Restroom access control from a Switch?

[Badfish]

Hello, hoping to get some ideas. This is for a commercial restroom where we would like to be able to hit a switch to allow a customer to use the restroom. Of course it needs to let them back out without intervention. Then the lock would automatically engage again until the next customer requests access. There is a Schlage lever lock which does this nicely with a code, however the code is less desirable than hitting a button.

TIA

[RBoy (www.rboyapps.com - Making SmartThings Easy!)]

You can create a virtual lock and use this to synchronize your locks.

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You can also use a keypad and synchronize your keypad to your lock using CoRE. Question is how does the customer get out?

[TonyFleisher]

@Badfish

Then the lock would automatically engage

I think this “auto engage” is the difficult part. Both from a practical issue and liability issue, I am not sure I would want to attempt this. Better to have an employee check and manually lock it, if the customer left it unlocked, I think. though perhaps you could setup some notification (chime?) if it has been unlocked for too long.

[rontalley]

I would add a contact sensor to the door and motion sensor in the bathroom.

A simple button would do the trick to unlock the door.

Customer is responsible for locking the door behind them when going into the bathroom. This is the same as any other bathroom.

If
Motion changes to active
Or
Motions stays active for 1 minute
Then
Set variable {occupied} to true

If contact changes to open
Then
Set variable {occupied} to false

If variable {occupied} stays false for 2 minutes
Then
With lock
Lock

If button gets pushed
Then
With lock
Unlock

That should do it.

[RBoy (www.rboyapps.com - Making SmartThings Easy!)]

Come to think of it you can automate it quite easily. You can have the SmartApp relock the door when it’s closed or you can buy a Yale/August Pro/IDLock 150 lock with a door sensor built in and avoid having an external sensor or even possibly a SmartApp (IDlock can do this, auto relock).

Then have two buttons, one inside the bathroom and one next to you. When the button is pressed it unlocks the door and then when the door closes it’ll relock itself.

[rontalley]

Also, couldn’t you forget about the “Smart Lock” and use a regular lock that is always locked from the outside but unlatches from the inside. Then use a relay for an electronic latch.

It’s like an apartment building or doctors office when they buzz you in.

Typically on the openers side there is a doorbell type button.

You can make this setup Smart with a normally open/close relay of sorts.

If button is Pushed
Then open relay until contact opens…

This way, you press the button and the bathroom is unlocked until the door opens. Once then, it becomes dumb again and just stays locked but again, you can turn the knob to get out of the bathroom.