Hi Folks,
I'm newbie at Arduino world. I want to develop an access control project (with smart cards and card readers). An Ardunio board will be heart of access control server. I know that there are many projects for access control but i want to add some extras.
Here is features which i plan to develop :
Server board (Arduino bard) will communicate with readers according to wiegand standart
There will be scenarios for passing from doors (So i will need Database Library)
There will be logs. So i will need RTC with battery for date/time
There should be ethernet. i will develop server as a web service. So guys who will manage this system can set some settings or they can check something via web service. And server boards will communicate via ethernet with each other(There can be more than 1 board if there are many readers (doors))
I will use 2 type relay board (4 relays and 8 relays board)
i will need multi tasking(Scheduler library) because of board will manage communication with readers and web server at same time
May be i will need SD Card for scenarios or logs
And i have to supply board with chargeable battery (a big one) when mains is down. It should run this board 4-5 hours
According to these features i thought that Arduino Due is best chocie. But i'm not sure whether i can have a stable board. What do you think about my project? Or should i wake up from this dream?
In fact that i searched an "all in one" due board but they are really very expensive. I have searched all things about due for last 2 weeks.
Does my project so complex? Nobody has idea? I don't want to make mistake about choosing right board. And if does my project seem as impossible with Arduino then i will look another choices (May Intel Galileo)
This sounds like you need something other than a micro controller. I suggest you look at using an embedded computer for your server. Each door could have an Ardunio that interfaces with the reader and the door lock and talks to the server for authorization and logging.
Yes it does. Especially for a beginner.
I used to work in access control and that is some system for a professional to design if it is to be done properly, let alone a beginner.
This particularly sounded warning bells:-
i will need multi tasking(Scheduler library)
and this
There will be scenarios for passing from doors
will take you months to get right. I know that from experience.
So I certainly looked at the post and thought no way.
Yes it does. Especially for a beginner.
I used to work in access control and that is some system for a professional to design if it is to be done properly, let alone a beginner.
This particularly sounded warning bells:-
i will need multi tasking(Scheduler library)
and this
There will be scenarios for passing from doors
will take you months to get right. I know that from experience.
So I certainly looked at the post and thought no way.
So i can start with more simple form of this project. I can relaize this project step by step. I saw same project with slower PIC Mictrocontroller. (Some simple feauteres are not included). I just want to know that Due is enough good for such project?
So i can start with more simple form of this project
You can yes up to a point.
I just want to know that Due is enough good for such project?
Probably not. What is the project's scope?
Basically how many doors, how many people, what distances are involved?
What happens in times of fire and power failure?
How are you going to administer the system, enrolling a token, assigning a name to a token, deleting a token, giving it access rights to some doors not others and assigning a time profile ( when it can be used ) and naming the doors to name but a few? Also some form of displaying the log and looking at authorized and none authorized events. Note it is illegal in some countries to log authorized events, that is if some one goes through a door and they are permitted to do so this should not be logged.
Basically you need something to read each reader, each reader required it's own serial port. This leads to systems being distributed, that is with embedded controllers reporting to a central controller, PC or other embedded controller. This adds the complication of controllers talking to each other.
While a simple in / out single door reader is quite feasible it is not one of those projects you can just grow, the design architecture for the final system has to be designed and taken into consideration.
So do you think that Due is necessary for a simple starting? In fact that i want to be suffocated in the big sea (i hope i wrote it correctly). I don't know why is this project come to me so complex. There are only 2 main concepts : Reading UIDs from reader (So listening readers and read UIDs in wiegand format) and Web server for reading something from inputs or from SD card. Managing relay board shouldn't be very difficult. Or charging a battery and supplying board from batteries when main power down shouldn't be very complex. I don't know i'm really very confused. I added a due to my shopping basket and it still waits there. If somebody says even one positive comment about Due for this project then i will buy it immediately.
I have only one problem and it's about 3., voltage level at Due. But as i read many shield works with it.
In fact that i want to be suffocated in the big sea (i hope i wrote it correctly).
Never come across that one and it doesn't make much sense, sorry.
Having a web server with anything to do with the actual access is problematic because it is not real time. Anything longer than half a second wait between presenting the token and gaining access, feels to a user like it is broken.
UIDs in wiegand format
That is different to a normal serial reader input and is a bit less onerous, all you need is two pins capable of being an interrupt per reader.
