To most people, a key card is just a piece of plastic that opens a door. They all look similar, and as long as they grant access, they seem to be doing their job. But this is a dangerous oversimplification. The invisible technology embedded within that plastic is the difference between real security and what amounts to “security theater.”
The choice between using low-frequency or high-frequency credentials is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your access control system. Understanding the difference is critical to protecting your facility, assets, and people across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
The Old Guard: Low-Frequency (125 kHz) Cards
Low-frequency, 125 kHz proximity cards were the industry standard for decades. They operate on a simple principle: when the card comes near a reader, the reader energizes a small antenna in the card, which then broadcasts its unique ID number. If the number is on the approved list, the door unlocks.
Think of it like a simple garage door opener. It broadcasts a single, unencrypted code.
The Pros:
- They are inexpensive (typically $2-5 per card)
- The technology is simple and widely available
- Compatible with legacy systems
The Cons (Why They Are a Major Liability):
They Are Incredibly Easy to Clone: This is their fatal flaw. The unencrypted signal they broadcast can be easily captured and copied using a cheap, readily available cloning device—some costing as little as $20 on Amazon. A disgruntled employee, contractor, or bad actor can make a perfect copy of a card in seconds without you ever knowing. They don’t even need to touch the card; they can capture the signal by walking past someone in a parking lot with a reader in their pocket.
No Encryption: The data is sent “in the clear,” offering no protection against skimming or eavesdropping. Your access control system has no way to distinguish between the original card and a clone.
One-Way Communication: The card can’t verify that it’s talking to a legitimate reader, making it susceptible to certain types of spoofing attacks.
No Audit Trail Value: When a cloned card is used, your system logs it as a legitimate access event, making investigations nearly impossible. You’ll never know unauthorized access occurred.
Using a 125 kHz card system in 2025 is like using a simple skeleton key to protect a bank vault. It provides the illusion of security while being trivial to defeat.
The Modern Standard: High-Frequency (13.56 MHz) Smart Cards
High-frequency cards, often called “smart cards,” represent a quantum leap in security. These cards don’t just shout a static number—they engage in a secure, two-way conversation with the reader.
Think of it less like a garage door opener and more like using the chip on your debit card. A secure, encrypted “handshake” must occur before any transaction takes place.
The Pros (Why They Are the Professional Choice):
Strong Encryption: This is the key differentiator. HF cards, especially advanced versions like MIFARE DESFire EV2/EV3 and iCLASS Seos, use sophisticated encryption algorithms. The data is scrambled using cryptographic keys, making it nearly impossible to skim or clone. Even if someone intercepts the signal, they capture only encrypted data that is useless without the proper decryption keys.
Two-Way Mutual Authentication: The card and the reader challenge each other to verify their identities before any information is exchanged. This prevents both cloned cards and rogue readers from functioning. The card verifies the reader is legitimate, and the reader verifies the card is legitimate.
Multi-Application Capabilities: A single HF card can be securely partitioned to be used for more than just opening doors. It can be used for secure printing, vending machine payments, time and attendance tracking, IT logins, and more, creating a single, convenient credential for your entire facility. This eliminates the need for employees to carry multiple cards.
Enhanced Security and Future-Proofing: The technology is fundamentally more secure, providing true access control and peace of mind. As security standards evolve, high-frequency systems can be updated with new encryption standards through software updates, protecting your investment for years to come.
Faster Read Times: High-frequency cards communicate more quickly, reducing the “tap and wait” delay at busy entry points, improving traffic flow during shift changes.
The Next Step: Mobile Credentials
The principles of high-frequency security are the foundation for the next evolution in access control: mobile credentials. Using technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy and Near Field Communication in your smartphone, mobile access offers the same—or even better—high-level encryption as a physical HF card, but with the added convenience and security of the device you carry every day.
Mobile Credential Advantages:
- Credentials are stored in encrypted form on the phone
- They can be issued and revoked instantly without physical card collection
- Lost phones can be remotely disabled
- Employees always have their phones, eliminating forgotten card issues
- No physical cards to manufacture, distribute, or replace
- Enhanced user experience that modern employees expect
Mobile credentials are only possible with high-frequency infrastructure. If you deploy a low-frequency system today, you’re locking yourself out of this modern capability. Systems from PDK and Feenics that Systems Integrations deploys are mobile-credential ready, positioning you to adopt this technology whenever you’re ready.
