The system here uses a cheap Arduino board, a few sensors, and a magnetic contact switch. It’s then hooked into the Adafruit IO and connected to IFTTT, so you can set up alerts in any way you like.

If you have Philips Hue lights and want to take them to the next level, here's how to use Philips Hue with IFTTT to create all sorts of actions and events.

IFTTT is shorthand for If This Then That; it's an automation tool for connecting more than 650 apps and services.

Have you ever wanted your online tools to interact with each other automatically? If so, then the features offered by “if this then that” are for you.