Still using keys to unlock your home’s doors? That’s so last millennium. Step into 2009 with some new Access Control products from Home Automation Inc. (HAI) that are now shipping.

The access controls integrate with HAI’s home control systems such as Omni and Lumina, if you’ve already stepped into the automation game for your abode.

There’s a proximity card reader and accessories that lets up to 16 readers be connected to a serial port on the HAI controllers. You get an input for a push-to-exit button and an output for an electric door strike or magnetic lock. Toss your key and use a standard credit-card size Access Control Card or Access Control Key Tag, and let intruders try to figure those out.

The reader can mount to a door frame or any flat wall surface, HAI says, with simplified wiring, and two-color LED indicators and piezo sounder for card validation and system status.

OK, so you can manually unlock the door with a key still, but the door strike lets you lock and unlock without one automatically as well.

Of course, tied into HAI’s automation systems, the act of swiping a card can do more than disarm the security system, but also engage subsystems like lighting up the foyer, click the thermostat up a few degrees and fire up some music in your multiroom audio system if you want within particular settings. And each card is user-specific, so Mom, Dad, and the kids can all enter the home to their own theme music like Mariano Rivera or Jonathan Papelbon.

Arlen Schweiger - Editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen writes about home technology installations and product news and reviews for electronichouse.com and Electronic House magazine.