Page |1

PROJECT REPORT
ON

PRE WARNING AUTOMATIC

RAILWAY CROSSING
A Fifth semester project submitted for the evaluation of the
5 semester course TCV503(Embedded Software Testing lab)
th

PROJECT REPORT
to be submitted by

SAMARTH GUPTA
YOGRNDRA
SHIVAM RATHORE
VIVEK RAJ
B.Voc (TELECOM)
1904770
19047
19047
19047
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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
DAYALBAGH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE
DAYALBAGH
AGRA(UP)-282005
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INDEX
DECLARATION 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 4
ABSTRACT 5
CHAPTER-1 (INTRODUCTION)
1. BACKGROUND, CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY............................................................6
2. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS...........................................................................................................8
3. PROBLEM STATEMENT..................................................................................................................9
4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY.........................................................................................................10
5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY......................................................................................................10

CHAPTER-2( REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE)

1.INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................11
2. EMPIRICAL REVIEW.....................................................................................................................11
3. THEORETICAL LITERATURE..........................................................................................................11

CHAPTER-3 METHODOLOGY (SYSTEM STUDY, HARDWARE AND

SOFTWARE DESIGN
3.1 STUDY OF SYSTEM COMPONENTS.................................................................................................28
3.1.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................28
3.1.2 LIST OF COMPONENTS............................................................................................................28
3.3 SOFTWARE DESIGN........................................................................................................................31
3.3.1 XAMPP Control Panel (DATABASE).........................................................................................31

CHAPTER-4 SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS

AND CONCLUSION
4.1 DISCUSSION...................................................................................................................................33
4.2 CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................33
4.3 LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATION........................................................................................34

CONCLUSION & FUTURE SCOPE 35

REFERENCES 36
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30001895771
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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work in this project is my own except for
quotations and summaries which have been duly acknowledged.
The project has not been accepted for any degree and is not
concurrently submitted for award of other degree.

Name: Samarth Gupta

Yogendra
Shivam Rathore
Vivek Raj
Roll no:1904770
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It gives me immense pleasure to express my deepest sense of

gratitude and sincere thanks to my highly respected and esteemed
guide Ms. Manisha Gupta for her valuable guidance, encouragement
and help for completing this work. Her useful suggestions for this
whole work and co-operative behavior are sincerely acknowledged.

I am grateful to my teachers for their constant support and guiding. I

am very thankful for their constant moral support and criticism
which prove to be very helpful in completion of this project.
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ABSTRACT

This project is developed by using Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID) system and student card to get student attendance. Before
this project, lecturers needed to use paper to get the student
attendance. There were a lot of problems when using the paper as
student attendance such as cheating. This project can help lecturers
to reduce these problems by the design of an automatic attendance
using RFID and student card. The project system runs by the process
of getting the code of the student card to compare with the database
in XAMPP Control Panel.
Our project consists of an RFID based attendance system that allows
for automatic attendance marking by using RFID tags. Every student
is provided with a unique authorization tag/card that is used to
record his/her attendance.
A lot of time is wasted in schools and colleges for manual attendance
procedures, in such cases our system provides an instant and
automated attendance marking system. Every authorized student is
provided with a unique RFID tag/card with his/her details fed in it.
The tag consists of a built in integrated circuit that stores this data
through modulating and demodulating transmitted radio frequency
signals.
The data thus stored in this card is the unique identification of that
person. As soon as the card is placed in front of the RFID reader, the
data in it is read and attendance for that student is registered. This is
done with the help of a nodemcu interfaced with the reader.
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CHAPTER: 1
INTRODUCTION

