Contactless smart cards are used alongside door readers to create a complete access control system that enhances security across commercial and residential premises. They work in the same way as door entry fobs, allowing users to gain entry quickly and securely without physical contact.
There are three main types of smart cards: contactless cards, smart chip cards, and magnetic stripe cards. Each operates using different technologies, so it’s important to select the correct format for your system. If you're unsure which technology you require, please contact our team for guidance.
Contactless cards used RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to emit radio waves that can be picked up by readers. They can grant or deny entry depending on the cardholder’s permissions.
Similar to chip-and-pin bank cards, smart cards are embedded with a microchip. These microchips can store additional data that is displayed when read, as well as enforcing a pin-based entry system for users.
Magnetic stripe cards are commonly known as swipe cards, as each card contains a black stripe which is magnetically encoded to contain data. The magnetic stripe contains data that is read when swiped on a reader.
Many of the access control cards we stock can be customised using an ID card printer. They can be doubled up as ID cards as well as access cards, printed with your logo or branding and with the personal details of the cardholder such as an ID photo.
Access control cards are typically 86mm (w) x 54mm (h), which is known as CR80 (standard credit card size). This size means they aren’t too big to be carried around, but are large enough to show printed designs.
Our access control cards are compatible with a range of access control systems such as Paxton, PAC, and Nortech. We also stock MIFARE® cards, a widely used technology range that offers security with a number of different readers.
If you don’t want to use access control cards, you can use access control key fobs or tokens instead. They are much smaller than ID cards but offer the same technology capabilities.