Access control keypads

	The DR-402K from Delos of mainland China uses a touch sensor keypad and Wiegand frequency. It is built with a beeper and LEDs.

Cards, tags and readers feature enhanced functions. New models support wider bands and larger memory.

Even with RFID technology reaching maturity, design and development work in China’s access control sector continues. The RFID line, consisting mainly of proximity cards, tags and readers, represents about 80 percent of the country’s total output.

Recent efforts have been geared toward convenience and integration, and enhancements in performance and aesthetics.

This is common among large suppliers which, backed by solid R&D capability, release up to 10 new models annually. These include RFID card readers, tags and access control systems, and T/A devices. Some of the companies own product and technology patents.

Progress is particularly notable in the RFID tags and cards segment, which has seen the manufacturing base increase by more than 200 percent over the past four years. China is now home to 50 suppliers offering the line.

Because they are writable and have larger memory and longer reading distance, RFID tags continue to offer expansion opportunities.

Models are suitable for a range of access and security applications, including process control and factory automation, identification, T/A, and parking and ticketing. Upcoming wine bottle tags will comply with the specific requirements of importing countries.

China-made RFID tags can now feature a glossy or matte finish. They are laminated with PVC, epoxy crystal, ABS, PET, PETG or PS.

Product development in the RFID or proximity cards segment is directed toward integration.

Dual cards, for example, will use both low and high frequencies for operation. Hybrids will combine contact and contactless ICs that work on 125kHz and 13.56MHz.

Used in T/A, and transportation, hotel, library and campus management, proximity cards from China come mostly in EM and Mifare types.

Under efforts to broaden their products’ target applications, suppliers of RFID card readers are moving up the frequency band. Models will have TCP/IP, USB, RS-232, RS-485 and RJ-45 ports, an external SD card slot and large memory.

Marktrace Technology Co. Ltd has released several card readers that operate on 915MHz and 2.45GHz. The supplier will concentrate on the latter in coming months.

The MR6034A from Marktrace works at a frequency of ISM 902 to 928MHz and has a reading range of 12m. It can accurately detect RFID tags moving at 120kph.

The product has RS-232, RS-485 and RJ-45 ports and an industrial-grade aluminum alloy shell that is resistant to water, lightning and jamming.

Focusing on the housing, cosmetic upgrades include the use of PC/ABS that resembles stainless steel. Such designs usually feature streamlined constructions, and are priced from $31 to $60.

LF and HF-based EM and Mifare card readers, however, continue to make up China’s mainstream. Models conform to ISO 15693, 14443A, 14443B, 18000-2 and 18000-3, and have an effective reading distance of more than 10m.

Prices reach $200, depending on the functions, features and designs. Some pure card readers without keypads and display screens are about $10, while versions with an LCD are roughly $30.

Despite the card reader line’s maturity, suppliers continue to enhance their selections of EM and Mifare units.

China-Vision Intelligence & Technology Co. Ltd has introduced its CV9600-X model, which is housed in zinc alloy. The Mifare access control and T/A system works with RS-232 and has a built-in TCP/IP.

Delos International Group Ltd’s model DR-402K EM card reader features a touch keypad that stays unlit on idle mode, and comes in several formats compatible with various access control systems.

In addition to the 50 suppliers of RFID cards and tags, China has 300 makers of card readers. Those that produce cards offer both biometric and nonbiometric versions.

Many companies focus on final assembly. Fifty, however, have in-house R&D capability and specialize in core technologies such as data collection and processing, and management and control software. Roughly 80 percent of companies are based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

China-Vision has a 10,000sqm factory with a monthly capacity of 15,000 RFID card readers. Assembly, QC and packaging are done in the plant. Mold making and plastic injection are subcontracted. The company sources chipsets from SST of the US and adopts military-grade key telecom components.

RFID access control suppliers in Taiwan are shifting to upscale production amid strong pricing pressure from mainland China, particularly in the low end.

In this regard, companies are gearing product development toward multifunction card readers or RFID solutions.

The FP-500 from Taiwan Jantek Electronics Ltd, for example, is a customizable card reader that can be operated using various nonbiometric and even biometric modes.

Capable of supporting 20,000 records, the unit provides access via an RFID card or PIN, or a combination of card and fingerprint recognition.

The product has a 128x64-pixel LCD and a touch keypad consisting of 16 buttons arranged in rows of four, both with a blue LED backlight.

Designed for flexibility, it has built-in RS-232 and RS-486/RS-422 ports. A variation, the FP-500A model, can enroll 950 users and the FP-500B, 4,750.

Such products enable suppliers to venture into sectors where RFID-based applications are fast gaining ground, including public transportation ticketing systems, and VIP membership and logistics management.

These expansion efforts are facilitated by suppliers’ solid experience in the use of RFID in nonbiometric access control products.

The island is home to about 50 manufacturers, 60 percent of which are positioned as solutions providers. These companies offer proximity cards, tags, readers and backend management software.

The rest of the supplier base specializes in either smart cards or card readers.

Established in 1990, Taiwan Jantek makes biometric and nonbiometric access control systems. Headquartered in Taipei, the company has 80 workers in its factory and is capable of turning out roughly 8,400 units annually.

Taiwan Jantek accepts OEM orders but also carries out ODM and OBM production. It exports to France, Italy, Spain and other European countries.