One of the most basic projects in electronic engineering is the construction of a transmission antenna for radio operations. The same principle is at work in commercial radio installations across the world, and can be duplicated on a small scale to reach a small number of people. You will only need a signal amplifier, a converter and a transmission system so you can broadcast the signal at a defined frequency. That way you will have a working radio station that you can use to broadcast all sorts of important information or just regular music programming.
Local telephone lines refer to intra-communication systems limited to small communities or within a building. Hotel inter-room phones, for instance, work using the same principle. You will need a hub to process all incoming calls and then reroute each call to the target number. It is a simple system that is taught in most basic electronics courses and can be a good starting point to gauge your skills in communication and electronics engineering.
Home and office security systems are electronics projects that have real-world applications. They can be used to detect intruders or a fire. They can also detect water spillage or overflow and gas leaks. You can use an infrared sensor combined with a sound alarm to alert you to the presence of an intruder. Fire safety systems can use carbon monoxide and heat sensors with smoke detectors to detect the presence of fire. You can create a close-looped system that calls you on your mobile phone or sends a text message when the sensor is triggered.
A wireless local positioning system works like a Global Positioning System except that its use is only restricted to a relatively small area. Electronics engineering students or employees can work on a wireless local positioning system as a method for tracking people or objects within a building or campus. A good starting point is to use the system to monitor the movement of expensive, portable equipment that can be easily stolen if not properly tracked. Much like a GPS, a local positioning system uses the triangulation method to determine the location of a person or object. You will need at least three receivers to work together to locate the desired target. The more receivers that are involved, the more accurate your data will tend to be.