15 IoT FYP Ideas for Computer Engineering Students (2026)

A computer engineering FYP is judged on whether the hardware works in front of the panel. These 15 IoT and embedded FYP ideas each list the hardware, the software and a way to demo the project safely, and they are built around problems people in Pakistan actually have.

Most parts are sold in electronics markets such as Hall Road in Lahore and by online stores. None of these repeat the IoT ideas in our main list of 70 FYP ideas for computer science students.

FYP ideas by degree: AI · software engineering · IT · cyber security · data science · web development · mobile apps · Python · business (BBA) · all 70 CS ideas

Before you start: safety with 220 V

Several ideas below control motors, fans or lights that run on mains power. Build and demo them on a low-voltage model (12 V fans, lamps and pumps), and have a qualified electrician do any 220 V or three-phase wiring. Panels value a safe, working model more than a risky full-size install.

15 IoT and embedded FYP ideas

1. Neighbourhood load-shedding logger (Medium)

Small devices in several homes record exactly when the power goes and comes back, and a dashboard shows the real outage hours for each area against the announced schedule.

• Hardware: ESP32 running on a power bank, and an ordinary USB wall adapter used only as a mains sensor through a voltage divider, so you never touch 220 V
• Software: MicroPython or Arduino firmware that stores events while the internet is down, MQTT, InfluxDB and Grafana or a small web dashboard
• Demo: unplug the adapter to simulate an outage and show it appear on the dashboard

2. Tubewell motor protection with SMS control (Medium)

Farm tubewell motors burn out when a phase drops, the voltage falls or the well runs dry. The controller watches all three phases and the motor current, cuts the motor off when something is wrong, and lets the farmer start or stop it by SMS.

• Hardware: ESP32, ZMPT101B voltage sensors, SCT-013 current clamps, a relay driving the contactor, and a GSM or 4G module such as SIM800L or SIM7600
• Software: firmware rules for phase loss, low and high voltage and dry running, SMS commands, and an event log
• Demo: a low-voltage test bench where you switch off one phase and the motor stops; leave real three-phase wiring to an electrician

3. Classroom CO2 and ventilation monitor (Easy)

Measures carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity in classrooms and shows a green, yellow or red light so teachers know when to open windows; a dashboard compares rooms across the day.

• Hardware: ESP32, an SCD40 or MH-Z19 CO2 sensor, an LED traffic light or a small display
• Software: firmware with a threshold you choose (such as 1,000 ppm), MQTT and a room-by-room dashboard
• Demo: readings rising as a class fills up, then falling after the windows open

4. Poultry shed climate controller (Medium)

Keeps a poultry shed’s temperature, humidity and ammonia level in range by switching fans and heaters, and alerts the farmer on the phone when readings go wrong or the power fails.

• Hardware: ESP32, SHT31 or DHT22 temperature and humidity sensors, an MQ-137 ammonia sensor, and relays for fans and heaters
• Software: control rules with limits by bird age, alerts by app or SMS, and history charts
• Demo: a scale-model shed with a 12 V fan and a lamp as the heater

5. Fish pond water quality monitor (Medium)

Logs pond water quality around the clock for fish farmers, warns when readings move out of range, and switches the aerator on.

• Hardware: ESP32, an analog pH sensor kit, a DS18B20 waterproof temperature probe, turbidity and TDS sensors, a relay for the aerator, and an optional solar panel
• Software: calibration screens, alerts, and daily and weekly charts
• Demo: a test tank with water samples; dissolved oxygen probes are expensive, so add one only if your budget allows

6. Crash-detecting helmet for motorcyclists (Medium)

Detects a hard impact followed by no movement, gives the rider a few seconds to cancel, and then sends the location to family members by SMS.

• Hardware: ESP32 or Arduino Nano, an MPU6050 accelerometer and gyroscope, a NEO-6M GPS module, a GSM module and a rechargeable battery
• Software: impact detection rules tuned on recorded data, a cancel button and countdown, an SMS with a map link
• Demo: drop the helmet onto a cushion from a small height and show the SMS arriving

7. Generator fuel and run-hours monitor (Medium)

Offices and plazas run diesel generators during outages. The monitor tracks fuel level and running hours, flags a sudden fuel drop that suggests theft, and reminds staff when servicing is due.

