All smart cards are designed for read/write functionality for applications such as travel passes, electronic wallets, medical records, etc. However, in most cases, their use for access control applications involves only reading of data from the card.
The main advantage of 13.56 MHz smart cards over 125 kHz proximity cards are the increased security through data encryption and more advanced methods of authentication.
All smart cards have a read-only part of the memory that contains a unique factory-set identity number. This number can be used for access control purposes but requires strict control of card distribution to maintain a high security level. Where the cards are serving another function, the use of the identity number for access control purposes can still provide a reasonable level of security. To further increase the level of security, the manufacturer or distributor can program the writable parts of the memory with card numbers and facility codes. This information can co-exist with other unrelated information on the card.
There are several smart card technologies on the market that are mostly based upon one or more of the following standards:
- ISO/IEC 14443 A – typically operates at up to 10cm
- ISO/IEC 14443 B – typically operates at up to 10cm
- ISO/IEC 15693 – can operate at up to 50cm (sometimes referred to as ‘vicinity’)
The most common smart card on the market is the ‘Mifare Classic’, which is based on ISO/IEC 14443 A. This is used around the world for electronic purse, travel cards and many other applications. Because of its wide use, the credentials are readily available at competitive prices. For a lower level of security, the factory-set serial number can be used as the card number. For increased security, card numbers can be programmed into a ‘sector’ of the read-write memory. Nortech supports both of these options.
Mifare Classic does not offer the highest levels of data encryption and authentication and the demand for increased security has been met by several systems including Mifare DESfire, HID iCLASS and LEGIC. These offer extremely high security levels with advance encryption techniques. LEGIC technology includes these techniques as standard and offers the highest levels of security on the market.
Nortech is a LEGIC partner and develops readers with LEGIC technology. The current reader range is capable of reading both LEGIC Prime (proprietary standard) and LEGIC advant® (ISO/IEC 14443 A and ISO/IEC 15693).
As a HID partner, Nortech supplies a wide range of iCLASS readers and credentials.
Our technical team are always willing to help you to find a reading solution for any credentials that you already use or help you choose credentials for a new access control application.