1. BACKGROUND, CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION OF

STUDY
RFID (radio frequency identification) is a new technology that
incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in
the radio frequency (RF) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to
uniquely identify an object, animal, or person. RFID tags are not an
"improved bar code" as the proponents of some technologies would
like you to believe. An RFID system consists of three components: an
antenna and transceiver (often combined into one reader) and a
transponder (the tag). The antenna uses radio frequency waves to
transmit a signal that activates the transponder. When activated, the
tag transmits data back to the antenna. RFID technology differs from
bar codes. RFID can read the tag using RF, meaning that the RFID
reader can be read from a distance, right through your clothes,
wallet or purse. Besides the RFID tag consist of unique ID for each
tag. The technology used in RFID has been around since the early
1920s. In our country, this technology is less frequent and the mostly
use technology is the biometric systems using finger print. Our
government less applies this technology by using RFID as I.C
(identification card). In some places of our country, people prefer to
use Barcode which is cheaper than RFID. Technology spread very fast
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and in few years, the possibility that RFID replaces the barcode
system will just be a reality. Nowadays, there are many of
universities around our country and each of this university consists of
student up to 10 thousand. To handle a large amount of student may
be problem specially to get the attendance. Now, process to get
attendance in majority universities still used the manual process. The
manual process means that when the class (or lecture) starts,
lecturer will give a piece of attendance paper and students will check
their name and then will sign on it. At the end of class, lecturer will
take back the attendance paper and keep it as a record. Normally,
the attendance paper need much time to be signed by all students
especially for classes with a lot of student. Students also forget to
sign that attendance and they are assumed absent for that class. The
problem also will happen when lecturer forget to bring the
attendance paper to class. Students need to write their name on a
piece of paper and sometimes student will take this opportunity to
cheat during the process of getting the attendance. The suitable
solution for this problem is to design a system that will record
attendance automatically. In this project, which is based RFID system
is used to record student attendance automatically. This project will
use student ID card as RFID tag and a RFID reader. This RFID 2 system
will be integrated with a software. This method is more effective to
prevent problems in the process of getting the attendance manually.
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2. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

i. RFID RFID is an acronym which stands for Radio Frequency

Identification. Generally, a RFID system consists of 2 parts, a
reader and one or more transponders also known as Tags. RFID
systems evolved from barcode labels to automatically identify
and track products and people.
ii. Access Control RFID Readers placed at entrances that require a
person to pass their proximity card (RFID tag) to be read before
the access can be made.
iii. Contact less Payment Systems RFID tags used to carry payment
information. RFIDs are suited to electronic toll collection
systems. Tags attached to vehicles, or carried by people
transmit payment information to a fixed reader attached to a
toll station. Payments are then routinely deducted from a
user’s account, or information is changed directly on the RFID
tag.
iv. Product Tracking and Inventory Control RFID systems are
commonly used to track and record the movement of ordinary
items such as library books, clothes, factory pallets, electrical
goods and numerous items.
v. Antenna This is a device built to produce a dispersing electric
or magnetic field. When attached to a source of radio
frequency signal generator or transmitter, an antenna acts as a
transmitting device, converting AC voltage and currents into
electromagnetic waves energy. Antennas also can intercept
electromagnetic waves and convert it in to AC voltage and
current. In this case, the antenna acts as a receiving device.
vi. Tags (Transponders) An RFID tag is comprised of a microchip
containing identifying information and an antenna that
transmits this data wirelessly to a reader. At its most basic, the
chip will contain a serialized identifier, or license plate number,
that uniquely identifies that item, like the way many bar codes
are used today.
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vii. Data capacity The amount of data storage on a tag can vary,
ranging from 16 bits on the low end to as much as several
thousand bits on the high end. The greater the storage
capacity, the higher the price per tag.
viii. Frequencies Like all wireless communications, there are a
variety of frequencies or spectra through which RFID tags can
communicate with readers. Again, there are trade-offs among
cost, performance and application requirements. For instance,
low-frequency tags are cheaper than ultra-high-frequency
(UHF) tags, use less power and are better able to penetrate
non-metallic substances. They are ideal for scanning objects
with high water content, such as fruit, at close range. UHF
frequencies typically offer better range and can transfer data
faster.
ix. RFID Transceiver The RFID transceiver is the source of the RF
energy used to activate and power the passive RFID tags. The
RFID transceiver may be enclosed in the same cabinet as the
reader or it may be a separate piece of equipment.
x. Microcontroller A microcontroller is a single chip
microcomputer which consists of at least a microprocessor,
program memory, data memory and input/output devices. A
microcontroller is characterized by its 4 integration, a lower
electric consumption (that is some milliwatt when ON and
some nanowatt when OFF).

3. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Barcode has been used in student identity card for attendance

purpose. It is a visual representation of data that is scanned and
interpreted for information. At the same time, the conventional
method of taking attendance in every lecturer / lab by calling
names / roll numbers or signing on paper is very time consuming,
unsecured, inefficient, difficult and monotonous for faculty. Their
valuable time is wasted in taking attendance. Therefore many times
 P a g e | 12

proper attendance is not taken by the faculty. Also proxy attendance

is always a problem in most of the campuses. Government &
statutory bodies are also insisting Institutions for full proof
attendance system.

