Blockchain, the technology behind Bitcoin, has emerged as a very important subject in technology, industry, and beyond. Blockchain provides a secure, transparent, and highly resistant way to record transactions or any digital interaction efficiently. The project proposes using Blockchain technology to create a secure and decentralized access control system for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, specifically within a smart cafeteria setting.
The current centralized server-client model for IoT poses security and efficiency challenges, forcing all device communication through a central server even when devices are close. By adopting a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication model secured by a decentralized blockchain, the system achieves enhanced security, transparency, and resistance to tampering. This approach allows a user's smartphone to initiate a secure, encrypted transaction with a device (like a coffee maker), which is then packaged into a block and shared across the network for validation, maintaining privacy and preventing theft.
The system was built using Raspberry PIs and a local network to simulate the smart cafeteria environment, and it was coded in C/C++.