Throughout the previous chapters, we looked at various tools and technologies used to build devices that will help us automate our homes. The earlier chapters should have given you a good introduction to the Raspberry Pi and Arduino technologies, which you can now expand upon.

In this chapter, we will review what you've learned, and then look at how you can grow your skills and start designing your own shields for the Raspberry Pi.

We will look at a Raspberry Pi prototyping shield. Then we will explore the GPIO pins of the Raspberry Pi so that we can interact with them via the shield. Next, we will look at the wiringPi library and the Gertboard, both of which can be used for home automation projects. Furthermore, we will look at some projects that use the techniques you've learned in this book. In some cases, we will build upon previous projects. Finally, we wrap up with a look into the future.

In order to complete the prototype board task, you will need: