About smart cards

Explanation of Technology, Functioning
and Application of various chip cards.

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Things worth knowing about smartcards

Explanation and areas of application of chip cards: The term “chip cards” generally includes all plastic cards with an integrated circuit in a format specified in ISO 7816. In general, chip cards can be divided as follows:

  • RFID-Cards

    The RFID card technology stands for the wear-free data transmission via radio. More »

RFID-Cards

Characteristics

  • Cards according to ISO 7810
  • Reading ranges between 2 mm and 5 m
  • Several RFID chips per card possible
  • Can be realized as a long-life or high-temperature card for heavy use
  • HF cards (13.56 MHz) according to ISO 14443/15693

The RFID card technology stands for the wear-free data transmission via radio. Corresponding transmission protocols are standardized worldwide for different safety and comfort requirements. The range of RFID cards varies between two millimeters and five meters.

RFID cards are used in access control and time recording systems as well as in loyalty and payment systems. We offer almost all RFID chip types, even multi-chip-solutions in one smart card are possible.

If you need assistance in choosing the right chip, our specialists are happy to help.

RFID Cards

Example of an RFID smart card with invisible chip and antenna.

  • MIFARE Classic® EV1 – 4 Byte NUID  1K oder 4K
  • MIFARE Classic® EV1 – 7 Byte UID     1K oder 4K
  • MIFARE Plus® S / X     2K oder 4K
  • MIFARE Plus® SE        1K
  • MIFARE DESFire® EV1            2K, 4K oder 8K
  • MIFARE DESFire® EV2            2K, 4K oder 8K
  • MIFARE Ultralight®    Ultralight / C
  • LEGIC prime®  256 o. 1024 Byte
  • LEGIC advant® 1024 o. 4096 Byte
  • LEGIC CTC®      1K prime+3K advant
  • ICODE®            SLI oder SLIX

P5CD081 mit J31081 MIFARE® 1K Emulation & JCOP 2.4.1

  • NXP NTAG® 203
  • NXP NTAG® 213
  • EM       4200, 4450
  • HITAG  1, 2 oder S
  • Temic  5577
  • NXP UCODE®   G2iL oder G2iM
  • Alien Higgs®    3 oder 4
  • Impinj Monza® 4         4E, 4D oder 4QT
  • Impinj Monza® 6         R6, R6-P, S6-C
  • Print & Colors    e.g. offset, screen printing
  • Material   e.g. HT or wood cards
  • Surface finishing    e.g. hot stamping, relief varnish
  • Additional equipment    e.g. writing field, TRW area
  • Security features   e.g. Hologram, guilloche
  • Format    e.g. minimap, label, trailer
  • Personalization    e.g.. For example, number, coding
  • additional media    e.g. RFID or magnetic stripe

Contact Chip Cards

Contact chip cards for every purpose

The term smart cards generally includes all integrated circuit plastic cards in a format specified in ISO 7816. In general, chip cards can be subdivided as follows:
Contact chip cards are versatile disks that can contain simple memory or complete processors. They serve as credit or debit cards, as bonus or loyalty cards, as identity cards for access, IT access, time registration and payment functions. Contact chip cards are also used in telecommunications, pay-TV, healthcare and many other industries. Contact chip cards are produced in accordance with ISO 7810/7816 as a white card or with individual printing and equipment. Contact chip cards can also be combined with other data carriers. Combination options can be found under the term combination and hybrid cards.

Memory or processor chip?

Memory chips hold data volumes between 256 bytes and 128 Kbytes and have little or no read or write protection. They are suitable as data storage, for identification and for marketing applications, for example as a loyalty card in solar or fitness studios.

By contrast, processor chips have a very high degree of protection and can also process data in applications, encrypt it securely and provide it for multiple applications.

Example of a contact chip card with visible chip interface.

