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

[Pete Prodoehl]

Any info on how you are doing the system? We've discussed using RFID for 
machine access multiple times but no one has stepped up to design (or 
build, or fund) a system yet.


Pete


On 6/16/15 10:14 AM, bownes wrote:
>
> 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 
> <mailto: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 <http://www.redmountainmakers.org/>
>> Twitter: @redmountainmake
>> Facebook: Red Mountain Makers
>> Meetup: meetup.com/redmountainmakers 
>> <http://meetup.com/redmountainmakers>
>>
>>
>> On Jun 15, 2015, at 8:14 PM, Paul Brown <paul90brown at gmail.com 
>> <mailto: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 <mailto: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
>>>