Clever Card kit review

In this issue of The MagPi we have a tutorial on creating an automation system with Bluetooth tags, using the Pi Zero W’s built-in Bluetooth connection to detect Bluetooth signals (page 22). This project is based on the concept of key cards and other contactless RFID technology. Now, thanks to this kit, you can easily create your own Pi-based RFID projects.

This article was written by Rob Zwetsloot and appears in The MagPi #61.

This simple, cheap kit allows you to add an RFID reader to a Raspberry Pi. It comes with six RFID-compatible cards and an RFID key fob. Being a Monk Makes kit, it also comes with some other goodies to help you play with your new project, including a push button and an RGB LED. The lovely printed booklet that comes with the kit includes instructions for projects that use the extra goodies, and takes you through the easy Python code needed to set up the reader.

The book starts with some basic projects and finishes off with a special ‘Monopoly’ project, which allows you to assign money to each RFID card and play the game without using stacks of cash.

It’s a wonderful little kit, and it’s so easy to use. The projects in the book require absolutely zero soldering – although if you want to make something a little more complex, you can always get your soldering iron out. It doesn’t require much extra software installation either, so we had the reader up and running in no time. Finally, the inclusion of the cards and key fob are very welcome – we already have some ideas for projects using these in the future.

And did we mention that it’s only £15? That’s a bargain any day of the week.

Last word

5/5

A really fun kit idea from Monk Makes that does a great job of teaching you how to use RFID readers, and inspires you to go out and do much more with the technology.