A proximity card is the right choice for growing businesses and organizations to improve security. As the number of employees grows, it’s simply not possible to use other methods. These cards are quick easy, and convenient.
However, that doesn’t tell us what exactly are such cards. You’ll want to know what they are, how they work, and their benefits before you choose them for your organization.
What Are Proximity Cards?
A proximity card is what is often referred to as a prox card or an HID prox card. The long and short of it is that it’s a contactless smart card. You won’t need to put the card into a reader as a simple tap will do.
In the modern day, these cards are common for access control systems in buildings. You won’t even need to tap them, just bring them in proximity to the reader and that will more than suffice.
- Prox cards are similar to ID cards using which you can enter or exit buildings or certain areas of a building.
- In some organizations, the card itself, depending on the material, doubles as an ID with relevant information.
- To use such a card, you’ll need a card reader.
A Look Into Its History and Development
As you can imagine, the technology behind HID proximity cards has improved since its origin days. You can trace its origin 50 years back to the 1970s. The intention of the makers has always been to make them secure and safe and it has been just that!
Today, they are modern and have RFID technology in them.
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Proximity Card: How It Works?
The Basics
These cards use RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to send messages to the card reader. Each card contains an embedded microchip and antenna. These work together to send a unique identifier via radio waves when you bring it near a read. In technical terms, it’s known as a tag.
Electromagnetic Fields
- When the HID prox card comes near the electromagnetic field that the reader generates, its antennas pick up the signal.
- This then powers the microchip to send its data.
- Furthermore, the reader will process the information and then give or deny access.
Components
HID Proximity cards typically contain a microchip, an antenna, and a protective casing. The microchip is where you’ll find the card’s unique identifier. Moreover, the antenna helps the card send and receive messages from the reader.
Types of Prox Cards
When you consider the basic technology, proxy cards come in two different types. One type is Low-Frequency Proximity Card while the other is High-Frequency Proximity Card.
Let’s explore their specifics and differences in detail.
Low-Frequency Prox Cards
Low-frequency or LF HID proximity cards and how they work are quite obvious from the name. They work on frequencies as low as 125kHz. You’ll find that they’re common as they work well with simple access control systems. Moreover, they’re highly cost-effective and easy to use as well.
High-Frequency Prox Cards
Contrary to the above, this HID prox card works at a higher frequency of 13.56 MHz. These cards are ideal when you need higher security and as such are rarely used. For instance, this is why we can make contactless payments without needing to insert our cards into the POS.
Common Uses of Proximity Cards
As you can imagine, we have multiple uses for these cards today. Some of them may just surprise you.
- One of the main areas you’re likely to see them often is in offices, schools, and hospitals. They’re used in the access control systems of these and other secure facilities. In all these three areas, employees are given these tag cards. They may contain information regarding the areas they’re allowed into or employee information. They’re safe and at the same time easy and quick to use.
- Secondly, these cards have also become an easy tool for identification and security purposes. You can use these cards as employee ID badges which can include individual information. Additionally, employees can use these cards to enter areas where they’re allowed access.
- As you can guess by now, prox cards are becoming common for contactless payment systems. The user can simply tap the card on a reader or a point of sale to make the payment. This is highly convenient as you won’t even have to remove it from your wallet.
- Finally, they have been widely used for some time in hotels, motels, and resorts. The cards can be tapped on the reader at the door for access.
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Why They’re Convenient?
One of the main reasons for their popularity is the safety feature. In case of loss or damage, it is easy to remotely remove access and any information within the reader. This adds an extra layer of safety to offices, hospitals, schools, and hotels as well.
They can be replicated and they don’t damage easily. As a result, they’re a cost-effective option to print in bulk.
Conclusion
Proximity cards have undoubtedly changed security and access control systems. They’re ergonomic, hard-wearing, safe, and durable. Moreover, you can use them in a variety of ways. Even if you have highly specific requirements, you can easily meet them using these cards. Without a doubt, they’re going to continue to evolve and improve further as well.
For high-quality prox cards with customizable options, get in touch with Bristol ID Technologies. Or, simply get in touch to make inquiries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are prox tag cards different from RFID cards?
No, prox cards are a type of RFID card that is specifically designed for access control. RFID cards in general have multiple uses besides this such as tracking and even inventory management.
Can you clone a tag card?
To be sure, cloning is a risk but not so with modern ones. This is because they have encryption, multi-factor authentication, and other security measures to safeguard them.
What are the uses of these cards?
You can use these cards for access control, identification, and even payment systems.
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