Original and compatible chips for RFID identifiers. Which ones to choose?

[Carding Forum]

A chip module is implanted into any RFID identifier, with the help of which contactless reading is carried out. One of the most popular are Mifare chips, which are produced by the Dutch company NXP. They are called original chips, since they are produced according to all the necessary quality standards (ISO 14443). In addition to NXP itself, original chips can be manufactured by Infineon, since only this German company has received a license for their production. All other chip modules are correctly called compatible.

What is the difference between original chips and their analogues?​

Non-original chips are also called Mifare analogs or Mifare compatible. One of the largest manufacturers of such chips is Fudan . Chips produced by this company comply with the ISO14443-A standard. However, the materials used, the production equipment and the technological process itself are not regulated. That is why Fudan does not have the right to use the Mifare trademark.

The production of original chips requires strict adherence to technology: the antenna is smooth, 5 turns, the contact of the wire and the module is reliable, the wire diameter is 0.13 mm, the distance between the turns is 0.20 mm, the frequency is 13.56 MHz and stable reading. If at least one of these conditions is violated, the identifier signal will be unstable, and in some situations will not work at all.

Typically, manufacturers of analogues save on materials and equipment, so they are significantly cheaper than the originals .

It is quite easy to distinguish an original card from a non-original one. It is enough to read it with a phone with NFC using a special application. The manufacturer line will indicate "NXP Semiconductors" or "Unknown manufacturer".

Why is serial number uniqueness important?​

Another important feature of the original chips is the unique serial number or UID. NXP controls the uniqueness of the serial numbers of its chips. At first, NXP produced cards with a 4-byte UID. However, at the end of 2010, the company announced that 4-byte Mifare Classic numbers had run out. This means that all other chips with such a UID will not be original. To avoid the appearance of several identical numbers in the system, the company advised switching to chips with a 7-byte UID.

Manufacturers of non-original chips do not monitor the uniqueness of serial numbers. This is proven by the fact that they still produce analogs of Mifare Classic chips with a 4-byte UID. That is, the numbers are clearly repeated. This can not only lead to an error in the system, but also violate the security of the facility where identifiers with such chips are used.

How do ID manufacturers influence the operation of chips?​

However, the quality of identifiers depends not only on the chip placed in them. The manufacturers of identifiers also play an important role. Usually, each company uses both original chips and their analogues. At the same time, the performance of cards, bracelets, etc. is also affected by the quality of their production. For example, original chips will not improve the performance of low-quality identifiers. But produced on good equipment in accordance with all standards and requirements, they can improve the performance of even non-original chips.

Types of original chips from NXP​

1. NXP Mifare Classic is one of the most popular chips in the line. The company stopped producing these chips at the end of 2010, because the unique UID numbers ran out. This chip uses the Crypto 1 encryption algorithm. Unfortunately, it is no longer capable of providing the required level of security, as stated by the company on its website. Users are advised to switch to other chips in the Mifare line.
2. NXP Mifare Plus is a more secure chip. It is fully compatible with the Mifare Classic chip, but it does not have the disadvantages of the Classic chip line. With its help, you can gradually update the system, increasing the level of copy protection to AES. This is a suitable option for ACS.
3. NXP Mifare Ultralight – helps introduce contactless technologies into the existing structure. Can be used both without encryption algorithm and with 3DES.
4. NXP Mifare DESFire is an improved system aimed at the consumer. Provides reliable and secure system operation. The most secure chips of the entire Mifare line, therefore the most expensive. Such a chip can be used in multifunctional identifiers. Uses 3DES and AES security algorithms.
5. NXP ICODE SLIX – the chip works at large distances, up to 1.5 meters. Therefore, it is used where it is more convenient to read information at a distance from the identifier. There is an anti-collision mechanism, that is, the signals of several chips do not overlap each other.

What are the features of using Mifare chips in ACS?​

Most often, Mifare chips are used in identifiers for access control systems. Only low-frequency EM-Marine chips are more popular than NXP in the field of ACS. This is due to the fact that EM-Marine is cheaper, but at the same time it is less protected from copying.

Mifare chips are manufactured in accordance with the international standard ISO 14443. Of the entire product line, Mifare Classic and Mifare Plus are most often used in ACS. The chip identification number – UID – is not only not protected from reading , but is sometimes even written on the card.

The memory capacity of different chips varies. The information on the chip can be rewritten many times (on some, up to 500,000 times). Access to this memory is closed. To read data from there or write new data, you must enter the access key. At the same time, they are protected even during transmission between the identifier and the reader.

Before you start working with the access control system, you need to configure it. To do this, you need to choose how exactly the reader will identify the access card. It can read the UID or data from memory. The first option is unreliable, since the UID is not protected by security algorithms, so the card can be easily copied. At the same time, some readers read only the first 3 bytes of the UID card. In this case, there is a risk of an error, because several cards may have the same identification number at the beginning. To prevent this from happening, you need to configure the controller to read data from the identifier memory. To configure such reading, you need to read all the cards using a certain program (usually it is already on the controller). After that, they can be distributed to the staff and the ACS can be launched.

Please note that Mifare requires readers that support these identifiers. At the same time, its capabilities must correspond to the security settings of the chips. This is necessary to implement all the capabilities of Mifare. Otherwise, it may turn out that the chip works with the most powerful AES security algorithm, and the reader identifies the user by UID.

Features of original Mifare chips​

• Reliable protection
• The price is higher than EM-Marine chips
• Small number of compatible readers
• The need to configure the card and reader so that the system works correctly and is sufficiently secure
• They are used in access control systems where a high level of protection is required.
• Complies with ISO 14443 standard

Features of compatible chips​

• Low price
• Can be used in small ACS
• Complies with ISO 14443, but the quality of materials and manufacturing technologies used is lower than that of NXP

In production, we use both original and non-original chips. The choice of a suitable chip depends on the area in which the manufactured identifier will be used. We are constantly improving the quality of the manufactured cards, bracelets and key fobs, which is why the analogues of Mifare chips work stably. If the security of the facility where you plan to install the ACS is important to you, then we will manufacture identifiers with original chips for you, which will provide a high level of protection.

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