Hi,
I have started to be interested in smart living and wanted to make an automatic opening of the lock on the front door (known as hands free). The main condition is - the lock is to open when you approach the door at a distance of about 1m.
I had a look at RFID systems and there is actually such a thing as long range rfid, which according to the specifications have a range of about 1m. It looks more or less like this (first best image from google, no company advertisement):
http://biosys.pl/img/kd/DT_readers/DT_LONG2LED_new.jpg
Such a reader is about 25cmx25cm so quite large. Will such a reader work through a wall (I don't want to mount it on a cage, just inside the flat)? So the reader inside, you walk up outside and the lock opens.
It seems to me that such readers are very directional and you have to approach a certain point exactly to make it work (well, and have the access card at the right height). Is this actually the case? Does anyone have experience?
I contacted a Polish company and they ask about PLN 1,000 for such a reader. A bit expensive for me. I found similar devices in the Far East for about $70. Has anyone dealt with this and can tell me how it works, does it work at all?
The second solution is radio communication. The transmitter at the door sends a signal every few seconds, the receiver in our pocket listens, if it receives a signal from the transmitter at the door - it responds and after identification the lock opens.
I have encountered this solution in car alarms (called, for example, "smart key alarm"). The driver has the remote control with him and when he approaches the car the alarm goes off, opens the central locking etc. (I think Ford uses something like this in the factory). The price of such an alarm is around £250.
First (Rfid) solution
Disadvantages:
-price (although this Chinese one is apparently not expensive but you don't know if it will work),
-not sure if it will work through a wall,
-directionality of the antenna.
Advantages:
-it seems to me that as a technology it is reasonably secure
-access card without batteries (and a big plus here).
Second solution:
Disadvantages:
-a battery that has to power the receiver, which is the key, all the time.
Advantages:
-to the circular characteristics of the antenna (I would like there to be no communication when I enter the house - because I will have the door open all the time - I assume that it is safe to, for example, obscure the antenna so that it does not catch in the house).
I don't know how about security here.
What do you think about these solutions, maybe someone has another idea (Bluetooth and wifi from the phone is out - somehow I immediately rejected it due to the fact that you have to have such a module turned on all the time in the phone, which eats up the battery pretty good).
If I decide on the second solution: of course I won't buy such an alarm but will try to make my own - if only by the possibility of coding any number of keys and generally full control - integration with the main controller. Can anyone suggest on which modules it is possible to do such communication: about 1 - 2 m range and the lowest possible current consumption in a device that will be carried in the pocket. Alternatively, is there no such ready-made solution? such a radio detector? I could not find anything.
The general principle of operation is that the reader will read the code from the card/key - send to the main controller (I intend to use Cubieboard2 - what do you think of this device? http://cubieboard.org/2013/06/19/cubieboard2-is-here/ ) there will be some kind of database of keys authorized to enter the flat. Once authorised, the lock will open.
Thank you in advance for your help
kind regards
I have started to be interested in smart living and wanted to make an automatic opening of the lock on the front door (known as hands free). The main condition is - the lock is to open when you approach the door at a distance of about 1m.
I had a look at RFID systems and there is actually such a thing as long range rfid, which according to the specifications have a range of about 1m. It looks more or less like this (first best image from google, no company advertisement):
http://biosys.pl/img/kd/DT_readers/DT_LONG2LED_new.jpg
Such a reader is about 25cmx25cm so quite large. Will such a reader work through a wall (I don't want to mount it on a cage, just inside the flat)? So the reader inside, you walk up outside and the lock opens.
It seems to me that such readers are very directional and you have to approach a certain point exactly to make it work (well, and have the access card at the right height). Is this actually the case? Does anyone have experience?
I contacted a Polish company and they ask about PLN 1,000 for such a reader. A bit expensive for me. I found similar devices in the Far East for about $70. Has anyone dealt with this and can tell me how it works, does it work at all?
The second solution is radio communication. The transmitter at the door sends a signal every few seconds, the receiver in our pocket listens, if it receives a signal from the transmitter at the door - it responds and after identification the lock opens.
I have encountered this solution in car alarms (called, for example, "smart key alarm"). The driver has the remote control with him and when he approaches the car the alarm goes off, opens the central locking etc. (I think Ford uses something like this in the factory). The price of such an alarm is around £250.
First (Rfid) solution
Disadvantages:
-price (although this Chinese one is apparently not expensive but you don't know if it will work),
-not sure if it will work through a wall,
-directionality of the antenna.
Advantages:
-it seems to me that as a technology it is reasonably secure
-access card without batteries (and a big plus here).
Second solution:
Disadvantages:
-a battery that has to power the receiver, which is the key, all the time.
Advantages:
-to the circular characteristics of the antenna (I would like there to be no communication when I enter the house - because I will have the door open all the time - I assume that it is safe to, for example, obscure the antenna so that it does not catch in the house).
I don't know how about security here.
What do you think about these solutions, maybe someone has another idea (Bluetooth and wifi from the phone is out - somehow I immediately rejected it due to the fact that you have to have such a module turned on all the time in the phone, which eats up the battery pretty good).
If I decide on the second solution: of course I won't buy such an alarm but will try to make my own - if only by the possibility of coding any number of keys and generally full control - integration with the main controller. Can anyone suggest on which modules it is possible to do such communication: about 1 - 2 m range and the lowest possible current consumption in a device that will be carried in the pocket. Alternatively, is there no such ready-made solution? such a radio detector? I could not find anything.
The general principle of operation is that the reader will read the code from the card/key - send to the main controller (I intend to use Cubieboard2 - what do you think of this device? http://cubieboard.org/2013/06/19/cubieboard2-is-here/ ) there will be some kind of database of keys authorized to enter the flat. Once authorised, the lock will open.
Thank you in advance for your help
kind regards
