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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This project is a "grass-roots" initiative that doesn't require a formal process for you and your students to get involved.
If you want to get some students working on this, and you're planning to do it in an organized way, simply send an email to Greg Toth saying you'd like to participate. We'll add you to the email list for announcements and news related to the project. We'll also ask you to provide your point of contact info as well as the school name, location and logo so we can add it to our list of schools with participating students.
At this time the answer is no. Schools buy their own hardware materials based on our recommendations, or a team partner or parent may donate materials for your students to use. In some cases you may already have some of the components (e.g. Raspberry Pi).
The software and documentation we're creating is free for everyone to use and is distributed through GitHub. GitHub is a "social coding" site that is used for groups of people to collaborate and share programs and documentation.
The primary costs are the cost of components such as Raspberry Pies, some sensors, and things like power cords and network cables.
You should be able to use either Windows PC or Mac desktops or laptops.
The Internet of Things is about sensors, connected devices, and data. Connected means they are connected to the Internet so they can send data to other places for other people to look at.
Generally what you'll need is a connection to the Internet through either WiFi or wired LAN network. Many schools have Internet access policies and restrictions so you may need some help from your school technology staff.
What you'll want to strive for is an "always on" connection to the Internet so that you can leave your sensor projects running all the time, sending data on a continual basis (e.g. once every 5 minutes, or once every 30 seconds, etc.) There is no hard and fast rule here, but one of the big learning aspects of this project is what it takes to get sensors connected to a network and transmitting data.
See the Step by Step: Raspberry Pi page.