I have only one problem and it's about 3., voltage level at Due. But as i read many shield works with it.
The number of shields working are a bit exaggerated. Remember you also need a switch mounted on the door to tell when it is physically open. That way you can lock the door when it is closed again and not leave it unlocked for the set open time. Setting the open time too long is a security risk, setting it too short and the user hasn't got it open before it closes again.
I don't know i'm really very confused.
That is because even a simple access control system takes a lot of thinking about and careful planning. I don't think you have gone through that process yet.
Exactly what do you want to do with the system, a demonstration or a properly working system?
Don't buy anything until you have this sorted out.
I should start to this project. Ok, i can eliminate some features. For a starting point, i will just communicate with readers and i will manage relay board. I will not check UID or any scenario.
So DUE is not good choice for such project? Or which Arduino board would you use?
You have not answered the fundamental questions I asked beforee.
How many doors, how many people, how far are the doors away.
It is useless speculating on the right board without this information.
The more people there are the more tags there are all with different acess rights and names etc.
The logs can get large.
This generates a lot of data to be stored.
Acess control systems i have seen all have large disk storage units and are pc based.
Not essential for everyone , remember that atemegas have limited memory
Also consider how do you deal with issuing tags replacing lost etc.
You need a keyboard and display for that.
Also acess rights are sometimes dependant on time of day .you need a clock for that.
simsekm:
Maximum 16 doors. Distance will be maximum 50 metres. I don't understand what you mean with "people"?
As was said, how many people / tags will be in the data base.
Well that is not a trivial system by any means. It is not a beginners project.
Quite honestly I would start off with one door and five tags. Yes you will probably have to throw away the hardware after that and get something more suited but that should be just about achievable at a great struggle for some one with your experience.
Boardburner2:
The more people there are the more tags there are all with different acess rights and names etc.
The logs can get large.
This generates a lot of data to be stored.
Acess control systems i have seen all have large disk storage units and are pc based.
Not essential for everyone , remember that atemegas have limited memory
Board will keep 100.000 log records. Log should be import to a computer to save old logs. Otherwise new logs will will be overwritten to old logs. Although board will be an offline boards sometimes it should be connected to a computer for such things via ethernet. But this feature is next step.
Also consider how do you deal with issuing tags replacing lost etc.
You need a keyboard and display for that.
As i told before, there should be a web service for this purpose. So keyboard is not needed.
Also acess rights are sometimes dependant on time of day .you need a clock for that.
Adding a RTC with battery also will be at next step.
simsekm:
Maximum 16 doors. Distance will be maximum 50 metres. I don't understand what you mean with "people"?
Quite honestly I would start off with one door and five tags. Yes you will probably have to throw away the hardware after that and get something more suited but that should be just about achievable at a great struggle for some one with your experience.
Ok. I'm agree to work with one door with 5 tags. It will be a good start. And i think that Due is too much for such project. But as i told i want to improve this board with features which i talked about at first post. So i will buy Due (clone) for starting to my project. What do you think? It's very fast and it has many IO. And also a new board.
Ok, what type of building is it, domestic or business ?
How many people total.
And have you considered EXACTLY what type of locking mechanism you will employ.
Also which country are you in.
It will be a commercial product. People will depend to customer who will buy it. But i think it will support 500 people (Tags). Or do you have any idea about maximum number of people ? Board will work with magnetic door roles and i live in Turkey.
Rather than asking us whether a Due is right for you, just get an Uno and build a really simple system to gain experience. Then you can see for yourself where more horsepower might be necessary.
Right now it seems you know very little. You can't (nobody can) go straight from Zero to a complex product. Your need to learn enough so you know what you don't know.
Robin2:
Rather than asking us whether a Due is right for you, just get an Uno and build a really simple system to gain experience. Then you can see for yourself where more horsepower might be necessary.
Right now it seems you know very little. You can't (nobody can) go straight from Zero to a complex product. Your need to learn enough so you know what you don't know.
...R
I'm agree with you. But i just don't understand this. Can't i improve myself with Due? They use same libraries. Due is just faster and it has more IO than Uno. Why isn't Due a good starting? I think i miss something what you know .....
You need to consult your local fire department for each installation,
Even if wirless acess is PERMITTED, it is possible that each individual door will have to be connected (with fireproof cable) to the fire alarm system.
