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RFID Door Lock

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Hey,

I recently got given a free old door lock that uses an RFID "key fob" to open it. The friend that ditched it to me pointed out that it has a Mini-B USB on the bottom of it which led me to believe it's programmable.

Seeing as I enjoy destroying/improving things through destruction, I thought I'd ask you guys for help.

Currently, I've just plugged a Mini-B USB into the bottom and plugged that into my computers USB ports just to see what would happen. A second after it's in, a small orange LED flashes on and then off, a short beep is heard and the door locks. I assume this is a safety feature?

So all I know so far is that if you supply ~5v, the door will lock. Where can I go from here? It'd be cool to be able to unlock it via USB. I also thought that if I could work out what I need to feed it to unlock/lock it, I could just use the USB of my Android phone with some app that I can make to lock and unlock which would be really cool.

I assume what I need to do is read what happens on that USB port when I unlock/lock it with a key. Then I can just replicate it with my phone/computer using a program to send a certain pulse and then it should be under my control, correct?


(As a side question, my android phone has 'NFC technology', which I assume is just RFID? Is there any way I could program my phone to send the correct pulses to get the door to unlock with that instead of USB?)

I hope you guys can help. This looks quite fun and a nice learning curve I think.
 
The door lock is probably programmable via the usb, ie you can add and delete 'keys' with it.
Unfortunately you'll probably need the software intended for that door lock, the manufacturer might supply you with it, however they maight be cagey in case your someone trying to do something naughty.
The lock will see the 5v or the númeration sequence from the host, and then time out after a while and go to a secure mode where it locks the door, that explains what your seeing.
Does your pc do the usual 'dee doo' like you get when you plug a usb device in, or does nothing happen, if the former then you might be able to get somewhere.
 
Yes, i think it would be possible to do that with your Android.

Like Dr pep mentined, it is very likely you will have to get the software required for this particular device. What brand is the lock? Check the google to find the home site. I'm sure there is a serial number of some sort on the lock, contact the manufacturer, supply with serial number etc, and maybe they will be able to assist you somehow. Tell them its a lock you salvaged and want to get it up and running
 
The door lock is probably programmable via the usb, ie you can add and delete 'keys' with it.
Unfortunately you'll probably need the software intended for that door lock, the manufacturer might supply you with it, however they maight be cagey in case your someone trying to do something naughty.
The lock will see the 5v or the númeration sequence from the host, and then time out after a while and go to a secure mode where it locks the door, that explains what your seeing.
Does your pc do the usual 'dee doo' like you get when you plug a usb device in, or does nothing happen, if the former then you might be able to get somewhere.

Yes, i think it would be possible to do that with your Android.

Like Dr pep mentined, it is very likely you will have to get the software required for this particular device. What brand is the lock? Check the google to find the home site. I'm sure there is a serial number of some sort on the lock, contact the manufacturer, supply with serial number etc, and maybe they will be able to assist you somehow. Tell them its a lock you salvaged and want to get it up and running

There is no 'dee doo' which sucks.

I did some more research into using my android phone as the key. I found out that I can't emulate the key using the phone but I can read it. So still pretty useless. :/
 
Does it send the fob number over the USB when you unlock the door with a fob ?

I assume to find that out, I should set up some kind of program that analyzes the USB activity?

I got the "TagID" and a couple of other weird information off of one of these broken keys that still seems to work (as in the casing is broken open, but the chip and antenna still work) by scanning it with my phone.
 
If you dont get the 'dee doo' then theres either no attempt to enumerate the usb device, or it has failed, so its very unlikely to get any comms to the pc.
Maybe the lock uses a non standard comms protocol or some security function to prevent non authorised connections.
 
If you dont get the 'dee doo' then theres either no attempt to enumerate the usb device, or it has failed, so its very unlikely to get any comms to the pc.
Maybe the lock uses a non standard comms protocol or some security function to prevent non authorised connections.

I guessed it was that, so it probably does need some kind of software. I doubt they would produce the lock and create a completely separate device to program it. Surely they just give all those that purchase the lock a software package for a laptop?

EDIT: I just found an etching on the side "nsp". A quick google search took me to https://www.nspsecurity.com.

I found 2 versions of this lock (using the images provided, so hopefully the websites fully up-to-date). It seems they're both "Online Systems" which has completely baffled me. This thing connects to the net apparently.

TCP/IP Version - **broken link removed**
RS485 Version - **broken link removed**

These look expensive. To think I was thinking of buying some tool to cut it open. :eek:

EDIT2: More searching led me to the same style of device, but it isn't an "Online System". I'm assuming this is more likely to be the lock I have as its previous home isn't likely to need such advanced security as an online lock.

Offline Version - **broken link removed**
 
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Check for hidden screws under lables and the like, and then see if the case just clips together, devices of that cost are often openable.
 
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