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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 ...