))) Protecting More Than the Door

How 13.56 MHz RFID products satisfy modern security needs

Kelly Stark
March 2003

Given the demands placed on security professionals, today's access control systems need to work harder and do more than ever before. Security managers are demanding access control systems that do more than just check badges at the door. New and retrofit systems must control levels of access, grant temporary status, ensure authorization, and control access to remote company sites or locations inside a single building as well as monitor equipment. From employee badges to biometrics, security managers are evaluating new access control solutions to meet these new challenges with technology that is still simple to use, cost-effective and easy to deploy.

One popular solution for access control receiving renewed attention is radio frequency identification (RFID). An RFID system consists of a tag or badge, handheld or stationary readers, data input units and system software. An antenna within the reader emits radio signals to activate the tag and read data. In some applications, data can also be written to the tag. Readers are available in a variety of forms. Some can be built into doorframes to identify people or objects passing through while others can be mounted on reception desks to read information from tags. RFID tags are electronically programmed with unique information and are the backbone of the technology. They come in all shapes, sizes and read ranges, and are available in hand-held devices like keyfobs or even watches. For access control purposes, the tags usually come in the form of an employee ID badge.

RFID automatically collects information about a product, place, time or transaction quickly and easily. RFID cards have been available for more than a decade as an alternative to barcode or magnetic stripe systems, and industry analyst Frost & Sullivan has predicted that 80 percent of the access control market will be RFID-based by 2006. However, the most widely used RFID solution – 125 kHz products – do not provide enough memory, fast enough data transfer rates, long enough read ranges or the enhanced security capacity needed for the increased security demands at many installations.

Answering the Need

Demands for a solution that addresses current needs and provides a platform for new and advanced security technology is accelerating the adoption of a newer, 13.56 MHz RFID card and reader system. This high-frequency solution offers more features than lower frequency products at a cost similar to traditional proximity cards. The 13.56 MHz card and reader solution features faster data-transfer, low-cost, at-the-door programmability, a unique ID code and the memory to accommodate new security options such as biometrics.

The 13.56 MHz cards can store up to 2,000 bits of data, more than 30 times the storage capacity available with low-frequency products. This increase in memory provides enhanced security through encrypted codes and the capacity to accommodate new hybrid systems such as biometric solutions. The cards use tamper-proof ID codes, ensuring that no two cards or people are misidentified.

The 2,000-bit storage capacity also enables security managers to add a host of new security authorization and information applications. Information such as sequence numbers, facility codes, authorization codes, employee certifications or emergency medical histories can all be stored on the card independently of a host data source. Employees might carry on their badge the name and phone number of a doctor and family member to contact in case of an emergency at work.

In addition to the increased storage capacity, the read range of a 13.56 MHz system is 40 percent longer than traditional 125 kHz systems and allows multiple cards to be read at once, identifying and authorizing access for multiple individuals quickly and accurately. The multi-card read-zone eliminates read interference, which is common when two or more conventional proximity cards are in the same read field.

At-the-door programmability also is a key factor that makes the 13.56 MHz solution effective. Currently, the time it takes to issue a card and update or downgrade an employee's security status is a hindrance for security managers. Employees often must go to a designated site where the card is updated or re-issued. With a 13.56 MHz read-write card, employee badges can be updated at the door, without the employee being aware of the updated status or information now stored on the card. The increase in temporary staff at many organizations has made the ability to program the card at the door critical to allowing contract employees to enter a building, for example, only on the days they are authorized to be onsite. Equally important, a card can be deactivated at the door when that temporary worker leaves at the end of an assignment. Suppliers of 13.56 MHz systems also can offer onsite user programmability and integration with direct card printer applications, providing additional flexibility and cost savings. Customers can order blank cards as needed and print/program them on demand so that companies no longer need to keep an inventory of pre-programmed cards or discard unneeded stock.

Costs for 13.56 MHz RFID technology have also decreased over the last few years to below $1 per tag. Higher manufacturing volumes, market competition and the fact that much of the system infrastructure is in place (inlays, tags, readers, printers, scanners, software, etc.) all make RFID a more cost-effective technology to implement.

Standards-Based Technology

Another advantage of a 13.56 MHz system is its standards-based architecture. The 13.56 MHz system is based on an ISO 15693 open standard. This standard allows companies and integrators to customize cards and readers for their own use and to use products from multiple vendors.

The product roadmap also provides a clear and easy technology migration to ISO 14443 standards for emerging stored-value and wireless payment applications. Using an access control card for transactions such as buying lunch at the company cafeteria or a soda at a vending machine are all possible with the 13.56 MHz product because it is ISO 14443 compliant.

By providing an access control system that is fast, cost-effective and allows for the additional integration of emerging applications such as biometrics, 13.56 MHz technology offers an exciting and more secure system to the security industry. The standards-based technology provides a greatly enhanced access control solution – the kind of solution security managers and employees will appreciate.