Can I set this system up on home assistant?
We are a community based workshop.
Implementing safety procedures We want to implement use controls over certain machine…
1-members are registered into system and are provided a RFID access fob.
2-member to register daily attendance using RFID fob…
3-some machines require the user to complete safety training before using machine, when a user has completed machine safety training they are permitted to use that machine.
4-the power to each machine is controlled by a relay and RFID reader.
5-power to machine is energised using RFID which activates relay.
This is similar to a access control system with RFID by each door, with permissions provided to users at central control panel.
Home Assistant is a hobbyists’ system which requires constant maintenance. There are monthly upgrades and weekly bug fixes - the expectation is that most users will probably tinker with it on a daily basis.
It is intended primarily for domestic use. It is not suitable for safety critical applications and system access security is not a feature.
A dedicated volunteer with OCD to handle the paperwork and a master key to the locked power switches may be hard to substitute with automation.
Are there money implications with attendance and machine usage time?
You can use HomeAssistant to detect RFID swipes. That becomes your presence sensor, except how are you going to know whether a swipe is a Swipe-On or Swipe-Off? Do you have a RED/GREEN indicator associated with the RFID reader? What happens when users forget to swipe off? Do you wipe their current permissions at the end of the day, and they have to swipe on again tomorrow? Do you also have to swipe off when you have finished using a machine, or does each swipe permit you a certain usage time? Will your RFID card need to remain in the reader to keep the machine powered on? What if you need to have two machines going at the same time and monitor both? How to prevent another user coming over and just using a pre-approved powered up machine?
Looking up a separate table of skills for different machines for each user becomes your next challenge. A one to many skills relationship.
You will need to maintain a table of required skill level for each device. A one to possibly many table too.
The VENN diagram for when all conditions align permits power on for that device.
Who has control over adding/changing/ deleting user skills? Adding/deleting RFID cards? Adding/changing skills needed for each machine? Are you going to modify yaml code or edit database tables direct, or put a custom GUI over the top of it? How will you prevent unauthorised access to this?
HomeAssistant has very few layered security controls to prevent users changing things, and you will find this is the stumbling block you will have that will possibly steer you towards other solutions.
The hardware aspect is certainly doable. How you do the logic and GUI is your bigger challenge.
If you make it too cumbersome, users will not use it.