Theory

The DHT11 is a compact digital sensor that integrates two essential environmental monitoring elements—temperature and humidity sensors—within a single package. It is widely used for basic environmental data collection in IoT applications, such as weather stations and climate control systems.

Components Required and Their Functions

To build an IoT Weather Station using the DHT11 and Raspberry Pi, the following components are required:

1. Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

A single-board computer equipped with an ARM processor, multiple interfaces, and GPIO pins to interact with external components. It serves as the processing unit for collecting, analyzing, and transmitting data from the DHT11 sensor.

2. DHT11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor

A digital sensor that provides temperature and humidity readings. It sends data to the Raspberry Pi using a single-wire serial communication protocol.

Circuit Connections

To ensure the proper functioning of the DHT11 sensor with the Raspberry Pi, make the following connections:

1. VCC Pin (DHT11) → 5V Pin (Raspberry Pi)
   Supplies power to the DHT11 sensor.

2. GND Pin (DHT11) → GND Pin (Raspberry Pi)
   Provides a common ground reference for the sensor and Raspberry Pi.

3. Data Out Pin (DHT11) → GPIO4 (Physical Pin 7 on Raspberry Pi)
   Transfers the sensor’s digital temperature and humidity data to the Raspberry Pi.

4. After completing the circuit, the user can modify the surrounding temperature using a temperature controller and observe the sensor’s real-time response accordingly.