Smart Cards

MIFARE CLASSIC CARDS – 1K and 4K

MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards.

MIFARE products are embodied in contactless and contact smart cards, smart paper tickets, wearables and phones.

The MIFARE brand name (derived from the term MIKRON FARE Collection and created by the company MIKRON) covers four families of contactless cards:

There is also the MIFARE SAM AV2 contact smart card. This can be used to handle the encryption in communicating with the contactless cards. The SAM (Secure Access Module) provides the secure storage of cryptographic keys and cryptographic functions.

The MIFARE Classic IC is fundamentally just a memory storage device, where the memory is divided into segments and blocks with simple security mechanisms for access control. They are ASIC-based and have limited computational power. Thanks to their reliability and low cost, those cards are widely used for electronic wallet, access control, corporate ID cards, transportation or stadium ticketing.

The MIFARE Classic with 1K memory offers 1,024 bytes of data storage, split into 16 sectors; each sector is protected by two different keys, called A and B. Each key can be programmed to allow operations such as reading, writing, increasing value blocks, etc. MIFARE Classic with 4K memory offers 4,096 bytes split into forty sectors, of which 32 are same size as in the 1K with eight more

MIFARE CLASSIC CARDS – 1K and 4K

MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards.

MIFARE products are embodied in contactless and contact smart cards, smart paper tickets, wearables and phones.

The MIFARE brand name (derived from the term MIKRON FARE Collection and created by the company MIKRON) covers four families of contactless cards:

There is also the MIFARE SAM AV2 contact smart card. This can be used to handle the encryption in communicating with the contactless cards. The SAM (Secure Access Module) provides the secure storage of cryptographic keys and cryptographic functions.

The MIFARE Classic IC is fundamentally just a memory storage device, where the memory is divided into segments and blocks with simple security mechanisms for access control. They are ASIC-based and have limited computational power. Thanks to their reliability and low cost, those cards are widely used for electronic wallet, access control, corporate ID cards, transportation or stadium ticketing.

The MIFARE Classic with 1K memory offers 1,024 bytes of data storage, split into 16 sectors; each sector is protected by two different keys, called A and B. Each key can be programmed to allow operations such as reading, writing, increasing value blocks, etc. MIFARE Classic with 4K memory offers 4,096 bytes split into forty sectors, of which 32 are same size as in the 1K with eight more

MIFARE CLASSIC CARDS – 1K and 4K

MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards.

MIFARE products are embodied in contactless and contact smart cards, smart paper tickets, wearables and phones.

The MIFARE brand name (derived from the term MIKRON FARE Collection and created by the company MIKRON) covers four families of contactless cards:

There is also the MIFARE SAM AV2 contact smart card. This can be used to handle the encryption in communicating with the contactless cards. The SAM (Secure Access Module) provides the secure storage of cryptographic keys and cryptographic functions.

The MIFARE Classic IC is fundamentally just a memory storage device, where the memory is divided into segments and blocks with simple security mechanisms for access control. They are ASIC-based and have limited computational power. Thanks to their reliability and low cost, those cards are widely used for electronic wallet, access control, corporate ID cards, transportation or stadium ticketing.

The MIFARE Classic with 1K memory offers 1,024 bytes of data storage, split into 16 sectors; each sector is protected by two different keys, called A and B. Each key can be programmed to allow operations such as reading, writing, increasing value blocks, etc. MIFARE Classic with 4K memory offers 4,096 bytes split into forty sectors, of which 32 are same size as in the 1K with eight more that are quadruple size sectors. MIFARE Classic Mini offers 320 bytes split into five sectors. For each of these IC types, 16 bytes per sector are reserved for the keys and access conditions and can not normally be used for user data. Also, the very first 16 bytes contain the serial number of the card and certain other manufacturer data and are read only. That brings the net storage capacity of these cards down to 752 bytes for MIFARE Classic with 1K memory, 3,440 bytes for MIFARE Classic with 4K memory, and 224 bytes for MIFARE Mini. It uses an NXP proprietary security protocol (Crypto-1) for authentication and ciphering.

Proximity cards, also known as prox cards, are low frequency 125 kHz credentials that feature an embedded metallic antenna coil that stores cardholder data. Data stored on a proximity card, key fob or tag can be detected by a reader when the proximity card is passed within range.

A proximity card or prox card is a "contactless" smart card which can be read without inserting it into a reader device, as required by earlier magnetic stripe cards such as credit cards and "contact" type smart cards. The proximity cards are part of the contactless card technologies. Held near an electronic reader for a moment they enable the identification of an encoded number. The reader usually produces a beep or other sound to indicate the card has been read. Proximity cards typically have a read range up to 50 cm (< 15 inches) which is the main difference with contactless smartcard with 2 to 10 cm (1 to 3 inches) . The card can often be left in a wallet or purse, and read by simply holding the wallet or purse near the reader. The term "proximity card" refers to the older 125 kHz devices as distinct to the newer 13.56 MHz contactless smartcards.

Method of operation

The card and the reader unit communicate with each other through 125 kHz radio frequency fields, (13.56 MHz for the contactless smartcard cards) by a process called resonant energy transfer.[1][2] Passive cards have three components, sealed inside the plastic: an antenna consisting of a coil of wire, a capacitor, and an integrated circuit (IC), which contains the user's ID number in specific formats and no other data. The reader has its own antenna, which continuously transmits a short range radio frequency field.

When the card is placed within range of the reader, the antenna coil and capacitor, which form a tuned circuit, absorb and store energy from the field, resonating like an electrical version of a tuning fork. This energy is rectified to direct current which powers the integrated circuit. The chip sends its ID number or other data to the antenna coil, which transmits it by radio frequency signals back to the reader unit. The reader checks whether the ID number from the card is correct, and then performs whatever function it has been programmed to do. Since all the energy to power the card comes from the reader unit, passive cards must be close to the reader to function, and so have only a limited range.

Other Names

Also Known by other names – EM4100 / EM4102 / TK4100 / 125 Khz RFID Cards

Cardtec's Proximity Cards

Cardtec produces proximity cards in two forms

• Thick Proximity Cards.

• Thin Proximity Cards in ISO format

Further the thick proximity cards can be personalized by means of printed sticky cards.

Further thin Proximity Cards can be provided as a high quality, high finish product, wheather as a blank card or in pre-printed format or fully printed with data / picture / individual photos.

Contact smart cards have a contact area of approximately 1 square centimetre (0.16 sq in), comprising several gold-plated contact pads. These pads provide electrical connectivity when inserted into a reader, which is used as a communications medium between the smart card and a host (e.g., a computer, a point of sale terminal) or a mobile telephone. Cards do not contain batteries; power is supplied by the card reader.

The ISO/IEC 7810 and ISO/IEC 7816 series of standards define:

• physical shape and characteristics,

• electrical connector positions and shapes,

• electrical characteristics,

• communications protocols, including commands sent to and responses from the card,

• basic functionality.

Because the chips in financial cards are the same as those used in subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in mobile phones, programmed differently and embedded in a different piece of PVC, chip manufacturers are building to the more demanding GSM/3G standards. So, for example, although the EMV standard allows a chip card to draw 50 mA from its terminal, cards are normally well below the telephone industry's 6 mA limit. This allows smaller and cheaper financial card terminals.

Communication protocols for contact smart cards include T=0 (character-level transmission protocol, defined in ISO/IEC 7816-3) and T=1 (block-level transmission protocol, defined in ISO/IEC 7816-3).