Your own hardware

Connecting it

1. 1Install the Python SDK
2. 2Send a point with a metric name, a value and a timestamp

Tutorial

Raspberry Pi telemetry dashboard in 5 minutes

Send your Pi's CPU temperature to Plexus every second with the Python SDK. Needs Python 3.10 or newer, which Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm has.

1. 1

   Install the SDK.

   bash

   pip install plexus-python

2. 2

   Create a key on the API Keys page at app.plexus.company/api and set it on the Pi.

   bash

   export PLEXUS_API_KEY=plx_...

3. 3

   Save this as pi_temp.py. The kernel reports CPU temperature in millidegrees, so divide by 1000.

   python

   import time
   from plexus import Plexus
   
   px = Plexus(source_id="pi-01")  # reads PLEXUS_API_KEY
   
   def cpu_temp_c():
       with open("/sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp") as f:
           return int(f.read()) / 1000  # millidegrees -> °C
   
   while True:
       px.send("cpu.temperature_c", cpu_temp_c())
       time.sleep(1)

4. 4

   Run it.

   bash

   python pi_temp.py

What you’ll see: The SDK prints a line when the first point lands. pi-01 appears in Plexus with cpu.temperature_c updating every second. Give each Pi its own source_id, or their readings merge into one source.

Tutorial

Stream ESP32 sensor data to a live dashboard

No SDK needed. The ESP32 posts JSON to the Plexus ingest endpoint over Wi-Fi with the Arduino HTTPClient library.

1. 1

   Create an API key with write access at app.plexus.company/api. Keys without it get a 403.

2. 2

   Flash this sketch. Set your Wi-Fi details, your key, and the pin your sensor is on.

   cpp

   #include <WiFi.h>
   #include <WiFiClientSecure.h>
   #include <HTTPClient.h>
   
   const char* WIFI_SSID = "your-wifi";
   const char* WIFI_PASS = "your-password";
   const char* API_KEY   = "plx_xxx";  // a write-scoped key
   const char* INGEST    = "https://gateway.plexus.company/ingest";
   
   void setup() {
     Serial.begin(115200);
     WiFi.begin(WIFI_SSID, WIFI_PASS);
     while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) delay(500);
   }
   
   void loop() {
     int raw = analogRead(34);   // your sensor's pin
     long rssi = WiFi.RSSI();
   
     String body = String("{\"source_id\":\"esp32-01\",\"points\":[") +
       "{\"metric\":\"sensor.raw\",\"value\":" + raw + "}," +
       "{\"metric\":\"wifi.rssi\",\"value\":" + rssi + "}]}";
   
     WiFiClientSecure client;
     client.setInsecure();  // skips certificate checks; pin the CA in production
     HTTPClient http;
     http.begin(client, INGEST);
     http.addHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
     http.addHeader("x-api-key", API_KEY);
     int code = http.POST(body);
     Serial.println(code);
     http.end();
   
     delay(5000);
   }

3. 3

   Open the serial monitor at 115200 baud. Each POST prints its HTTP status code.

4. 4

   To check your key before flashing, send the same body with curl.

   bash

   curl -X POST https://gateway.plexus.company/ingest \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -H "x-api-key: plx_xxx" \
     -d '{"source_id":"esp32-01","points":[{"metric":"sensor.raw","value":1234}]}'

What you’ll see: esp32-01 appears in Plexus with sensor.raw and wifi.rssi, a new point every five seconds. Without a timestamp in the body, Plexus stamps each point when it arrives.

Connect it, and the dashboards build themselves from the first data that lands.