Home Hacking Projects for Geeks

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Part III: Home Security

Project Overview

To be honest, the Kwikset lock is

pretty darn cool all by itself. If you’re

just interested in keyless entry, you’ll

probably be happy just buying this

lock and installing it according to

the manufacturer’s instructions. But

how geeky is

that? We can go much

further. For example, I like how the

interior light in my car goes on when

I unlock the car with my keychain

remote. With a little ingenuity I can

make my house do the same thing.

I have the following three goals for

this project:

• I want visual confirmation that

the house is locked. The dead-

bolt already supplies this as a

small LED on the lock bezel,

but I want more. I’d like some

lights to flash, like the parking

lights on my car, to tell me that

the house is locked. After all,

I could be halfway down the

driveway when I remember to

lock the door.

• I want lights to come on when

I unlock the door. Moreover, I

Figure 11-1. Conceptual diagram of

the keyless remote access system with

convenience features.

want the choice of which lights to illuminate to be somewhat intelligent.

For example, if I unlock the house in broad daylight, there’s obviously

no need to illuminate the outside of the house. But very late at night I’d

like a path to my bedroom illuminated, not just the entry area.

• If I lock the house ...