Hello, I’m trying to build a chip reader for my cat, so I can use automatizations with HA.
I’ve seen in this community some failed attempts to use standard RFID readers and a quick internet search tells me the most common frequencies for pet chips are 125-kHz and 134.2-kHz.
Can somebody tell me what HA-compatible RFID reader should I buy (I love ESPhome, so it could be ideal) so my cat would be able to open doors, get some food, be located and even send me a message to HA everytime he goes away?
Has anybody tried to build something like this? Are there any commercial solutions? I can only find chip readers, like the Vet’s one.
There are two main rfid frequencies, I bought a UHF “long range” reader from ebay and was going to attempt to read a surplus military rfid tag attached to the robot mower and open a gate for the mower but not the dog. Ended up not continuing with the project since the gate was heavy enough and the dog has shown zero interest in using it. That said, it wasn’t hard to talk to, it was just standard uart communication. The smaller pet tags should be 125Khz and I think are significantly smaller and cheaper.
Ya, Im aware of that. Are you aware of any rfid tracking integrations even remotely comparable to BT in available software, required hardware, and functionality? m not aware of any that do much more than use an rfid tag as a binary sensor which isny very usefu and the OP doesnt strike me as the type who can create custom integrations/add-ons so… Why not just use BT?
Biggest issue with ble beacons is the battery, rfid is passive, so you only have to power the transmitter/receiver. Trying to pick up a pet’s embedded tag, from a distance, isn’t possible though.
Embedded chips suck for what OP is trying to do and theres no existing framework for it anyway. Since it wasnt obvious, I was suggesting a better alternative.
Did you have something useful to contribute? I didnt see your answer on how to do what OP wants with rfid but, you seem very commited to playing out some fantasy of being the thought police and attacking helpful suggestions that would actually be possible?
I use a beacon on my dog and it lasts 18 months on average plus it flashes when low and I can see battery level in HA. The orher reason is, who have you ever seen walking around with an rfid reader? Ya, nobody ever.
Eveybody has a BT scanner on their phone and can see my dogs information on their phones BT devices but, lets keep hearing about rfid!
What device are you using and what integration are you using for it?
I bought a Pebblebee for my dog but I had difficulty getting HA to see it. I gave up and put it on my keys which as actually saved me oodles of time looking for them so it’s staying on there. (I set off the beeper from my phone). I found out after that it is probably because I activated the Pebblebee on the app which makes it stop advertising it’s MAC?
I was really hoping I would be able to have a device that HA could use as a tracker for automations and would also be in the Google Find Device network in case doggo ever made an escape attempt. Doesn’t look like such a thing exists yet, it’s an either or right now.
Anyway, I’m looking for something for tracking the dog home/away. I might just get another Pebblebee and not activate it.
USB trackers depend on other phones nearby have the app installed on their phones. Works pretty good in an urban environment, not so well in the suburbs, and not at all in the country.
The Pebblebee is a BLE tracker that works on Google’s Find My Device network. Not perfect but better than nothing and certainly better than spending big bucks for a gps tracker and a subscription or sim data. I live in a city so I’d probably get a general idea where he’s at. At least that’s what I figure.
I mainly want it so HA knows if I took the dog with me or not. Lights, doggie TV coming on etc. etc. Escapee tracking was a secondary thought. It’s not really likely. He’s a good boy
So not activating means I get a hopefully reliable inexpensive bluetooth tracker that works with for what I really wanted it for in the first place.
I would also like to be able to get something integrated into home assistant that reads my cats’ embedded microchip.
BLE is great, but wasn’t what the thread asked about. For me, BLE isn’t a sufficient solution because one of my cats won’t wear a collar under any circumstances.
My use case is
I park my car in the garage
cats have access to garage via an interior door which they can open themselves because it doesn’t latch well
when I want to drive my car I have to figure out where the cats are and chase them out of the garage so that I can open the garage door. Same upon return, which can be quite a pain.
An “mvp” would be to have something that could tell me definitively whether the cats are in the garage or not. Nice to have would be something that could lock them out while I’m gone or chase them out if they’re in there.
I am able to read my cats’ chips with a flipper zero, but yes, it does require having the flipper zero pressed right up against the spot where the chip is.
I think the easiest solution is going to be to fix the door latch and get one of the cat doors that reads microchips, but those are pricey and I figure if they can build it so can I.