Most common contact chips:

  • FM24C02/Ari24LC02   256 Byte
  • Ari24LC16        2 KByte
  • Ari24LC64        8 KByte
  • Ari24LC256      32 KByte
  • Ari24LC512      64 KByte
  • FM4442 (SLE5542 kompatibel)          256 Byte
  • FM4428 (SLE5528 kompatibel)          1 KByte
  • SLE5542/SLE 5528 – abgekündigt
  • Gemalto Cyberflex Access 64K
  • Gemalto .NET 510 (.NET IM V3)
  • Atos CardOS 4.2C        SLE 66CX360PE
  • Atos CardOS 4.4          SLE 66CX680PE
  • Atos CardOS 5.x          SLE 78C(L)XxxxP
  • SmartMX® G&D Sm@artCaféExpert 3.2        NXP P5CD080
  • SmartMX® G&D Sm@artCaféExpert 6.0        P5CD145
  • SmartMX® NXP JCOP V2.4.1   P5CD081 (J3A081)
  • SmartMX® NXP JCOP V2.4.2  P5CD081 (J3D081)
  • Print & Colors e.g. offset, screen printing
  • Material e.g HT Card 85
  • Surface finishing e.g hot stamping, spot varnish
  • Additional equipment e.g writing field, TRW area
  • Security features e.g Hologram, guilloche
  • Personalization e.g For example, number, coding
  • additional media e.g RFID or magnetic stripe

Dual Interface Cards

One chip, two ways of communication …

Dual interface cards enable the user to address the card’s smart-chip application either by contact or contactless. This is important if both infrastructures, contact readers and RFID readers, are to be operated.

Dual Interface smart cards are mainly used as checking and credit cards.

By using proven technologies with inductive coupling of the chip, the life-time and ruggedness of the card can be significantly improved in difficult conditions. Thus, a use as a company card, student card or ticket is realistic.

Dual interface cards with crypto processors and the option to emulate additional chip types or functions (see features) are very versatile and can therefore fulfill almost all security requirements for the IT infrastructure and access systems at the highest security level.

In addition, heterogeneous security infrastructures with MIFARE® and LEGIC® applications can be implemented based on specific SmartMX® processors.

Example of a dual interface card with visible chip interface and hidden RFID transmitter.

  • ISO / IEC 14443 A / B, ISO 7816
  • Communication via contact interface and air interface (RFID 13.56 MHz) possible
  • Wide range of different processor chips available with different OS
  • Additional functions, e.g. LEGIC® card-in-card, VDV-KA, MIFARE Classic®, MIFARE DESFire® as emulation or applet
  • Suitability for Logical Access (e.g. SSO), certificate-based authentication, PKI solutions
  • Print & Colors    e.g. offset, screen printing
  • Material   e.g. HT or wood cards
  • Surface finishing    e.g. hot stamping, relief varnish
  • Additional equipment    e.g. writing field, TRW area
  • Security features   e.g. Hologram, guilloche
  • Format    e.g. minimap, label, trailer
  • Personalization    e.g. number, coding
  • additional media    e.g. RFID or magnetic stripe

Combi Cards and Hybrid Cards

Hybrid cards connect infrastructures …

Many organizations have many years of growing infrastructure for a variety of applications (e.g., access, time tracking, payment systems, etc.) that are often based on different data carriers. Technological advances, increasing security demands or company acquisitions have led to the need to combine different chips and other data carriers into a single card.

Depending on the technologies in use, a hybrid card may be the only option for an interim solution, allowing existing systems and reader generations to operate in parallel. For migrations, the transition to the selected future technology with combo cards can be made easier and economically viable.

Hybrid cards combine different types of media on the same medium. In principle, almost all known technologies can be combined from magnetic stripe via infrared codes to contact and RF chips (see features). The special feature of the hybrid card is that all technologies are operated independently of each other on the card.

Combo cards contain at least two similar technologies, typically multiple RFID chips, with identical or different resonant frequencies. This can create interactions that affect reading and writing performance.

Combi cards hybrid cards

Hybrid cards combine different types of media on the same medium. Combo cards facilitate for example a system migration and can be made economically viable.

  • ISO 7810 compliant – credit card quality
  • magnetic stripe
  • Barcode 1D and 2D
  • RFID HF (13.56 MHz), LF (125 kHz), UHF (968 MHz)
  • Contact chip
  • Inductive code and infrared code
  • Print & Colors    e.g. offset, screen printing
  • Material & strength    e.g. HT Card
  • Surface finishing    e.g hot stamping
  • Additional equipment    e.g Write field
  • Security features    e.g Hologram, guilloche
  • Personalization    e.g lfd. number, coding