Why This Choice Matters for Your Business
Your access control system is only as strong as its weakest link, and very often, that weak link is an outdated credential.
Relying on low-frequency 125 kHz cards exposes your business to significant and unnecessary risk. It creates a false sense of security that can be easily bypassed, potentially leading to:
Theft and Loss: Unauthorized access to inventory, equipment, or sensitive materials Intellectual Property Compromise: Access to proprietary manufacturing processes or confidential business information Liability Exposure: Unauthorized individuals on your property create safety and legal risks Compliance Violations: Many industries now require high-security credentials for regulated facilities Reputation Damage: Security incidents traced to easily cloned credentials reflect poorly on your organization
For manufacturing facilities in the Pureland Industrial Complex and Mid-Atlantic Industrial Park, wealth management firms handling sensitive client data, and property management companies responsible for tenant safety, the credential choice is not just a technical detail—it’s a fundamental security decision.
The Cost Reality: Investment vs. Risk
Low-frequency cards cost $2-5 each. High-frequency cards cost $8-15 each. For a 100-employee facility, that’s a difference of $600-1,000.
But consider the cost of a single security incident:
- Stolen inventory or equipment: $thousands to $tens of thousands
- Compromised intellectual property: potentially $millions
- Legal liability from an incident involving an unauthorized person: $tens of thousands to $millions
- Insurance premium increases after a claim: ongoing costs for years
- Reputation damage and lost business: unquantifiable but substantial
When viewed through the lens of risk mitigation and total cost of ownership, high-frequency credentials are not an expense—they’re an insurance policy that costs pennies per day.
Industry Standards and Compliance
Many industries and compliance frameworks are moving away from low-frequency credentials:
- Government facilities and contractors often require high-security credentials
- Healthcare organizations under HIPAA scrutiny are upgrading to prevent unauthorized access to patient areas
- Financial institutions and wealth management firms require the highest credential security
- Manufacturing facilities protecting intellectual property need credentials that can’t be easily compromised
- Property management companies are upgrading to protect tenant safety and reduce liability
If your business operates in a regulated industry or handles sensitive information, high-frequency credentials may not just be a best practice—they may become a requirement from insurance providers, clients, or compliance auditors.
Systems Integrations: Security Without Compromise
Investing in a system that uses modern, encrypted high-frequency credentials is a foundational element of a serious security posture. It ensures that your access control system is a robust barrier, not just a minor inconvenience to those with bad intentions.
At Systems Integrations, we design and install security solutions built for the challenges of the modern world. We will never compromise your security with outdated and easily defeated technology. All of our access control deployments are built around secure, high-frequency credentials to provide protection you can actually trust.
We partner with industry leaders PDK and Feenics, whose cloud-based access control platforms are built on modern, high-frequency credential technology. These systems support encrypted MIFARE DESFire, iCLASS Seos, and mobile credentials, ensuring your facility has the highest level of credential security available.
Our approach includes:
- Comprehensive assessment of your security requirements and credential needs
- Recommendation of the appropriate credential technology for your risk profile
- Professional enrollment and credential management processes
- Training for your team on proper credential handling and security
- Ongoing support for credential lifecycle management
With over 20 years of experience serving manufacturing facilities, property management companies, wealth management firms, and businesses throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, we understand that true security starts with the fundamentals—and that includes the credentials in your employees’ wallets.
We’re fully licensed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Florida, and we’re active members of NJELSA, ESA, SIA, InfraGard and BNI. Our team of licensed, certified technicians undergoes annual continuing education on the latest access control technologies and security best practices.
Don’t Settle for Security Theater
Is your access control system relying on outdated technology? Are you trusting low-frequency cards that can be cloned in seconds? Don’t wait for a security incident to reveal the vulnerability.
Contact Systems Integrations today at (866) 417-3787 for a free security assessment and let’s ensure your credentials are a shield, not a liability.