Case studies

A Modern Home with a Biometric Door Lock (1/9/2007)

By Richard Lopez, IteQ

Building work was well on the way by the time anything was mentioned of the door lock. The insurance company insisted on a five-lever dead lock yet the client had concerns that his kids, even though grown up, would forget to lock the door. When I suggested installing an electronic lock with a fingerprint reader, the owner replied that he had already enquired about a biometric system but cost and aesthetics deterred him from installing one in his new home.

The most obvious and practical reason for having a biometric system at home is that you no longer have to worry about losing keys or forgetting them. Searching at the bottom of a bag when it's raining hard or fiddling in deep pockets is a thing of the past. Giving your cleaner access (if you're lucky enough to afford one) becomes simple, especially if you decide to change cleaner and have concerns that a copy of your key was made. So now all you do is just delete them off the system, et voila!

With that said, and demonstrating the system, he was convinced that it was right for his home.

Installation

Installation of the biometric door lock caused some bemusement, in particular with the building contractor. The principle is like any other electronic lock - instead of a traditional swipe or key fob, the fingerprint reader takes its place. He still wasn't convinced.

The Ekey TOCAhome is a stand alone biometric fingerprint system that is designed for private and small- to medium-sized businesses. There are two options. A single relay or three-relay system. The three relay system can be used for three applications such as opening the main gate, garage door, and of course the front door.

The Ekey TOCAhome biometric fingerprint reader.

The wiring topology is easy. From the indoor control unit to the fingerprint reader it requires just two twisted pairs. Then depending on which model, just one twisted pair per relay.

The biggest issue on this install was how to provide power to the lock which was to be placed in the middle of a double-leaf door. There are several ways to transfer power from the frame to the door. External door loop, internal door loop or an electronic transfer module which is similar to an alarm door contact but with two pins that make contact when the door is closed.

The carpenter did a very good job of installing the internal door loop. With such an expensive door, drilling a long hole from the loop to the lock on site wasn't recommended, so a groove was made around the door along which the wire was placed, then covered with the door brushes to make it invisible.

Part of the power connection to door.

With this done, the rest was easy. All that was required was to fix the fingerprint reader at the desired location, connect the wires and supply the power. Then it's just a matter of enrolling each user.

Conlcusion

Finally, when the building contractor tried the biometric door lock, he had to admit he liked it. The client tells me that it became such a talking point that even the local paper wrote an article on how it would impress James Bond. A year on, the system has been trouble-free and no one has ever locked themselves out, lost their keys or forgot to lock it.

Equipment list

1 x Ekey TOCAhome.
1 x 24V PSU.
1 x 24V electronic door release.

Richard Lopez is the Managing Director of IteQ Limited. IteQ offers expert advice that gives inspiration for any building project while introducing new technologies.

www.iteqliving.com