Best commercial access control products according to redditors

Strictly speaking a door lock mechanism is a lock.

But OP is talking about a switch installed in something like your desk, which remotely triggers a magnetic lock on the door.

So you can lock your door while sitting at your desk, and no one outside can unlock the door.


Ever been to a store where they buzz you in? Think of the opposite. Those doors are always locked and the remote unlocks them.

https://www.amazon.com/ELECTROMAGNETIC-Electronic-Seco-Larm-Compatible-Proximity/dp/B00B6V2BYK

Here are the ones I bought. I'm a girl with small-ish hands and they fit me pretty comfortably but there are some reviews complaining that these ones are a bit too small, so that's something to take into consideration.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NJ6KYDU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_O4znzbJ8C4G3C

Pack of 25 on Amazon.

EDIT: these may not be the exact type needed, but the point is they're easy to find.

Those.... don't look like powder funnels. The "drip tip" is the red flag; none of those are going to have particularly wide stems and the long stem is just going to get clogged with powder.

If you're on a budget I'd look for a plastic funnel with a stem OD <24 mm like this one or this one. If you're willing to fork over a little more cash and get a glass one there are nice 24/40 joint funnels like this small one or this huge one.

It started with me being lazy to pull out my ID card to scan every time I ate lunch at school, so I searched online for what system the card was using. It uses an RFID card it works on the frequency 13.56Mhz so I bought a rfid reader/writer called the MFRC 522(just search online for it it's fairly common) and the Arduino UNO. I also ordered RFID cards (it has to be UID changeable to clone your current cards) you can also search online for these and I also ordered RFID tags. When it all arrived I had to wire it properly and I followed the instructions from this site(I didn't buy it here I just referred to the wiring). You also need the Arduino UNO IDE and the MFRC 522 example files. I first used the cloning example program to clone my ID card onto the other and after you upload the file to the arduino open serial monitor and follow the instructions there. I then used the dump info program for my original card to find out what the UID was, then in the UID changing example program I input my own UID from my ID card. Finally I had a clone of my card that acted the same as my other ID card. I designed it in Rhino 6 stl file and I printed it with flexible filament on my Ender 3 printer.

edit: added link to stl file

Finger Dampener

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Round-Plastic-Sponge-Finger-Casher/dp/B0051SH9BE/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_2_NP6G

If you want the key card it's here https://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Secure-Access-Card-Level/dp/B07DYCVH1H/ref=asc_df_B07DYCVH1H/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312065539427&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7401933740798850243&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011832&hvtargid=pla-465812608443&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/InSync-Kaba-Access-Saflok-RFID/dp/B078K14TDH

You’ll basically need these tags:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0793Q6KDZ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Acetone to dissolve the plastic and then whatever you want to case your crystal in.

Or an actually crystal from Disney to rewrite.

I have this reader/writer and it works fine so far although most would recommend a Proxmark3:


English 10 Frequency RFID NFC Card Copier Reader Writer for IC ID Cards and All 125kHz Cards +13.56mhz UID Key +1USB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DS2YRLH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_URBwDb3W84AZ0

I bought the mag lock on amazon, only ran about $40. They have smaller ones with ~200lb holding force for around $20. 24v DC power supply was around $7 and 5v relay was around $6

HWMATE 600lbs Holding Force UL-Listed Electric Magnetic Electromagnet Door Lock for Access Control System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JFN66XB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9aErDbY1V203F

What is important is the Card. The Standard you Need is NFC Forum Tag Type 5. Based on ISO 15693 Standard. You will probably have to make your own antenna for a reader that supports read of ISO 15693 cards.

Two Chips support the Standard. The NXP iCode SLIX and the STMicroelectronics ST25TV series. The only thing is that there are several out there but a lot is based on the Antenna in the tag. Several do not mention distance obtainable.

rfidcard.com offer type 5 cards. https://www.rfidcard.com/product-category/nfc-card/nfc-tag-type-5/ But they sell bulk. Plus all their NXP SLIX cards all list up to 1.5 Meters but their ST25TV cards both say read at 10cm.

​

Now Yarongtech has Icode Slick 2 Cards but they do not list distance. This card has the right chip and ISO it will just take some experimenting to see if it realizes it's full distance.

https://www.amazon.com/ISO15693-13-56mhz-Blank-iCode-White/dp/B07DB2VDR8

The hardest part is finding a reader that will read ISO 15693 Type 5 cards and has enough power to do it at the full distance.

https://www.amazon.com/OBO-HANDS-13-56MHz-Proximity-Keychain/dp/B075Q9NGCP/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=obo+hands+nfc+keychain&qid=1564785910&s=gateway&sr=8-6

I'm looking for a button as well. Since you're using Smartthings, you could go with something like the below. You'd think there would be a lot more on the market but I haven't found any.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fibaro-FGPB-101-1-The-Button-White/dp/B01ITN92JO/ref=sr_1_3?hvadid=80745417531873&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=zwave+button&qid=1568190268&s=gateway&sr=8-3

So here is my take on this. You can do it pretty cheaply I would assume. You can buy a magnetic door lock like this one it comes with a wired buzzer. So if you wired an arduino with a wifi shield to the buzzer it will act as a switch that can be activated wirelessly, from a phone, cheap tablet, or computer.

As for the cameras I recommend some foscam outdoor cameras. They are cheap reliable easy to setup and can be viewed from phones tablets or computers. Good luck.