4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

• Overcome the old attendance system in which the

attendance has to be taken manually.
• Design a database that supports such a system that has
been mentioned earlier.
• Develop a smart attendance system that be implemented
in colleges, institutes, schools, offices, laboratory and etc
by combining the software with the proposed hardware.

5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The application of RFID to student attendance monitoring as

developed and deployed in this study can eliminate time wasted
during manual collection of attendance, cheating on the part of the
students, bulkiness of the papers, stressful, cost full after a long
period. This project also gives the opportunity for the educational
administrators to capture face-to-face classroom data for allocation
of proper attendance scores and for further managerial decisions.
Hence the ability to achieve higher accurate automatic personal
identification is possible. Furthermore, by using this system it will
make attendance become more easy to use. Also, RFID has more
capability to receive, store and forward data to a remote source.
Hence leads to reduction of work, better student attendance
management and less administrative work.
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CHAPTER: 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

INTRODUCTION
For the design and realization of an electronic attendance system,
many technologies have been developed. In this chapter, we present
the different concepts on electronic attendance system technologies.

1) EMPIRICAL REVIEW
A radio-frequency identification system comprises hardware, known
as interrogators or readers and tags also known as labels as well as
RFID software or RFID middleware. RFID tags are of two major types,
which include Active Tag and Passive tags. However, this system does
not have an incorporate door unit which allows access to only
registered users.

2) THEORETICAL LITERATURE

2.2.1 RFID MODULE

2.2.1.1 HISTORY OF RFID
It’s generally said that the roots of radio frequency identification
technology can be traced back to World War II. The Germans,
Japanese, Americans and British were all using radar which had
been discovered in 1935 by Scottish physicist Sir Robert Alexander
Watson-Watt to warn of approaching planes while they were still
miles away. The problem was that, there was no way to identify
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which planes belonged to the enemy and which were a country’s

own pilots returning from a mission. Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Computer RFID Reader Database (Microsoft Access) 11 Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) research and discovery began in
earnest in the 1970s. RFID is commonly used to transmit and receive
information without wires. RFID readers and tags communicate
through a distance using radio waves. There are a lot of advantages
in RFID system, included their price, size, memory capacity and their
capability. The pure memory-based RFID chip without a co-
processor is cheap, and its footprint is small and usually use in car
immobilizer applications where the IC should fit in a tiny glass tube
buried in the key. RFID fast processing speed is also essential. [1]
Advances in radar and RF communications systems continued
through the 1950s and 1960s. Scientists and academics in the
United States, Europe and Japan did research and presented papers
explaining how RF energy could be used to identify objects
remotely. Companies began commercializing anti-theft systems that
used radio waves to determine whether an item had been paid for
or not. Electronic article surveillance tags, which are still used in
packaging today, have a 1- bit tag. The bit is either on or off. If
someone pays for the item, the bit is turned off and a person can
leave the store. But if the person doesn't pay and tries to walk out of
the store, readers at the door detect the tag and sound an alarm. [1]
The First RFID Patents Mario W. Cardullo claims to have received the
 P a g e | 15

first U.S. patent for an active RFID tag with rewritable memory on
January 23, 1973. That same year, Charles Walton, a California
entrepreneur, received a patent for a passive transponder used to
unlock a door without a key. A card with an embedded transponder
communicated a signal to a reader near the door. When the reader
detected a valid identity, number stored within the RFID tag, the
reader unlocked the door. Walton licensed the technology to
Schlage Lock of San Francisco, a lock maker and other companies.
[1] Later, companies developed a low-frequency (125 kHz) system,
featuring smaller transponders. A transponder encapsulated in glass
could be injected under the cows’ skin. This system is still used in
cows around the world today. Low-frequency transponders were
also put in cards and used to control the access to buildings. [1]
Over time, companies commercialized 125kHz systems and then
moved up the radio spectrum to high frequency (13.56 MHz), which
was unregulated and unused in most parts of the world. High
frequency offered greater range and faster data transfer rates.
Companies, particularly those in Europe, began using it to track
reusable containers and other assets. Today, 13.56 MHz 12 RFID
systems are used for access control, payment systems (Mobile
Speed pass) and contactless smart cards. They’re also used as an
anti-theft device in cars. A reader in the steering column reads the
passive RFID tag in the plastic housing around the key. If it doesn’t
get the ID number it is programmed to look for, the car won't start.
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[1] In the early 1990s, IBM engineers developed and patented an

ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID system. UHF offered longer read
range (up to 20 feet under good conditions) and faster data transfer.
IBM did some early pilots with Wal-Mart, but never commercialized
this technology. When it ran into financial trouble in the mid-1990s,
IBM sold its patents to Intermec, a bar code systems provider.
Intermec RFID systems have been installed in numerous different
applications, from ware house tracking to farming. But the
technology was expensive at the time due to the low volume of
sales and the lack of open, international standards. [1]

2.2.1.2 RFID READER

The RFID reader sends a pulse of radio energy to the tag and listens
for the tag’s response. The tag detects this energy and sends back a
response that contains the tag’s serial number and possibly other
information as well. In simple RFID systems, the reader’s pulse of
energy functioned as an on-off switch; in more sophisticated
systems, the reader’s RF signal can contain commands to the tag,
instructions to read or write memory that the tag contains and even
passwords. Historically, RFID reader were designed to read only a
king of tag, but so-called multimode readers that can read many
kinds of tags are becoming increasingly popular. RFID readers are
usually on, continually transmitting radio energy and awaiting any
tags that enter their field of operation. However, for some
 P a g e | 17

applications, this is unnecessary and could be undesirable in battery-

powered devices that need to conserve energy. Thus, it is possible
to configure an RFID reader so that it sends the radio pulse only in
response to an external event. For example, most electronic toll
collection systems have the reader constantly powered up so that
every passing car will be recorded. On the other hand, RFID scanners
used in veterinarian’s offices are frequently equipped with triggers
and power up the only when the trigger is pulled. Like the tag,
themselves, RFID readers come in many sizes. The largest readers
might consist of a desktop personal computer with a special card
through shielded cable. Such a reader would typically have a
network connection as well so that it could report tags that it reads
to other 13 computers. The smallest readers are the size of a
postage stamp and are designed to be embedded in mobile
telephones. Nowadays lot of RFID reader sold with multiple brands
such as Mifare, Hitachi, and Philip. Because of the major application
used in worldwide, many systems require the simultaneous use of
more than one operating frequency. Most systems available on the
world market at present operate at one of the following frequencies
or frequency ranges: below 135 kHz (125 kHz, 134.2kHz for
example), 13.56MHz, UHF (860/960 MHz), 2.45GHz and 5.8GHz. The
operating and control characteristics are different for each of these
frequencies, and therefore each of them is more appropriate for
certain types of application or certain countries.
 P a g e | 18

2.2.1.3 RFID TAG

The tag, also known as the transponder (derived from the terms
transmitter and responder), holds the data that is transmitted to the
reader when the tag is interrogated by the reader. The most
common tags today consist of an Integrated Circuit with memory,
essentially a microprocessor chip. Other tags are chip less and have
no onboard Integrated circuit. Chip less tags are more effective in
applications where simpler range of functions is all that is required;
although they can help achieve more accuracy and better detection
range, at potentially lower cost than their Integrated Circuitbased
counterparts. From here on out, we will use the term tag to mean
Integrated Circuit-based tag. We will refer to chip less tags explicitly,
 P a g e | 19

when needed. RFID tags come in two general varieties which are
passive and active tag. Passive tags require no internal power
source, thus being pure passive devices (they are only active when a
reader is nearby to power them), whereas active tags require a
power source, usually a small battery.

2.3 PREVIOUS AND RELATED WORK

2.3.1 PREVIOUS WORK
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Before the RFID system smart-card and barcode are more popular
for all purpose like supervision, attendance or for monitoring
student, employees etc. In this we are going to implement the RFID
system in our project for improvement of old attendance system
and checking system for better result and security of the student. An
RFID tag is an object that can be applied to or inserted into a
product, person, or animal for identification and tracking using radio
waves. Some identifiers can be read from several centimeters or
meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader. Several
related works exist in works, application of RFID Technology to
different areas and specifically to the area of academic attendance
monitoring problem. In authors designed and employed a model of
a secured and portable embedded reader system to read the
biometric data from the electronic passport. The authors attempted
to solve problems of trustworthiness, security and confidentiality in
E-passports by authenticating holder online using Global System of
Mobile Communications (GSM) network. The GSM network is the
main edge between identification center and the e passport reader.
The communication data is protected between server and e-
passport reader by using AES to translate data for protection while
transferring through GSM network. The use of Radio-frequency
identification (RFID) technology in automated electronic
environment and for tracking objects has been widely researched
upon by researchers and deployed by various organizations as part
 P a g e | 21

