Anybody have ideas how to electronically determine the status of deadbolts (locked/unlocked)? I would like to integrate this into my alarm system but not sure what would work. Maybe set a magnet into the bolt to trip a reed switch when extended? Looking for ideas that others have deployed and are working.
Status of exterior door/gate locks
- Thread starter robolo
- Start date
I added infrared emitter/detectors to all my outside doors and they have worked flawlessly for 10 years now.
To mount the emitter/detector pair, the wood can be cut away with a Dremel tool to make
a small trough for the emitter on one side and the detector on the other side. You can see
in the following picture the wires going through a hole in the back of the door frame.
The lower unit cannot be seen from this angle. Glue gun glue can be used to secure the
sensors in place.
The schematic looks like this
If I had to do it again I might look at using a high power magnet at the end of the deadbolt. I suspect it would be faster/easier.
To mount the emitter/detector pair, the wood can be cut away with a Dremel tool to make
a small trough for the emitter on one side and the detector on the other side. You can see
in the following picture the wires going through a hole in the back of the door frame.
The lower unit cannot be seen from this angle. Glue gun glue can be used to secure the
sensors in place.
The schematic looks like this
If I had to do it again I might look at using a high power magnet at the end of the deadbolt. I suspect it would be faster/easier.
I was also thinking the microswitch was a good idea with mounting it like this to eliminate alignment issues and to ensure the deadbolt is sensed as locked even if it is not all the way (sometimes my electronic deadbolts don't close all the way) This might require carving a slope to the deadbolt to make sure there is a smooth transition.
