Development of an RFID-Based Automatic Door System Using the ESP8266 Microcontroller

Abstract

Automatic door systems have become an effective solution for improving access security compared with conventional mechanical locks. This study aims to develop an RFID-based automatic door system using the ESP8266 microcontroller as the main controller. The proposed system integrates an ESP8266 NodeMCU, RFID RC522 reader, relay module, 12 V solenoid door lock, and a 16×2 I2C LCD to provide user authentication and automatic door locking. This research employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach consisting of system design, hardware and software implementation, and functional testing using the Black Box Testing method. The testing results demonstrated that the RFID RC522 successfully identified registered RFID cards while rejecting unauthorized cards. Furthermore, the ESP8266 processed authentication data correctly, controlled the relay and solenoid door lock, and displayed system status on the LCD. All hardware and software components operated according to the system design, indicating that the developed prototype functioned reliably as an access control system. Therefore, the proposed RFID-based automatic door system can improve room security and provide a practical solution for electronic access control. Future work may include database integration, access logging, and Internet of Things (IoT)-based remote monitoring.