of their automation systems. RFID is a technology that uses radio

waves to transfer data from an electronic tag, called RFID tag or
label, attached to an object, through a reader for identifying and
tracking the object. 15 In 1945, Leon Theremin invented an
espionage tool (for spy activities) for the Soviet Union which
retransmitted incident radio waves with audio frequency
information. Sound waves vibrated a diaphragm which slightly
altered the shape of the resonator, which modulated the reflected
radio frequency even though this device was covert listening device,
not an identification device or tag, it is a predecessor of radio
frequency identification (RFID) technology because it was likewise
passive, being energized and activated by waves from an outside
source. Similar technologies such as the IFF (identification friend and
foe) transponder developed in the United Kingdom, was routinely
used by the allies in the World War II to identify aircrafts as friend or
foe. Transponders are still used by most powered aircrafts to this
day. [3] Mario.W. Cardullo was the first to have received the United
States patent for an active RFID tag withre-writable memory on
January 23, 1973. In that same year, Charles Walton, a California
entrepreneur, received a patent for a passive transponder used to
unlock a door without a key. A card with an embedded transponder
communicates a reader near a door, when the reader detects a valid
identification number stored within the tag, the reader unlocks the
door. Walton licensed the technology to Schalge lock of San
 P a g e | 22

Francisco, a lockmaker and other companies. [3] Time and

attendance systems are a major part of today’s human resource
systems, take organization towards better human resource practice,
systems and excellence. The implementation of time and
attendance system has a lot of advantages for the manager. The
kind of system that is implemented depends upon what the
organization is trying to achieve by implementing the system. There
are different types of automatic attendance systems; each type of
system is suited to different needs and requirements. Some of the
most common types include; biometric attendance system,
magnetic stripe attendance system, barcode attendance system, and
RFID attendance system.

2.3.2 RELATED WORK

2.3.2.1 BARCODE ATTENDANCE SYSTEM
The barcode system is a common type of time and attendance
system through which the efficiency of measuring and tracking
students’ time could be increased to a great degree. With the
automation through barcode technology, the errors previously
made in the manual payroll or attendances are eliminated. Thus, the
system provides high levels of accuracy and reliability in tracking of
student’s attendance. In addition, the costs associated with the
installation of the system are not too much relative to the cost of
payroll or attendance errors. 16 The implementation of the barcode
 P a g e | 23

system is easy. Every student is issued a badge/card in which there

is a barcode. To check into or out of the campus, the badge/card is
swapped on the time clock, and the data is captured by the clock.
This data from the clock can be downloaded by the manager or the
administrator and then used for updating and maintaining time and
attendance records. The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a unique
12-digit number assigned to retail merchandise that identifies a
product and the vendor. The Universal Product Code (UPC) on a
product typically appears adjacent to its barcode, the machine-
readable representation of the Universal Product Code (UPC). The
UPC for a product is always the same. The first six digits is the
vendor unique identification number. All the products that the
vendor sells will have the same first six digits in their UPCs. The next
five digits identify the product. The last digit is called the check digit.
This is used to verify that the UPC for that specific product is correct.
Each time that UPC is read, typically by a scanner reading the
barcode, a calculation is done. And, if the check digit is different
compared from the one that is calculated, then the computer knows
that there is something wrong with the UPC. Figure 1 is a pictorial
diagram of a barcode with its universal product code (UPC). Figure
2.5: Picture of a barcode [4]

2.3.2.2 BIOMETRIC ATTENDANCE SYSTEM

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This is the study of measurable biological characteristics. In

computer security, biometrics refers to authentication techniques
that rely on measurable physical characteristics that can be
automatically checked. There are several types of biometric
identification schemes which include: retina, hand geometry, vein,
voice etc. The computer uses any of these biometric identification
schemes to determine who you are, and based your identity
authorized your different level of access. Under this system, there is
time and attendance software that is paired with a time clock for
employees which uses biometric technology for authentication
purposes. When these systems are in 17 use, the employees can use
their finger prints for clocking in and clocking out. This method has
the great benefit that the entire process is easy as well as quick.
Other advantages include elimination of the cost previously incurred
in getting the students cards. In the other system that uses card
(magnetic stripe and barcode systems), there is an ongoing expense
associated with the damage, misplacement and stealing of cards
and the continuous need for their restoration and maintenance.
Figure 2.6: Pictures of finger print identification Author: screenshot

2.3.2.3 MAGNETIC STRIPE ATTENDANCE SYSTEM

In the magnetic stripe attendance system, data is encoded in the
magnetic stripe of the student card. When the card, is swiped
through the student time clock, the information in the card’s
 P a g e | 25

magnetic stripe is recorded by the time clock. This system also read
one card at a time and requires contact with the reader. Figure 2.6 is
a pictorial diagram of a card embedded with magnetic strip. Figure
2.7: picture of a magnetic stripe card [4] 18

