How To: Turn Your Android Device into a Customizable Thermostat for Your Home

A faulty or broken thermostat can be one of the most annoying things to ever happen to your house. It's always too hot or too cold, and you can end up wasting money on your electricity bill.

That's where Android Thermostat comes in.

It's an open-source project that lets you turn your Android device into a display and control panel that does way more than a standard thermostat can.

Once installed, the Android Thermostat app lets you set schedules, control multiple thermostats, and monitor both the indoor and outdoor temperature. You can also access the thermostat remotely and make charts and diagrams of your usage statistics, which makes it easy to see which settings end up costing you the most.

And since it's open source, you can customize it to do even more if you know how to code.

You'll need a IOIO board, a soldering iron, and some basic components, but if you know your way around a circuit board, the whole thing should only take a few hours. The original project is housed inside a custom 3D-printed case, but if you don't have access to a 3D printer, you can just as easily buy one at RadioShack.

Check out the video above to see what all the Android Thermostat can do, and visit the project page for a detailed parts list and step-by-step instructions.