Application of NFC for ACL-enabled doors

Currently, the doors of CIC are fitted with micro-computers, which allow them to be locked and unlocked electronically via an app running on occupants' smartphones. The current version of this Android app communicates with the door through a server (via WIFI or 3G networks) to allow the user to unlock the door.

Problem with this approach

The phone needs to connect to the server before it is able to unlock the door. The act of the user opening the door suggests that the user has recently been mobile and reached the door momentarily before attempting to unlock it. This leads to significant latency (~5 secs) due to the phone having to activate its 3G connection or find the nearest Wireless access point.

Solution

We propose to replace the connection to the door via the server and have the phone directly communicate with the door micro-computer via NFC. This approach will reduce the latency by a substantial amount.