Abstract:

Nowadays, it is essential to ensure that only certain people have access to some resources or objects, both in physical and electronic systems. Access control has three main segments: identification, authentication and authorization. The first one determines the identity of the person trying to access the system, the second one verifies whether the person is really who they claim to be, and the third one determines the level of rights of that user, i.e. to which services they are allowed to access.

There are several authentication methods, and one of commonly used is with a Near Field Communication (NFC) card. It is used in banking or other electronic data processing systems, public transport, entering protected facilities / buildings and many other occasions. The advantage of NFC technology is the uniqueness of the key, which cannot be easily copied, but it is a disadvantage if one person intentionally gives the card to another person or it is stolen. Reading a person's biometric characteristics (fingerprint, palm print, retinal scan), is used for high-risk objects because it is more reliable, but requires more complex readers. In many companies, by installing simple NFC card readers, records of working hours can be kept by reading cards when arriving and leaving work. Also, the executor of certain work tasks will be recorded if reading the card is required to the start some process, or simply for opening the door of the room where the task should be performed. The processing of such records, as well as enabling access to data or some objects to certain users and prohibiting others, is provided by a software application installed on the control unit. The card reader and the control unit can be a single device made specifically according to the user's requirements, or ready-made commercial solutions.

During the education of STEM students, especially professional studies in the field of electrical engineering or computing, emphasis is placed on the development of practical skills that enable them to make their own devices with widely available and affordable components. This paper presents the experiences of the teachers of the University North in motivating and guiding students towards the independent development of such devices. This comes to the fore during the preparation of the final exam, as shown with the example of creating a reader and access control system with user registration and connection to the private database.

Keywords:

Access control, authorization, database, Near Field Communication.