Wireless door access system with face verification

A traditional door access system using a keycard uses wired cables from many door units to the backend server for authentication. The system installation is thus time consuming and costly in a large floor area with many rooms. Besides, the hardware and software in the system are proprietary to each company offering the product. This prevents the user from extending the system or replacing door access units by using components of another company. In this work, we design and implement a wireless door access system where the door units communicate with the backend server over a wireless network. To achieve better security and performance, the authentication is based on both a student/employee ID card and an image snapshot for face verification. The wireless implementation allows for much easier installation and system extension. The system is built from custom off-the-shelf hardware components and open-source software, which facilitate in-house implementation of the door units to replace broken units or to add new units to the system. The system has functioned successfully as designed.