Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Card Identification/Access/Tracking Systems
A card reader system is a type of electronic identification system that is
used to read a card and then perform an action associated with that card.
Depending on the system, the card may identify where a person is or where
they were at a certain time, or it may authorize another action such as disen-
gaging a lock. Security guards, for example, may use their cards at card read-
ers located throughout a facility to indicate that they have checked certain
locations at certain times. The reader will store the information or send it to
a central location where the data can be checked later to verify that various
areas in the facility have been patrolled. Other card reader systems can be
associated with a lock, such that cardholders must have their cards read and
accepted by the reader before the lock disengages. A complete card reader
system typically consists of the following components:
• Access cards carried by the user
• Card readers, which read the card signals and send the information
to control units
• Control units, which control the response of the card reader to the
card
• A power source
Numerous card reader systems are available. All card systems are similar
with regard to how the card reader and control unit interact; however, they
differ in how data are encoded on the cards and are transferred between the
cards and the card readers, which determines the types of applications for
which they are best suited. Several types of technologies are available for
card reader systems, including
• Proximity
• Wiegand
• Smartcard
• Magnetic stripe
• Bar code
• Infrared
• Barium ferrite
• Hollerith
• Mixed technologies
The level of security required (low, moderate, or high) affects the choice of
card technology (e.g., how simple is it to duplicate a particular technology
and thus bypass the security system). Vulnerability ratings are based on how
