[hackerspaces] RFC: security alarm and access control systems in use

[bownes]

At the CoG, we are using an off the shelf card system but are implementing our own rfid system for the new building.  Cost and flexibility are the motivations. We need to control >10 doors, >10 locking cabinets, and a similar number of machine tools, 3d printers, etc. 

Nothing on the market will drive that many doors that for under $$$$. The building system that was quoted handled 12 doors and was >$30k. And it went up exponentially from there. Not to mention it was a closed system so we could not tie it into our CRM/member management system. 

The result is a system based on COTS hardware (Commercial door strikers, magnetic locks, card readers, biometric scanners, TiVa C and Ethernet relay boards) and an open API. 

Komradebob 

> On Jun 16, 2015, at 10:49, Shirley Hicks <shirley at velochicdesign.com> wrote:
> 
> The Red Mountain Makerspace has been using a commercial APT system in March, in combination with keyed locks.
> 
> Yes, this is not terribly hackerish, but we needed to get infrastructure in place in a relatively short period of time to deal with some real security concerns. We're in an old building in a transitioning neighborhood. We need to grow our org as quickl to address real community needs for tech education, exploration and community development, so we've chosen to pay for services that will take time and skill to develop, while using the inhouse talent pool to complete tasks within their existing skillsets. 
> 
> Going with a commercial solution for the next few years allows us to focus on growing our introductory circuitry, 3D printing, CNC, open source and programming offerings and to support development of the local tech community. Our plan is to switch to RFID cards tied to membership dues payment within the next nine months. (we'll probably get it done sooner, but we are practicing allowing for the worst and working towards the best possible outcomes).
> 
> Shirley Hicks
> Secretary/Business Admin/Programmer/Maker
> Red Mountain Makers
> http://www.redmountainmakers.org
> Twitter: @redmountainmake
> Facebook: Red Mountain Makers
> Meetup: meetup.com/redmountainmakers
> 
>  
>> On Jun 15, 2015, at 8:14 PM, Paul Brown <paul90brown at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> "Hackerspace people are among the most likely to know how laughable security is with them, yet so many hackerspaces use them?"
>> 
>> Here's a good podcast that covers a related topic: http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/perfect-security/
>> 
>> tl;dr: "It’s not just locks that keep us safe—it’s the existing social order."
>> 
>> 
>>> On Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 7:47 PM, Brett Dikeman <brett.dikeman at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> A hackerspace I belong to has probably hit the point of needing an alarm and access control system. I'm wondering what good solutions have been created - what the "state of the art" is in hackerspace security these days.
>>> 
>>> https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Doorlock
>>> 
>>> It'd be awesome if that were updated with any new projects - and if some of the existing writeups could be updated or better documented; a number of them say "this writeup needs to get updated" or the writeup is super sparse. This is a very common and basic need, so more info/guidance would be very beneficial. Not just what people have made, but tradeoffs, lessons learned, mistakes made, etc.
>>> 
>>> Also: why do so many of these hackerspace access control systems use RFID / proximity cards? Hackerspace people are among the most likely to know how laughable security is with them, yet so many hackerspaces use them? It's...weird.
>>> 
>>> -B
>>> 
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>> 
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