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Reply With QuoteAll i got to say is... U figure it out.. Write a tut.. tell us the parts and cost.. and u will be one of my best friends.. ive always wanted these features......... Good luck bro!!!
Hey guys, I have decided to go ahead with the RFID Tag system.
I will post my progress in this thread, and this is also where you guys can post your questions.
The system will have 2 parts, a passive or active (whatever turns out better) RFID chip inside my key, or a key FOB. The second part will be an active RFID reader located within the car. Based on the RFID tags, the car will respond accordingly. I will use switched relays to control what the RFID activates. Example: In the summer I like the windows down instead of AC, so I keep the switch for the windows on, and they roll down before I get into the car. In the winter, this feature would be shitty, because I'd have to roll up all the windows before I go anywhere.
1) Have a set of switches that control the system. Each switch will turn a feature on and off. The features so far are as follows.
- Car doors unlock when key is within range
- Windows roll down when within range
- Car starts when within range (remote start would be needed)
2) OEM Key and security chip should remain intact (unless I go remote start option)
3) Don't spend more than $100US for everything.
I am going to keep the OEM ignition system intact, so if worse comes to worse I can always start the car with the key. I figure that the RFID tag will always be with the key anyway, so making it a kill switch for the ignition is pointless.
Hardware
This system comes with 2 RFID tags and a reader, however the antenna distance is very short. I may be able to increase the distance by powering the antenna with a higher voltage, or making the antenna larger. I am going to contact the manufacturer and see whether they have a more powerful reader.
The system also runs off 12vDC which is a plus for car applications. I have to research the wattage on the system, it may kill the battery too quickly (it is very likely it will have no affect on the battery)
The whole system is $50US, so this project seems feasible.
I know a lot of new car alarm systems use RF to communicate with the FOB about what is going on with the car. This leads me to believe that with the right antenna RF signal car go much further than I need.
Research
These guys made a RFID reader for a door. It is not the same situation, because they are communicating with a PC, but it has a lot of technical data that will help me figure this out.
http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/e...tm#Introduction
All i got to say is... U figure it out.. Write a tut.. tell us the parts and cost.. and u will be one of my best friends.. ive always wanted these features......... Good luck bro!!!
What is a RFID?
x2
Radio Frequency Identification Tag
An electronic wireless key
Ahhh....so basically you want to do stuff just by being within a certain distance from the car like a Mercedez Benz.
Exactly.
Hell that's a cool ass feature. Where did you purchase the kit from?
Man I like to turn on my car and let it warm up before I get to the car.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag is an object that can be attached to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. Chip-based RFID tags contain silicon chips and antennas. Passive tags require no internal power source, whereas active tags require a power source.
From Wikipedia.
I didn't buy it yet, I am still researching the best way to go. Either get a kit or piece it together.
There are a few possible frequencies to pick from, and a few standards in place (more options means easier to mess up), so I will prolly buy that kit, and maybe another RFID reader for better distance.
You can do all these things with a good remote start and a bunch of relays. But a remote start is much more expensive than 50US and the install would be as hard or harder.
Pretty much I am looking for the hands free "I'm a lazy bastard" approach to this. Just walk up to my car, and like 10 feet away the doors unlock, it starts and the windows go down. Once I get to where ever I'm going I get out, and the car windows go up, she locks and off it goes as I walk away.
I could do it with the push of the button, but hell anyone could pay an install shop to do that for them. I like building stuff, and this seems like it is a cool project.
My brother is a professional installer, so I may need to lean on him to get it all in there, but ohh well I'll count it for a win under my belt if it gets done.
dude, GREAT!!! i like the way you've explained it. make it understandable.
Please do continue and keep us updated.
That link you posted, you said they did it to a door by connecting the RFID to a computer. So if we have a carputer, couldn't we potentially follow the same process?
I already have Remote start on my car so i'm really following this closely. May even take part in the research if i find the time.
-Pedro
i've seen kits for doors on ebay for as low as 30 bucks shipped. they are for like building doors but run on 12vdc so i might be able to use it for a car. only problem i see so far is range like u stated, and from what i saw it was like 15cm so u'd have to put it in one of the doors and then like walk up to that specific door for a door to open.
Yeah the range is usually ~3-5 inches.
Thats why I have been researching active RFID keys. Their effective range is much, much further (some go as far as up to 1/4 mile!). I want this to work well, I don't want it to sorta work when it feels like it. I may have to piece a system together.
sucess!!
here's a kit that uses rfid and the price isn't all that bad. well, its a car alarm but u can rig it up to make it work. i mean u can rig it up normally and have it lock doors, or you could rig it up to roll up your windows instead.
Thanks pinoy
That is almost a perfect match for what I am trying to do. I just need to look and see what the effective distance is.
If it is ~10 ft +/- than I will buy it. I will then continue with the other parts of my project (remote start possibly, and a switch panel to control the realys)
The price isn't too bad at all.
a problem with remote start on RFID is if lets say you wanted to get the mail, and you walk by your car with your keys in your pocket, the car would start. and then turn off when u get to the mail box. then when you walk by the car again to go back into the house the car would start again, and then when u get to the house, it would turn off. and lets say your wife had a key also and she got home. when she walks by your car to go into the house, the car would start. and then when she goes back out to leave and again walks by the car, the car would start. so you'd have to figure out how to turn off and on the rfid. that alarm module has a feature where you can turn off and on the rfid. but if you're gonna use it for a remote starter, isn't it just as easy to just press a button to start the car, than pressing a button to turn on the rfid so the car would start when you're near?
Pretty much the way I wanted to set it up. Is the RFID connected to the remote start via a relay. And have a switch that turns that relay on or off.
The RFID would be relayed to the locks, so naturally the car unlocks when you get close to it, and another relay coming off the RFID would be used for the other features (one relay per feature). With inline switches on the relays you can turn each specific relay on or off via a switch board.
That way I can have the car remote start only when I want it too. Pretty much I wouldn't hardly ever use that feature, but I know that I would like the windows to roll up/down and the locks going unlocked.
I don't really walk by my car ever, unless I'm going to my car. My yard is huge so it's a little bit of a walk over there to the garage.
Its getting cold, and I know I will use remote start for winter, hooking it to the RFID is just pretty much for very limited circumstances, where I want it to specifically do that, I wouldn't leave it on all the time.
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