Serial NO. : I005022-EN
Date of Editing : 2019-12-20
Questions : How to choose the RFID card for your Access Control System?
Problem Solving :
Access control cards may all look the same, but ‘under the hood’ the technologies driving them vary considerably. RFID cards are currently the most common access control card type on the market. Different card systems have very different strengths, weaknesses, and cost.
Choosing the card technology that best fits your business is essential. Identifying the correct access control card system for you requires consideration of budget, desired security level, and future business directions. We’ll start with the more simple RFID systems better suited for lower security environments, and then move up to higher security RFID card systems.
. 125kHz Low Frequency RFID Cards
This is the most common RFID format. The data transmission is transparent, easy to retrieve and copy. 125kHz RFID cards are quite popular at low-to-mid levels of enterprise security especially in stable security environments where needs do not change year to year.
. 13.56mHz High Frequency RFID Cards
These cards were developed with the express purpose of being encrypted — authenticate the carrier with a unique code generated new for each individual transaction. There is also potential for connecting them to card payment systems (e-Purse) and other personal identity devices, such as metro card, bank card, credit card, etc. There are various protocols including Mifare, Felica, ISO15693, DESFire, etc that have different features.
In the chart below we’ll take a look at different RFID Cards Technology SOYAL provide today.
SOYAL RFID Cards Selection Table
One specific question we hear a lot is what to do if you have a large install base of older cards. Replacing hundreds or even thousands of access cards in one-shot is going to be expensive, not to mention a logistical challenge. In this case, we generally recommend first replacing legacy card readers with newer, multi-format readers that can accommodate both your legacy system and the new one. SOYAL Controller & Reader has built-in dual frequency RFID technology in optional, means SOYAL Controller & Reader can read both 125kHz RFID Card & 13.56mHz MIFARE/DESFire card! Then cards can be replaced simply through attrition. Moreover, SOYAL controller comes with free software, SDK/protocol is provided that integrate with other system easily.
Hopefully you’re in a good place now about the best access control option for your needs. But if you’re looking for further help selecting the right RFID frequency, feel free to contact SOYAL sales for help.