2.3.2.4 RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID)

A radio-frequency identification system comprises hardware shown
in figure 2.8, known as interrogators or readers and tags also known
as labels as well as RFID software or RFID middleware. RFID tags are
of two major types, which include Active Tag and Passive tags.
RxsFID tags can be either passive, active or battery assisted passive.
Passive RFID does not use a battery, while an active has an on-board
battery that always broadcasts or beacons its signal. A battery
assisted passive has a small battery on board that is activated when
in the presence of a RFID reader. Most RFID tags contain at least two
parts: one is an integrated circuit for storing and processing
information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF)
signal, and other specialized functions; the other is an antenna for
receiving and transmitting the signal. Depending on mobility, RFID
readers are classified into two different types: fixed RFID and mobile
RFID. If the reader reads tags in a stationary position, it is called
fixed RFID. These fixed readers are set up specific interrogation
zones and create a "bubble" of RF energy that can be tightly
controlled if the physics is well engineered. This allows a very
 P a g e | 26

definitive reading area for when tags go in and out of the

interrogation zone. On the other hand, if the reader is mobile when
the reader reads tags, it is called mobile RFID. An Electrical
Engineering student of the University of Malaysia; Mohd Firdaus Bin
Mahyidin designed RFID technology students’ attendance system
2008, which only takes attendance of students and stores the
information in the database. The block diagram of his project is
shown. However, this system does not the incorporate a door unit
which allows access to only registered users.

2.3.3 COMPARING BARCODE WITH RFID

Barcode RFID Rely on the user to make contact to the reader, hence
cannot be read from a distance Do not require contact with reader,
hence can be read from a distance. In Barcode, only one card read at
a time is allowed. Multiple read at a time is permitted Embedded
information cannot be updated, Hence the restriction of the
repeated overwriting if the embedded election information for each
card Embedded information can be updated; this allows the
repeated over-writing if embedded electronic information for each
card. It does not allow for the increase technologies like surveillance
cameras to be activated with an employee being in the vicinity. RFID
has increased technologies like surveillance cameras to be activated
in conjunction with an employee being in their vicinity. It is slower
and requires time of sight to function. RFID is faster and does not
 P a g e | 27

require line of sight. It has lower data storage transponder. It has

higher data storage. This transponder is bogus, and cannot be
incorporated in small items. The transponder is miniaturized, and
can be incorporate in other items. For example, in 2009 researchers
successfully glued RFID microtransponder to live ants

The RFID attendance system offers the organization, the efficiency

and convenience associated with RFID technology at a low cost.
Each employee uses an RFID card and the reader records the data
when the student enters or exits. RFID devices and software are
supported by a sophisticated software architecture that enables the
collection and distribution of location based information in near real
time. A complete picture of the RFID attendance system combines
the RFID Tags and readers with access to global standardized
database, ensuring real time access to up-to-date information on
the card. The card contains a unique identification number called an
electronic product code (EPC). The RFID tag can be read from a
distance and the embedded electronic information for each card can
be over written repeatedly. This increases technologies like
surveillance cameras to be activated in conjunction with an
employee being in their vicinity. The RFID attendance system is
faster, and does not require line of sight. The RFID system has higher
data storage. In the RFID systems, the transponders are also easy to
conceal or incorporate in other items. For example, in 2009,
 P a g e | 28

researchers successfully glued RFID micro transponder to live ants to

study their behavior. Furthermore, multiple RFID cards can be read
all at the same time. Information about the employees’ access and
attendance can be stored on the database.

2.3.5 RFID FREQUENCY BAND

Frequency refers to the size of the radio waves used to
communicate between the RFID system’s components. It can be
assumed that higher frequency resulting faster data transfer rate
and longer reading distance. However, as frequency increases, the
sensitivity to environmental factor also increases. RFID system
currently operates at Low Frequency, High Frequency and Ultra High
Frequency. Generally, a lower frequency means a lower read range
and slower data read rate, but increased capabilities for reading
near or on metal or liquid surfaces. The frequency chart is shown in
the table below; 21 Frequency band Descriptio n Operating range
Application benefits Drawbacks 125KHz to 134KHz Low frequency
(LF) Less than 0.5m to 1.5ft Access control, animal tracking point of
sale application, product Authentication, vehicle immobilizer etc.
Works well around water and metal products Short read range and
slower read rate 13.56M Hz High Frequency (HF) Less than 1m to 3ft
Smartcards library books, airline baggage etc. Low cost of tag High
read rate when compared to low frequency 860MHz To 930MHz
Ultra-high frequency (UHF) 3m to 9ft Parking lot access, electronic
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toll collection etc. EPC standard built around this frequency Does
not work well with high water or metal content 2.4GHz microwave
More than 9ft Airline baggage, electronic toll collection Most
expensive Fastest read Rate Table 2.2: RFID Frequency Table [1]

