Access control inL

[Yannick Kalokerinos]

I was wondering is anyone has experience with access control and Loxone. The iButton solution looks terrible to me since it feels old fashioned and the system cannot determine on which reader an iButton was detected. Obviously, when two entrances are involved this is a major dealbreaker.

Looking around on the internet I found this Mifare reader with ethernet connection (poe supported). It's not overly expensive and seems like a nice solution.

Experience, opinions on different access control systems are more than welcome.

Thanks

[TomM]

Filip on this forum (smartbusinesstools.be) is the man to speak to about this.  We currently run one of his MiFare 1-wire rfid readers for access control although i'm not sure he's selling the exact item any longer although he appears to have a new solution on his site which should help you out.  http://www.smartbusinesstools.be/shop/product/rfid-reader-for-loxone-104?category=17

The older version rfid reader we have works great and is well made.  From an aesthetics point of view I felt it was a bit on the large side and not particularly attractive but we only use it for a side gate so it is fine for my purposes, I wouldn't want it by the front door though.  I'm still building up the confidence to have a central locking system for the whole house though, which is why we only have it on a side gate which isn't a massive security risk.

I'm sure Filip will add his knowledge on this subject soon...

[smartbusinesstools.be]

Were are not 100% ready yet, but since you ask, I'll start adding information to the RFID reader for Loxone  page on our website later today

In short:

- communication with Loxone via Ethernet: UDP or TCP

- power: 9-12V DC or PoE via optional PoE injector

- 2 versions: with and without keypad 

- green led, red led, buzzer, relais, all controllable via TCP/IP

- Mifare secure sector, DESFire, NFC (fully implemented in the reader; we will write an app to use your phone as a virtual key)

- it's a reader/writer: cards or keyfobs can be configured by the device

Access control in Loxone can be implemented using functional blocks and UDP virtual inputs/outputs only, or more extensively via a PicoC script. This way, you can manage tokens and access rights (users, groups, schedules, doors) from within the Loxone app. We will create a number of templates/examples for common cases. Access rights could be written in the tokens, or stored in a file on the Miniserver, or in a remote database.

Multiple doors/readers can be used, either based on IP address or on a 'reader code' 

The keypad can be useful in multiple ways, e.g.

- swiping your cards opens the front door; first pressing '1' and then swiping your card opens the gate; pressing '0' and then swiping your card locks the house down and activates the burglar alarm. Pressing '*' rings the front door bell.

- multiple PIN codes can have different functions. PIN codes can be set/changed/activated from withing the Loxone app.

- you could provide one-time PIN codes. A new PIN code can be generated automatically and sent to the user via email or SMS.

 

We will also create full Access Controller software with an 'API for Loxone' that runs on a webserver for larger scale projects.

A Windows access control software already exists, that can manage thousands of doors/readers/users (not integrated with Loxone).

We have a few in stock now with keypad, and as of next week we will keep a large stock of all versions (also stand-alone devices with integrated access controller).

Here is a pic:

[TomM]

Looks awesome Filip.  Here's the crucial question though:  whats the anticipated price of the unit?!

[smartbusinesstools.be]

TomM

The price for the version with keypad is now up on our webshop. Prices are VAT excluded.

Cheers

Filip

[Yannick Kalokerinos]

That looks really awesome. I like having MiFare and keypad control so this seems perfect.

Just a couple of questions:

- Will the reader be able to function without miniserver? E.g. when there is a problem with the network connection.

- What is the sensing distance for Mifare tokens?

- When will the reader be available for purchase/delivery?

Thanks!

[smartbusinesstools.be]

That looks really awesome. I like having MiFare and keypad control so this seems perfect.

Just a couple of questions:

- Will the reader be able to function without miniserver? E.g. when there is a problem with the network connection.

When the miniserver acts as the 'access controller', you need an IP connection between the reader and the Miniserver. If both are on the same LAN, connected via a switch, the risk of a network connection failure should be very low.

If you think an RS232 or RS485 connection is better than an ethernet connection, you can still use IP for configuration of the reader and programming of tokens, but use the RS232/RS485 interface for authentication requests (you would need to purchase the respective Loxone module).

If you think the Miniserver is the risk, then you should probably not be using the miniserver as the access controller. In that case, you can use an other server like a webserver on a NAS or a RaspberryPi to authorize the access request, with an API to the miniserver for managing users/tokens and for logging access. Finally, there is a 'stand-alone' version of the reader that provides the access authorization and just sends the users ID and reader ID to the miniserver. In that case. much less functionality is controllable by the miniserver: it is only used to log access (and take follow up actions depending on the user ID). To be completely independant from the network and miniserver, you would also need to use the internal relais to let the reader directly open the door by itself, making it less secure. Also each stand-alone reader individually needs to be programmed with the same access rules, but possibly we can do that centralized from the miniserver or some other management system. The stand-alone version will be available in a month.

 

 

- What is the sensing distance for Mifare tokens?

10 cm for Mifare cards; less for smaller tokens.

 

- When will the reader be available for purchase/delivery?

Today. Check the webshop 

 

[Simon Still]

I have the older version that I bought from Filip and will not now be using.   Still in packaging, with a number of tags.    I'll take a reasonable offer for it. 

Simon