You are talking like this is a new kind of thing. I could not do what it is you just did and your presentation is pretty good - short, to the point and demonstrates everything that needs to be shown - but what differentiates this from other similar products?
The primary motivation for my client is that existing RFID door access systems cost $500 per door, require an electrician to install (another $200 per door), and another few thousand dollars for the servers. Further, they don't give they granular control over user access, nor do they provide detailed logs. In other words, they can give a certain keycard access to a certain room and not another room, but they can't give them access between 8am and 9am (for a conference room, or laser cutter) and block everyone else during that time.
They actually talked to the major keycard entry providers and found that they were unwilling to give them more access to the system even if they paid extra for it.
This setup, right now, costs $270 and people can buy it and build it themselves now (it'll be open source). Once the parts and pieces are custom designed onto a single circuit board I expect the cost for a unit (including door strike) to fall down to around $150, and even if we marked it up significantly it would still be half the cost per door of a traditional system.
Further, since it's powered over low voltage ethernet you don't need to pay an electrician to come and wire power to the door - get your IT guy or local hacker to drop an ethernet line to the door and both power and data come to the same spot.
Lastly, the API, server, and software that runs on this unit will all be open source, so there are no server fees for most people who already have web servers or computers lying around that can be left on all the time. They can develop their own special purpose software if needed, log what they want, and provide very specific and customizable access patterns.
This system particularly targets coworking facilities and maker shops. A coworking office is a shared office - everyone pays a monthly fee and they come and work at the coworking facility. There are a lot of benefits to doing this rather than working out of home, but I'll let you google that if you're curious. The in addition to open workspaces, the local facility has conference rooms, meeting rooms, classrooms, and a few other resources which can't easily be shared. They have to be reserved, and occasionally there are conflicts. Further, use of conference rooms and some other resources require a higher monthly fee or a one time fee. This system not only allows access to the building, but integrates with the conference room reservation system so that only the person who has reserved it has access.
Maker shops (techshop is one example of a maker shop) allow their members to use laser cutters, large format printers, vehicle bays, electronic test equipment, etc so people don't have to pay thousands of dollars for a tool they are only going to use occasionally. They have complex rules for using equipment, though. Some machines require training before they can be operated by the user, and other machines require maintenance and materials on an ongoing basis, so they have a per-hour cost in addition to the membership fee. Further, some popular machines (such as the laser cutter) require reservations, similar to the conference rooms in coworking facilities. So this system can control each machine. You walk up to a machine, bring your card near the reader, and as long as it's not reserved (or you hold the reservation), and you've passed the training for it, then it'll turn the machine on and log the hours you used it. If the machine has a per hour fee then the server can add that automatically to your monthly bill.
So the primary advantages are:
- Low cost
- Fine grain control
- Extensive access logs
- Machine and resource control (ie, not simply door lock)
Eventually, as we get closer to having this ready for sale, I'll likely put together a more comprehensive video explanation.