CONCLUSION
In this chapter, we have presented the existing technologies on
Radio Frequency Identification for attendance systems and related
works which are used for the achievement of the same purpose. In
the following chapter, we will present the hardware and software
designs for the realization of an electronic attendance system based
on RFID with an automatic door unit.
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CHAPTER: 3
METHODOLOGY (SYSTEM STUDY,
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DESIGN)

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:

Student Attendance Using RFID System is the automatic record of

student attendance develops especially for university. This system
consists of two modules which are RFID module and XAMPP Control
Panel module. Both modules will be combined for this system fully
functioning. Each module carries own function and special features
which will be discussed in detail in this chapter.

3.1 STUDY OF SYSTEM COMPONENTS

3.1.1 INTRODUCTION

When designing electronic circuits (or diagrams), a good knowledge

of the components to be used is necessary. Concerning this project,
to reach the stated goal and objectives which is to build an electronic
attendance system based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
with an automatic door unit, we must first study some key
components.

3.1.2 LIST OF COMPONENTS

This project is constituted by the following named components;

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 RFID Tag :
The tag, also known as the transponder, holds the data that is
transmitted to the reader when the tag is interrogated by the
reader. The most common tags today consist of an Integrated
Circuit with memory, essentially a microprocessor chip. Other
tags are chip less and have no onboard Integrated circuit. Chip
less tags are more effective in applications where simpler range
of functions is all that is required; although they can help
achieve more accuracy and better detection range, at
potentially lower cost than their Integrated Circuit-based
counterparts. From here on out, we will use the term tag to
mean Integrated Circuit-based tag. We will refer to chip less
tags explicitly, when needed.

 RFID-RC522 READER MODULE:

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In this RFID based attendance system, the RFID reader is a

device which is used in collecting the information or data from
the RFID card or RFID tag. It is used for individual object and
transfers the data from the RFID tag to RFID card reader
through radio waves. The RFID reader does not scan all the
RFID tag; it’s only scanned the tags which is 3 to 300 feet. The
RFID technology allows several items to be scanned quickly and
fast identification of the specific objects.

 NodeMCU :
NodeMCU is an open source Lua based firmware for
the ESP8266 WiFi SOC from Espressif and uses an on-
module flash-based SPIFFS file system. NodeMCU is
implemented in C and is layered on the Espressif NON-
OS SDK.The firmware was initially developed as is a
companion project to the popular ESP8266-
based NodeMCU development modules, but the project is
now community-supported, and the firmware can now be
run on any ESP module.
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3.3 SOFTWARE DESIGN

The software development unit consist of XAMPP Control Panel,
NetBeans IDE 8.1 and Java.
3.3.1 XAMPP Control Panel (DATABASE)

This software is used in this project to create a visual server where

the attendance of each student is being stored. There is one
database designed using XAMPP Control Panel. The database is
named “rfid”. The “rfid” database stores information of students that
attended to a lecture class. This information is used by the
administration or lecturer for identifying and manipulating
attendance information of each student. Besides that, there are five
tables inside the “rfid” database which act as temporary data storage
which are “name”, “huere”, “student_ID”, “status”. These tables are
essential to the program flow. Figures are the pictures of the “rfid”.
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CONCLUSION

In this chapter, we have presented the components and methods

used in designing an electronic attendance system based on RFID.
The next chapter deals with the presentation of the realization and
analysis of results.
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CHAPTER: 4
SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS,
RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

4.1 DISCUSSION

At the end of this end of study report, we need to stipulate the steps
enabling us to the realization of a prototype electronic attendance
system based on RFID with an automatic door unit; the various stages
are defined in this report in chapter I, we had the general introduction
in which we state the context of the study to carry out the problem
statement, then we have look at the research question, to be able to do
the research hypothesis. In chapter II we had the review of the related
literature where we talked about the different types of attendance
system (such as the barcode, biometric finger print, the magnetic
stripe and the RFID attendance systems.), the history of RFID, the
RFID Reader and the RFID Tag. In chapter III we had the research
methodology which was the occasion for us to show our reflection
line to carry out this project through the study of the system, the
hardware development for the system and finally the software
development for the system. In chapter IV we had the results which
presents the different parts (such as the circuit to control the motor of
the door unit, the circuit of the UNO Card for storing hardware
program, the LCD wiring for displaying messages of the attendance
system, development of the interface using JAVA with NetBeans IDE
8.1 and the storing of the attendance of the system in the database
found in XAMPP Control Panel) of the materialled piece that we have
already realize and the method we used.

