DIY Smart Lock with

Arduino and RFID

April 3, 2017

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You walk up to an invisible lock that

only you have the key for, and open it
without even touching it. Sounds cool?
Today we are going to build a simple
RFID-based smart lock using an
Arduino as the backbone and a few
cheap components.

The technology behind this project is

already used in many industries.
Anyone who has worked in a modern
office or used public transport will
probably have used it every day. RFID
(radio-frequency identification)
identifies data stored on a chip in a card
or dongle, and compares them to a list
of tags that have already been
scanned.

We will build a test circuit to control

access using a Mifare MFRC522 reader
module, to open and close a lock. Weʼll
use a master keycard to add or remove
access to different tags, and create a
simple LED readout to tell us what is
happening in the system.

Finally, we will add a solenoid to act as

the lock, and a MOSFET to safely
trigger it on and off using our Arduino.

DIY RFID Smart Lock with Ardui…

The MFRC522 reader can read and

write data to RC522 chips, and stores
this data in the Arduinoʼs EEPROM.
This would be a great addition to any
DIY setup, and is especially relevant to
any basic home security system. It
could be used alongside DIY alarm
systems or DIY security camera
systems.

How to Use Arduino EEPROM to Save

Data Between Power Cycles How to
Use Arduino EEPROM to Save Data
Between Power Cycles Did you know
the Arduino can store data when it's
turned off? I'm talking about the
EEPROM, so join me as I show you how
to read and write to it. Read More

You Will Need

Arduino. Weʼve used an
Uno, though any Arduino board
or clone will suffice.
3 x 220 ohm resistors
1 x 10k ohm resistor
Logic-level N channel Mosfet
MFRC522 module with at least two
cards/fobs to read. Most come
with one of each, and can be
bought for less than $2, but you
probably already have one in your
wallet in the form of a public travel
card.
Red, blue, and green LEDs
12v Solenoid ($2)
12v power supply
Breadboard and hook up wires

The MFRC522 Module

The star of this setup is a cheap
MFRC522 module, which came with
both a card and fob containing an s50
chip, each storing its own unique
permanent identification number (UID).
These are both functionally identical,
just in a different shape.

Begin by searching for the

MFRC522 library in the library manager
of your Arduino IDE, and install it.
Alternatively you can download the
library and install it manually to the
libraries folder. If you are totally new to
Arduino you might find this primer for
getting started useful!

Getting Started With Arduino: A

Beginner's Guide Getting Started With
Arduino: A Beginner's Guide Arduino
is an open-source electronics
prototyping platform based on flexible,
easy-to use hardware and software. It's
intended for artists, designers,
hobbyists, and anyone interested in
creating interactive objects or
environments. Read More

The library also contains a Fritzing

diagram, which I have annotated
indicating how to attach the module to
your Arduino.

Image Credit: Miguel Balboa via Github

Be careful: this board works on 3.3V,

not 5V, so take care to connect it to the
right pin.

To test the setup, open the DumpInfo

sketch from File > Examples >
MFRC522 > DumpInfo and upload it to
your Arduino board. Open the serial
monitor, and hold one of your RFID
objects up to the reader. You should
see something like this:

If you get errors in the read out saying

MIFARE_Read() failed: Timeout
in communication, or
PCD_Authenticate() failed:
Timeout in communication, donʼt
worry. It likely means you did not hold
the tag up to the reader for long
enough to read all of the data. As long
as you get the card UID (which is read
as soon as the tag is within range of the
reader), it will work with this project. If
you are not getting a reading at all,
check your wiring and try again.

The Rest of the Circuit

Now that we have verified that our
module works, lets add the rest of the
components. Connect your
components like this:

Our 12v power supply (unplugged

for now) connects to the rails of
our breadboard. Connect the
Arduino GND pin, and MFRC522
GND pin to the ground rail.
The LEDS are connected to pins 2,
3, and 4 and to the ground rail
through 220 ohm resistors.
Our MOSFETʼs gate leg (left on
image) connects to pin 5, and to
ground through a 10k ohm resistor.
The drain leg (middle) connects to
the negative terminal of our 12v
solenoid, and the source leg (right)
connects to the ground rail.
Connect the positive terminal of
the 12v Solenoid, and the VIN of
the Arduino to the 12v rail on the
breadboard.

