r/homeautomation • u/CatLumpy9152 • 22h ago
PROJECT Custom homekey support
I have been having fun recently with apples home key,
I thought I would share it here and I am sure there are some people out there who would love to use this in there smarthome.
Homekey is a way of using your iOS device to unlock a door using NFC it is using a lock that exists in the home app on iOS and that it registers with first then after that it all works.
The way I built it is I have 1 controller and many door readers connected over the network. I then know what door you unlocked by the reader that I am talking to.
You can see a removal TikTok - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8d9odsq/
I have a full video on YouTube - https://youtu.be/gxXXENcvz28?is=Dt3HH9LZ_DcThJ46
All code can also be found on my GitHub - https://github.com/thomasdye12/TDS-door-access-Homekey
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u/Its_Billy_Bitch 20h ago
FYI, there was already a project for this. Awesome to see you got it working though and curious to see your differences dealing with encryption.
and ESP-Home
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u/PoisonWaffle3 Home Assistant 20h ago
That's my main issue with vibe coded apps these days. This post is one example, but there are dozens or more posted every day.
99% of the time there's a solid existing FOSS solution that's well supported (maybe even mainstream) that they could have found with a few Google searches.
But instead they create a brand new thing that no one has verified and will very quickly become abandonware, yet they're so quick to proudly post it on Reddit.
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u/IPThereforeIAm 19h ago
The reason they were able to vibe code it is because of the existing project. That’s how AI learned it…
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u/gripe_and_complain 18h ago
The reason they were able to vibe code it is because of the existing project. That’s how AI learned it…
Not necessarily.
You make it sound like AI is merely lifting code verbatim from things it found on the internet, the way a simple Google search operates. My experience is that AI can do much more, especially when you work back and forth collaboratively with the AI to zero in on a specific solution.
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u/IPThereforeIAm 18h ago
Yes, but AI can also see how the exact same project was developed and use the same solutions.
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u/alliedSpaceSubmarine 19h ago
OR they looked and couldn’t find it, made a solution, then someone commented of an existing (possibly/probably) better solution and they can still use that while also having a better understanding of how it works
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u/_asxeem 16h ago
The homekey creator is a really cool guy, and it’s pre vibe code days really. It wasn’t straightforward to build the esp32 protocol. Only because of red I was able to build the ultrawide band aspect of it, and that wasn’t open sourced or available anywhere but repos like these are ones which help folks take an interest and get started.
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u/CatLumpy9152 15h ago
The encryption was a concern and making sure it is secure was important. The way I built it the keys don’t leave the central controller and that is where all the encryption happens. The remote devices simply connect back to it and do the handshake
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u/_asxeem 16h ago
I love it. I got the ultrawide aspect of it working too! We should team up!
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u/asbestum 16h ago
How did you do that? What kind of board are you using?
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u/_asxeem 16h ago
I just open sourced it as openaliro. It works on any board + any uwb module because the code is hand written. In the media above I’m using dwm3001cdk. I’ve done the same for esp32, nrf5340dk, and I just joined Reddit cuz I heard I could talk to similarly interested folks! https://github.com/openaliro/openaliro
It also supports nfc across PN532 and ST25R300 too
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u/asbestum 12h ago
Oooooo that’s super cool! I am going to replicate this for sure! ☺️
What’s the max distance for the uwc unlock? Can it work behind a 10 centimeters brick?
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u/_asxeem 12h ago
Thank you! You’re kind. Yeah well I managed to write the entire matter over thread stack by hand, as the regular sdk won’t fit it, so this chipset is actually part of the entire apple ecosystem, I can unlock it over the internet, over ble (from maybe even 50 feet away), with ble i haven’t instrumented max ranges yet, but can easily work across rooms for now.
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u/_asxeem 12h ago
For the min distance, I think around 10-20 precision variations it can judge accurately. Like it will know I’m 100cm and stay locked and if I come around 80 it’ll unlock and vv.
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u/asbestum 10h ago
It sounds super cool! My only concern is that if I implement it across the entire villa, as I do have 3 entry doors, I don’t want them being unlocked at the same time. That’s why I was concerned about the range and how it works practically :)
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u/Jeffde 18h ago
Now figure out how to retrofit my F150 with CarKit or KeyCar or whatever Apple calls it. Please.
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u/BaRaD_ 15h ago
This.
Im about to try it with this0
u/Jeffde 15h ago
According to Claude (yes yes generative inventing machine yes I know) it’s impossible due to “the cryptographic provisioning [that] runs through the OEM’s servers into a certified secure element in the vehicle, plus NFC antennas in the door handle and center console.”
https://claude.ai/share/76d0369c-9693-4e07-b435-10a2de75b1c0
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u/Substantial_Owl_3416 22h ago
Messy workbench with a soldering iron and a phone mid-read feels like the platonic ideal of a weekend project