Smart Card Readers: What they do and how they work

A smart card reader is a device that is used to read a smart card. A smart card is a plastic badge that incorporates an installed coordinated circuit that can be either a safe micro-controller or a memory chip. These cards have the capacity to store a lot of information, do encryption and validation as well. These cards include your credit/debit card, medical insurance among others.

Smart Card Application Areas

The primary chip cards were basic prepaid phone cards used in Europe in the mid-1980s. Today, t chip based savvy cards are used in data security,, correspondences, government programs, physical security system, transportation, retail and business, social insurance, and identity proof. However, they are not only to be used by big corporations, as small businesses can also use smart cards for several purposes, such as to restrict entry to a specific room by having one going through a lintechtt  first.

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The Advantages Of Using a Smart Card Reader

Secure

The smart card innovation is widely known and used. This straightforward innovation has taken the card industry by storm and expanded the level of card security. These cards utilize encryption and validation technology which is more secure than past techniques related to card transactions. The microchip implanted at the heart of the card makes contact with the card reader and only then the information can be accessed.

Widely Used

The smart card technology is used in almost every business, firm and place. From healthcare places to markets, from cash counters to banks.

There are two types of smart cards readers: contact and contactless smart card reader.

  • Contact Smart Card Reader

This card differs from the proximity card because unlike proximity cards, smart cards have more than one functionality. The processor on the smart card has a working chip system that can deal with numerous applications, for example, a cash card, an access control card or a membership card. Readers which are used to read these smart cards are called smart card contact readers. The smart card should be pinned in the smart card reader to access it.

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  • Contactless Smart Card Reader

A contactless smart card reader permits the exchange of more information, and access to several cards at the same time. A contactless card does not need to be fed into a reader and the information on it can be accessed without physical contact. They are perfect for social insurance focuses, for endeavors and associations, and in addition for e-organizations and managing account applications. This technology is widely used as it is more secured than other similar technologies out there.

Difference between Contact and Contactless Readers

The difference between both the cards is the way with which the chip on the card functions. A contact smart card has eight contact places on the card, which should physically touch the contacts on the reader to pass on data between them. These readers are often installed on doors and smart cards need to be touched on these readers to pass through. However, a contactless smart card doesn’t need to be touched in any way with the card reader and it can be accessed from a distance.

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