Reddit Reddit reviews SunFounder Mifare RC522 Card Read Antenna RF Module RFID Reader IC Card Proximity Module for Arduino

We found 2 Reddit comments about SunFounder Mifare RC522 Card Read Antenna RF Module RFID Reader IC Card Proximity Module for Arduino. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Electronics
Computers & Accessories
SunFounder Mifare RC522 Card Read Antenna RF Module RFID Reader IC Card Proximity Module for Arduino
Supported card types: Mifare1 S50, Mifare1 S70, MIFARE Ultralight, Mifare Pro, and MIFARE DESFire.Power Voltage : 3.3V,Operating frequency: 13.56MHz.Data transfer rate: Maximum 10Mbit/s.Read Range: 0 ~ 35mm (mifare1 card), Module Interface: SPI.
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2 Reddit comments about SunFounder Mifare RC522 Card Read Antenna RF Module RFID Reader IC Card Proximity Module for Arduino:

u/Icemal · 2 pointsr/RFID

Hi,
The hardware side is straightforward, but the software side of the system you want is a tremendous amount of work and potentially bug prone. I'd recommend using an off the shelf solution if possible, given the edge cases for such an implementation result in either unauthorized access or legitimate access blocked.

To start, what you want is probably 13.56MHz RFID. It's close range and used for most card reader systems and keyfobs. The reading distance is generally determined by the power in the reader antenna. There is no power source in the RFID chip itself, so it activates as soon as any part of the the chip's mini antenna gets in range of the reader.

That said, you are intent on the DIY route, here is how I might build such a system:

1x Local network authentication server.

  • Off the shelf machine, preferably running Linux. Doesn't need to be powerful.
  • User Interface, possibly web based, so that network clients (e.g. the front desk) can manage credentials.
  • DB that stores credentials. Could be RDBMS (Mysql, Postgres), or flat file. Depends on requirements. You want to store a unique identifier on the card here, then associate that ID with user credentials and which doors they can access.
  • Network service that responds to access requests. When a reader picks up a new card, it sends the card ID and some assigned ID for the door. It gets some response, probably a binary yes or no for whether the user can access this specific door.

    There are many moving parts on the software side. This could be months of work for a single person depending on the requirements and how much time they spent on it.

    RFID Reader (per door)

  • 1x Mifare RC522 reader. Reads cards at a distance of up to about 2cm-4cm.
  • 1x Arduino with wifi shield. Try not to get a cheap wifi shield because the cheaper they are the more time they take to work with.
  • 1x plastic enclosure that will house the whole thing. (Something like this might work, although not sure with the RC522 on top). Enclosure cannot be metal.
  • (Optional) 1x piezo speaker (or some other speaker type). You want audible feedback for the card making contact with the door, especially because of the short range of the reader (~2cm).
  • (Optional) 1x RGB LED that you can set to green or red based on whether the badge in was accepted or rejected. You could probably get by without this, if you at least have some feedback with the speaker.
  • 1x USB reader to connect to clients. Haven't found the one I bought, but this one looks okay. This device will let you write credentials to a card. Visitor comes in, person at front desk places card on reader, sets the card data you want. It would also register the card's unique ID and you would use that to grant system access.
    This is what a Mifare looks like attached to an Arduino. The breadboard is only involved for testing so I didn't have to solder the mifare. Was still testing different configurations.
    http://imgur.com/a/1eaQ3

    Advice

    Part wise the above is cheap, but implementation is really time consuming. It also does not address actually opening the doors. I'm assuming you have electronic locks. Factoring in time to build and test I would probably go with something like this (quick google search, sponsored result): http://www.maglocks.com/rf-m8500-mortise-rfid-card-hotel-lock-with-built-in-deadbolt-by-digi-electronics-for-209.html. Surely not the best on the market but if I found one in 30 seconds, I'm sure there's one out there specifically for your purposes.

u/slide_potentiometer · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

The lights in the figures are powered off the NFC tag inside. I don't know which ones will work without a host but you can try a cheap NFC reader like www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYKPHSU/ or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E0ODLWQ/ or www.amazon.com/dp/B00SWO1XG6/. The interface doesn't matter as long as the reader runs when powered.

If you're handy with DIY one of the PCB ones would be best for your application, I think. You could put it under a thin sheet of plastic or wood veneer as a false bottom of a display shelf.

If I was more product-minded I would look into making a 'dumb' NFC base that just transmitted power at the right frequency to power figures. You say you've got zero idea though so I'd recommend an off-the-shelf option.