I’m working on a project where I need to upload information from an RFID reader connected to my Raspberry Pi directly to Google Sheets. The idea is that when someone scans their RFID card, the Pi should automatically send that card data to a Google spreadsheet. Then I want to look up the person’s details from the sheet and show them on a display. Has anyone done something similar? What’s the best approach to make this work? I’m looking for a reliable way to establish this connection between my Pi and Google Sheets.
Been running a similar setup for six months now. Google Sheets API works great once you get past the authentication setup. Just make sure you handle the service account credentials properly on your Pi and add good error handling for when your internet cuts out.
I cache the lookup data locally in a small SQLite database that syncs with the sheet every few minutes. Your system keeps working even when Google’s servers are slow or your network hiccups. The Pi shows user details instantly from local cache while logging new scans to the cloud in the background.
For implementation, I used Python’s gspread library - way simpler than the raw Google client library. Batch your writes if you expect heavy usage though. Hitting the API for every single scan will hit rate limits fast.
Had this exact problem 8 months ago with a lab equipment tracker. Tried APIs and automation workflows but ended up with Google Apps Script as a middleman - worked way better than expected. The Pi just sends RFID data to a simple web app I built in Apps Script. Since it runs on Google’s servers, it connects to Sheets natively without any auth nightmares or token hassles. Script gets the card data, updates the sheet, does the lookup, and sends back user info in one go. What sold me was how reliable it is - no credential files on the Pi, no rate limits, and it handles Google’s random API hiccups without breaking. You can also add validation and formatting in Apps Script instead of cluttering your Pi code. Response time’s always under a second, and I’ve run thousands of scans with zero failures. Pi code stays super simple - just basic HTTP POST when it detects a card.
Honestly, just use a webhook service like Zapier or Make.com. Your Pi sends card data via curl and it automatically writes to sheets plus handles the lookup. Way less of a headache than dealing with Google’s API tokens and stuff breaking. I’ve been running this setup for months with zero maintenance.
I built exactly this for our office access system last year. Skip the Google Sheets API on the Pi - there’s a way easier approach.
Here’s what I did: set up an automation workflow that catches RFID data from the Pi through a simple HTTP request, then handles all the Google Sheets stuff automatically. When someone scans their card, the Pi just sends a POST with the card ID. The workflow grabs it, writes to the spreadsheet, looks up the person’s info, and sends display data back.
This fixed two huge problems I had with direct API calls - tokens expiring and network timeouts. I can also tweak the lookup logic or add features without touching Pi code.
Processes in under 2 seconds, way faster than my original Python script doing everything locally. I can see all scan logs and debug issues from a web interface instead of SSH-ing into the Pi.
On the Pi side, you just need a simple script that posts to your webhook URL when the RFID reader detects a card. Let automation handle the rest.
Latenode makes this workflow super easy to build and maintain: https://latenode.com