Wifi based Garage door type clicker

Wireless & IoT
1

I am in alittle for my head and would like some guidance.

I would like to build a garare door type clicker that would communication the fact that the button had been clicked to a PC based server app via socket communications using wifi.

Long battery life and ease of programming would be the most important features. There are variet yof wifi enabled devices on the website but was wondering where I should start.

Thanks for any advice.

2

We have an article coming in the very next version of Make magazine that shows how to make a garage door opener using XBee, a ConnectPort gateway and Android. We also plan to have a web interface ready, and maybe a PC app that can be substituted for the ConnectPort for starters.

Let me know offline if you would like access to a draft copy.

3

I hope your XBee garage door opener uses rolling code or some such. The XBee’s AES encryption in the MAC layer like any such encryption with static keys, is vulnerable to a replay attack. Not that there is such an evil-doer lurking, but it’s something to be mindful of.

4

There’s a frame counter employed to protect against replay attacks.

5

I made one using a Linux server and a wifi controller (called a WiFly). I posted it on Sparkfun back in January. viewtopic.php?f=14&t=31235

My full write-up (including schematics and build details) can be found here: http://www.dinnovative.com/?p=163

I find the RN-XV to be a better choice than an XBee because it is Wifi network aware and only requires one unit (assuming you already have a wifi network at home).

Good luck!!

tod

6

Neat project! There’s also an XBee WiFi now, BTW. We chose the Series 2 so that it would work with a ConnectPort X2 gateway for an even more simple connection and expandability into a full-home ZigBee network. But WiFi would work as well.