Anatomy of a Cloud-Connected Door Lock Prototype, Integrating NFC-Enabled Mobile Wallet Technologies

This paper analyses and describes the architecture and development of the required components for prototyping a cloud-connected smart lock that integrates with popular mobile phone ecosystems' native wallet applications, notably Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. The introduction presents the problem space of Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled smart lock technology, followed by the proposed technical solution. Then the paper describes the main components of the chosen solution: a vendor-built NFC reader that is compatible with the proprietary wallet technologies and certified by Apple and Google, a Raspberry Pi Zero single-board computer that serves as the controller for the door lock solution, and connects to both the NFC reader and the cloud service, a cloud-native Java and Spring Boot based RESTful API and service implementation, an easy-to-use JavaScript web application interface, and the cloud infrastructure that hosts the service and provides the essential communication fabric. In the last section, the challenges and limitations of the chosen solution are presented with improvement opportunities and recommendations for industrial implementation. This paper concentrates on the hardware and software components of a smart lock system, and it deems out of scope to discuss the physical aspects or locksmithing-related components of a door lock, different models of the door manufacturing industry, and the electrical wiring of deadbolts, and generally, the electricity landscape and necessities of buildings.