Any ideas for stuff to build with this besides a thermostat? I'm talking about for a fun side project to learn the ropes, not necessarily the next $3.2B IoT company.
There are lots of microcontroller-that-you-program-via-usb communities. Arduino is a good search word.
Also, this discussion:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7071080
included this tumblr:
I built out my XMPP-controlled office thermostat on a BeagleBone Black, which costs a bit more than the Pi but has way more pins, including analog inputs, which are pretty important for temperature sensors. Plus using a Linux machine meant being able to choose your language instead of being stuck with C, so I took the chance to learn some Erlang: http://technomancy.us/171
The $40 wifi-included board featured in this story sort of has a nice installation story though (maybe fussy setup, but one less cable).
Servo big enough to close central heating valve (the big knob next to your heater).
Automatic light switches when you leave house or going to sleep.
Smart monitors, esp. water leak alert when you are not home.
I think a really great improvement would be GSM module, delivering connection over Whispernet (aka hassle free).
A web connected[1] ultrasonic sensor unit, that you put[3] on the side of your car , and while driving, it recognizes[2] empty parking spaces and sends the location[4] to a cosm.com map.
[1] through your phone hotspot.
[2] since an ultrasonic sensor senses distance, it can sense if you have a car near you or an empty space.
[3] Maybe with vacuum stick units.
[4] You'll need a gsm shield for that.
[1] http://www.theconnectivist.com/2013/07/how-google-tracks-tra...