With this setup, whenever we send a

HIGH signal from the Arduino to the
MOSFET, it will allow the current to
pass to the Solenoid. There is nothing
to stop you from using a higher
powered or more heavy duty solenoid,
though youʼd need a stepdown
transformer to power the Arduino from
higher than 12V. Also pay close
attention to the datasheet for your
MOSFET to make sure you wouldnʼt be
overloading it.

Once itʼs all put together it should look

something like this:

While it isnʼt necessary, I created a little

rig to simulate a door lock from scrap
wood.

Modifying the Sketch

With the circuit built, itʼs time to set up
our Arduino Sketch. Conveniently, the
MFRC522 library comes with an
example sketch called Access Control
that does almost exactly what we want
to do. Connect your Arduino to your
computer, and open File > Examples >
MFRC522 > AccessControl in the
Arduino IDE.

There is a wealth of information

provided both in the example sketch,
and on the GitHub page for the library.
We only need to modify a few lines.
Alternatively, you can download our
modified code from this GitHub Gist.

Firstly, the sketch was designed for a

circuit with a single RGB LED using a
common anode. We wonʼt be using
that, so simply comment out this
section.

Now, match our LED pins to those

defined in the sketch.

#define redLed 3
#define greenLed 4
#define blueLed 2

We need to change the relay pin

(although we are using a MOSFET in
this case) to match our setup.

#define relay 5

To make it easier to change how long

the lock stays open later, we will create
a variable for it.

int lockDelay=10000;

We only need to make one more

change. Right at the bottom of the loop
method, buried in an if statement is the
method call granted(300). We need to
change this so that it uses our
lockDelay variable.

granted(lockDelay);

Save the sketch under a new name, and

upload it to your Arduino. When itʼs
finished, open the serial monitor. The
first time you do this, it will ask for you
to scan something to use as your
master card. Hold your card up to the
reader, and the UID of the card should
display on the serial monitor, along with
the message Everything Ready

Thatʼs it! Your master key is all set up.

Unplug your Arduino board from the
computer. Your master key details will
be saved in the Arduinoʼs EEPROM,
even after the power is turned off.

Testing the Full Setup

Take one last quick look over your
wiring to check everything is in place,
and connect your 12v power supply. At
this point, it is worth mentioning that
you should be wary of the duty cycle of
your solenoid. The cheap solenoid I am
using for this test does not have a 100
percent duty cycle, consequently it
should not be left in itʼs locked position
for long periods of time. To make this
into a permanent setup, use a 100
percent duty cycle solenoid. Even
better would be a normally closed (NC)
solenoid, which remains locked when it
is not powered. This also means that
anyone wanting to bypass the system
cannot simply unplug it!

When the circuit is powered up, the

Blue LED should light up to show that
the device is operational. Holding the
master card over the reader puts it in
admin mode should cause all three
LEDs to flash. While they are flashing
you can hold other cards or fobs over
the reader to add or take away access
rights. It will flash green for giving
access, and blue for taking away. Use
the master card again to exit admin
mode.

Now when you hold a card or fob with

access up to the reader it should flash
green and open the lock. If it flashes
red, access has been denied!

All Done!
While this project is a simple start in
using RFID devices in your DIY setup, it
is not the most secure setup. We donʼt
suggest jury rigging this to your front
door.

You could build the whole mechanism

into a box, and use the solenoid to lock
it. Fill the box with cookies, and use
your master key to decide who has
access and who doesnʼt. Become the
cookie master!

You could do away with the solenoid

altogether and attach an LED strip in itʼs
place, and have a RFID activated light.
You could use the same ideas to display
data like a Wi-Fi password to a small
screen when a card or fob with access
is held up to the reader.

Have you been using RFID in your set

ups at home? Let us know about your
projects in the comments section
below!

Image Credit: Annmarie Young via

Shutterstock.com