• Hardware: ESP32, a capacitive fuel level sensor, a current clamp on the generator output to detect running, and Wi-Fi or GSM
• Software: run-hour counting, fuel use per hour, theft and service alerts, a web dashboard
• Demo: a model tank (use water, not diesel) and a load switched on and off; do not wire into the generator’s controls

8. Street light fault reporting over LoRa (Medium)

A small node on each pole checks whether it is dark and whether the lamp is drawing current, and reports faulty lights over LoRa to a map the municipality can act on.

• Hardware: Arduino or ESP32 nodes with an LDR, a current sensor and an SX1276 (RA-02) LoRa module, plus one gateway node connected to the internet
• Software: low-power firmware, a gateway that forwards to MQTT, and a map dashboard with repair status
• Demo: three 12 V LED lamps; disconnect one and watch it turn red on the map

9. Fall detection with mmWave radar (Hard)

Detects when an elderly person falls at home using radar instead of a camera, so it works in the dark and keeps privacy, and alerts a caregiver.

• Hardware: a 60 GHz mmWave radar module, with a Raspberry Pi or ESP32
• Software: fall detection on the radar data (Hard if you build your own classifier rather than using the module’s built-in output), caregiver alerts, and a log of events
• Demo: staged falls onto a mattress and normal movements such as sitting and lying down, with false alarm rates

10. Hydroponics nutrient controller (Medium)

Grows leafy greens without soil by keeping the nutrient solution’s pH and strength in range automatically, with a grow-light timer.

• Hardware: ESP32, pH and EC (or TDS) sensors, a water temperature probe, peristaltic dosing pumps and a relay for the lights
• Software: dosing control, calibration, alerts and growth logs
• Demo: a small deep-water or NFT setup with lettuce or spinach

11. Reading old water and gas meters with a camera (Medium)

Clips a small camera onto an existing mechanical meter, reads the dial digits on the device, and shows daily use, with an alert when water keeps flowing at night (a likely leak).

• Hardware: ESP32-CAM with a small LED for lighting
• Software: digit recognition on the device with TensorFlow Lite; study the open-source AI-on-the-edge-device project and show what you added, plus MQTT and usage charts
• Demo: a meter on a test water line, or a meter photo series, with reading accuracy

12. OBD-II car diagnostics logger (Hard)

Plugs into a car’s OBD-II port, reads speed, engine RPM, coolant temperature and fault codes, and turns each trip into a report on fuel-hungry and harsh driving.

• Hardware: ESP32 with a CAN transceiver such as SN65HVD230, or an ELM327 adapter
• Software: OBD-II PID requests, trip logging, fault code lookup, and a phone app or web dashboard
• Demo: a recorded drive in a car that has an OBD-II port

13. FPGA image filter accelerator (Hard)

Implements an image filter such as Sobel edge detection in hardware on an FPGA and compares its speed with the same filter running on a PC.

• Hardware: an FPGA board such as Basys 3 or DE10-Lite
• Software: Verilog or VHDL for the filter pipeline, a testbench, and a Python or C version for comparison
• Demo: input and output images with a timing table

14. Bin fill-level sensors for waste collection (Easy)

Sensors in public bins report how full they are, and the dashboard shows which bins need emptying so collection trucks skip the empty ones.

• Hardware: a JSN-SR04T waterproof ultrasonic sensor, ESP32 or a LoRa node, and a battery
• Software: deep-sleep firmware, a map dashboard with fill levels, and a list of bins to visit today
• Demo: three bins filled to different levels

15. RFID lab kit checkout (Easy)

Students borrow lab kits such as Arduino boards and multimeters by tapping their card and the kit’s tag, and the lab staff see who has what and what is overdue.

• Hardware: ESP32, an RC522 RFID reader, RFID cards and tags, and a small LCD
• Software: issue and return logging, overdue reminders by email, and a web dashboard for lab staff
• Demo: borrow and return a kit, then show the log

Frequently asked questions

Arduino, ESP32 or Raspberry Pi?

Use an ESP32 for most IoT ideas: it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in and is cheap. Use a Raspberry Pi when you need Linux, a camera pipeline or heavier processing. Use a plain Arduino only for simple offline control.

How much software does an IoT FYP need?

Enough to be useful: a dashboard or app, stored history and alerts. A device that only lights an LED is rarely enough for a final year project.

What if a part is out of stock?

List a second option for every key part in your proposal, and order sensors early. Delivery and testing take longer than students expect.

Next steps

Still choosing? Read how to choose a good FYP. Picked an idea? Write it up with our FYP proposal format and the SRS template for FYP, find a name in 60 FYP title examples, or filter more ideas with the FYP idea generator.

Want to work on real projects with an industry team first? See industrial projects for students and the Ezitech internship program.