4.2 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the objective to build an attendance system based on

RFID with an automatic door unit was successfully achieved. In terms
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of performance and efficiency, this project has provided a convenient

method of attendance marking compared to the traditional method of
attendance system (that is paper attendance). By using databases, the
data is more organized. This system is also a user-friendly system as
data manipulation and retrieval can be done via the interface, making
it a universal attendance system. Thus, it can be implemented in either
an academic institution or in organizations.

4.3 LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

Every good engineering design innovation has limitations and the

limitations of this design would be improved upon in future by
considering however some improvements that can be made on 55 this
project to increase its reliability and effectiveness. Some of these
improvements are listed below; 1. An IP camera can be integrated
into this system to monitor the actions like buddy-punching wherein a
person cheats by scanning for another person. 2. Also, a GSM can be
incorporated into the system for sending messages to students to
confirm their presence or absence after a lecture class. 3. Finally,
Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) active RFID tags (that is 3m to 9ft) can
be used rather than High Frequency (HF) active RFID tags (that is 1m
to 3ft) for better performance and flexibility of user
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CONCLUSION & FUTURE SCOPE

The RFID based security and attendance system is more secure and
fast responded as compared to the other system like biometric. The
main advantage of the RFID system is contact-less and works on non-
line-of-sight. Tag works in any environmental condition. By using the
Arduino platform system becomes more faster in response and while
burning the code it is just like plug and play device. User can change
the application accordingly by using arduino. It is very easy to use
and very accurate also. Hence this project can be very useful for
implementing the real time application for recording the attendance
and tracking system as well as providing the security benefits. This
project can improve by increasing the range of reader in which the
tag read. Further this project can be done by using a method in
which the tag encrypts its ID and then send to the reader which can
eliminate the capturing of the tag IDs.

Future Scope: If we talk about future scopes then it depends upon

how innovative one could be to enhance the use of this project. But
for us this project is very useful for future uses e.g. –
1) for tagging animals.
2) Uses in ATM machines.
3) To save students by tracking their attendance.
4) Use in car lock keys and engine start by placing the card in front of
reader.
5) Make things environment friendly.
6) Gaming zone and many more future uses.
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REFERENCES
[1] Mohd. Firdaus Bin Mahyidin. “Student Attendance Using RFID
System”. in University Malaysia, Pahang, May2008.

[2] RFIDSensNet Lab (2005), A white paper on Automatic Attendance

System. Texas A & M University, Texas, USA.

[3] Longe O.O. (2009),” Implementation of Student Attendance

System using RFID Technology”, B. Tech Project Report, Ladoke
Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria.

[4] Liu C.M and Chen L.S (2009), "Applications of RFID technology for
improving production efficiency in an Integrated-circuit packaging
house," International Journal of Production Research, vol 47, no. 8,
pp. 22032216.

[5] Bardaki C., Kourouthanassis P. and Pramatari K., (2012),

Deploying RFID-Enabled Services in the Retail Supply Chain: Lessons
Learned toward the Internet of Things, Information Systems
Management, Vol. 29: no.3, pp. 233-245.

[6] Nambiar A.N. (2009),” A supply chain perspective of RFID

Systems”, World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
Journal, Volume 6, pp1-5.

[7] Victor S, Jonathan M, Reece J, and Lemire J (2003),” Student

Wolfpack Club Tracking System”, North Carolina State University.
USA.

[8] Ononiwu G., Chiagozie, Okorafor G. Nwaji. “Radio Frequency

Identification (RFID) Based Attendance System with Automatic Door
Unit”. in Academic Research, International, ISSNL-L: 2223-9553.
2012; 2(2).
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[9] Elisabeth I., Zsolt K., Peter E., Laszlo M., “The RFID Technology
and its Current Applications” in MITIP-2006. 56

[10] EAGLE files: arduino-duemilanove-uno-design.zip and

Schematic: arduino-uno-schematic.pdf