June 27, 2014

Add RFID access to your door with Arduino

Keyless entry to the home or other space is always convenient and secure, provided you can control the RFID cards or tags required. If so, an interesteing hack of an electronic deadbolt system has been documented by Instructables member jeepdude48507 which shows how easy it is to use RFID with Arduino to create usable solutions.

By using a commercially-available electric deadlock most of the work is done, you just need to install the RFID and Arduino hardware, which can then tap into the deadbolt's motor control and thus activate it when required. You can register over two dozen RFID cards to allow for many people, and with a little effort add a real-time clock IC and SD card in order to log the access (and attempts) for later perusal.

Home automation is possible, as shown by this project. To learn how, check out the project Instructable. If you're interested in home automation, check out our sister site Superhouse.tv. And for more, we're on facebook, twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well. 

If you're looking for a fast way to interface RFID readers with your Arduino or compatible board on a larger scale, check out our new DLOCK RFID Door Lock Shield. It's a fantastic and simple method of interfacing a variety of RFID readers and an electric door strike to your Arduino-compatible board. The design is based on the circuit described in the "RFID Access Control System" project in the book "Practical Arduino", and the shield arrives in assembled form to save time and effort:

With the DLOCK shield you can easily interface common RFID readers such as ID12, ID20, RDM630, RDM880 and HF MultiTag readers. Furthermore there's status LEDs, power jumpers for door strike power and plenty of space for extra on-shield circuitry. For more information and to order, please visit the DLOCK page.

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