Radio Frequency Identification Smart Card: Best Card for Access Control A few years ago, the use of magnetic stripe cards was quite common for access control. These cards are not secure and require regular physical swiping, leading to issues with wear and tear. These shortcomings led to the development of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards. The RFID technology uses radio waves to communicate a unique identifier between a tag embedded in an RFID card and an RFID card reader. Today, this technology is widely used for building and network access, and thus, there is an increase in demand for RFID smart cards.
How Does Radio Frequency Identification Works? An RFID access control solution comprises tags and card readers. The tags contain a distinctive identifier and are embedded in plastic cards or tokens. The RFID reader has an antenna that emits a short-range radio frequency field. In order to gain access, you need to present your RFID smart card to the RFID card reader. When the card is in the range of the reader, an electric current is induced, activating the tag. After that, the tag communicates its unique identifier to the reader. For RFID authentication, low-frequency (125 kHz) and high-frequency (13.56 MHz) devices can be used.
The PROs 1. Ease of Use One of the best advantages of RFID authentication is that it is easy and convenient for the user. All it needs is a quick scan for the user to gain access. Moreover, with an RFID smart card, there is no need to position the card correctly or swipe several times. And depending on the frequency, tags could be anywhere up to 10cm away from you. 2. Better Security Information on RFID card chips is encrypted. Although RFID communicates wirelessly, incidents of interceptions are very rate. But there is no guarantee when it comes to skimming attacks and magnetic stripe cards. Also, if you need more security, you can layer RFID cards with a password. 3. Less Wear and Tear