Node-RED Dashboard included.
• Unlimited and dedicated SMTP email server included.
• Effortless updates with just a click.
• Customisable domain name secured with HTTPS (for example, https://node-red.your-company.com).
• Optimal performance and robust security powered by a private and dedicated VM.

Save time and simplify your life: it only takes 5 minutes to try Stackhero's Node-RED cloud hosting solution!

Each button is equipped with an ESP8266, a WiFi-capable chipset. This WiFi connection facilitates the device's communication with the Internet.

An ESP8266 on a WEMOS D1 Mini board

The MQTT protocol was chosen for communication between the ESP8266 and the server. It is a lightweight protocol, ideal for IoT applications.

When the button is pressed, after a brief pause of 15 seconds, a message is sent to the server via MQTT. The server then identifies the corresponding email and sends a notification to the customer.

MQTT is perfect for IoT. Unfortunately, authentication is not activated by default, nor is encryption. We have observed many IoT platforms vulnerable to attacks, leading to private data leaks. Fortunately, when you start an MQTT instance on Stackhero, both authentication and encryption are activated, providing a fully secured solution out of the box.