Android Virtual Doorman Hackery
You don’t need to be rich to enjoy the finer things in life – like a doorman at your place of work to allow employees in and keep the riff raff out… you just need some Android-coding computer geeks, a Linksys router, and a little creativity:
I could try to explain the entire process to you but to give you an idea of the complexity here is one image from their “how we did it” article:
I definitely recommend reading the entire article from Sunlight Labs, but it was also summed up nicely by Engadget:
It all centers around a Linksys WRT54GL, a Linux-based wireless router that, with a little firmware hackery and a bit of wiring, was tethered into the office’s door release buzzer. The team then went about allowing SSH access to the router and created Android and iPhone apps that instantly connect to the device and open the door, authenticated by a PIN and a unique ID assigned to each device. Users can also deliver their PIN via SMS or a simple phone call to open the door. Elegant, impressive, open source, and one less thing to forget on a Monday morning when groggily heading to the office.
Alright… so who wants to make one for my house?