I have been looking around to see if there is some sort of simple RFID reader that works with SmartThings? I have seen the various projects with things like Arduinos and using old Androids, but I am wondering if there is something a wee bit simpler?
I don’t want the reader to operate a Strike or anything like that, I’d just like to have a reader that I can swipe an RFID card at and have it trigger specific devices/automations within my SmartThings Ecosystem. For example one at my front door trigger my Kwikset deadbolt/door handle, or one at the garage open the door (I have a Nexx opener connected).
Does anyone know of a simple unit (battery powered or not) that connects directly with SmartThings via some wireless protocol, or perhaps a USB one via a Raspberry Pi?
What country are you in? The device selection does vary. In particular, there are a few of these made for the EU market, but they might be hard to find in the US.
BENext makes a zwave device which is a 4 digit keypad that also reads RFID chips. It’s available on both the US and EU frequencies. It has a custom DTH that worked with the Classic app; I don’t know if anyone’s updated it for the new V3 app. That would probably be the easiest, but the trick is going to be finding one for sale. Also sold under the Zipato name.
If you want to go the DIY route, you don’t need an arduino or raspberry pi in the mix. Just wire a zwave sensor to detect the output from the
RFID reader. See:
There are a bunch of Zigbee RFID readers made for security systems (including Control4), but most of them will NOT work with SmartThings as they use a different zigbee profile.
Develco makes a zigbee 3.0 which might work, and you can purchase a single unit from their sample shop, but as far as I can tell it’s only available in the EU, it’s quite expensive, and it would need custom code. So I’m mostly just putting it here As POC, but I think the DIY method would be better for most people.
@rboy is an expert on locks and keypads and might know of something else.
If you’re open To NFC tags, you just need an inexpensive android phone, and then three paid apps: trigger, Tasker, and sharptools. Lots of people have done that.
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RBoy
(www.rboyapps.com - Making SmartThings Easy!)
6
Two locks that support RFID tags are the Yale L1 Connexis and the IDLock 150. You can capture these tags over Z-Wave using a custom device handler and then setup custom actions for them using webcore or an app like LUM or RLA for each tag.
