I contact JT – a colleague from previous work, with whom I had good discussions about electronics and I know he is a tinkerer and likes to play with toys like Arduino. I present him with my problem and suggest it should be possible to create a device according to my needs. To my astonishment, he is very enthusiastic and tells me about ESP8622, an integrated chip module which is sort of Arduino clone and can be very useful as it has integrated Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. He has this module at home and is able to program it with ease.
After our meeting, I start to do a little research about the chip and the discovery that it costs about 5 USD when purchasing 1+ pieces gets me started. My imagination starts running wild. I imagine creating a remotely managed LED dimmer specific for aquarium lights not just for me, but for everyone who would appreciate the normal, standard features one would expect from a device in the year 2016.