The blog
Access-card format insights
Plain-spoken deep dives into the proprietary proximity and smart-card formats most suppliers never document — what they are, which systems use them, and how a compatible credential is produced. Written for facility managers, integrators and anyone holding a card the original vendor won't reorder cheaply.
31 articles
Format deep dive
Avigilon Alta (Openpath) & 56-bit Cards Explained
Avigilon (Motorola) and Avigilon Alta / Openpath credentials decoded — the 56-bit Wiegand format and mobile-first platform — and how compatible Avigilon cards are supplied.
Read articleFormat deep dive
AWID Formats Explained: 26-bit, 34-bit & 50-bit RBH
AWID proximity formats decoded — the 26-bit, 34-bit and 50-bit RBH variants used in gate and building access — and how compatible AWID cards are encoded.
Read articleANZ enterprise
BQT, ISCS & Australian Wiegand Formats Explained
Australian proprietary Wiegand formats decoded — BQT 34-bit, BQT 38-bit with Issue Level and ISCS 38-bit — and how compatible cards are encoded to each.
Read articleEU intercom
CAME / BPT TST01 Proximity Cards Explained (RF/64)
CAME / BPT TST01 proximity cards decoded — the RF/64 ASK Manchester format distinct from EM4100 — and how a compatible CAME TST01 card is produced.
Read articleHospitality
CISA CT6, Messerschmitt & Specialty Hotel Locks
A procurement guide to specialty hotel locks — CISA CT6 (AERO/SMART), Messerschmitt, Häfele Dialock and MIWA — and how compatible bulk key cards are supplied.
Read articleEU intercom
Comelit, Videx & EU Intercom Fobs: Which Are Copyable
A plain guide to European intercom fobs — Comelit SimpleKey, Videx, Urmet and CAME — which are EM4100/MIFARE-UID copyable and which need a compatible blank.
Read articleEnterprise
Cotag Cards Explained: The High-Value Passive Prox Format
Cotag credentials decoded — the unusual low-bitrate passive prox used by Bewator / Siemens / Vanderbilt — why OEM cards cost a fortune, and the compatible path.
Read articleBuyer's guide
Discontinued & Obsolete Access Card Formats: How to Replace Them
When the OEM stops selling your card — Casi-Rusco, Motorola Flexpass, legacy Indala and more — here's how a compatible credential keeps an old access system running.
Read articleFormat deep dive
DMP 1326 & DMP Custom Prox Formats Explained
DMP proximity credentials decoded — the standard 1326 (26-bit) card and the proprietary DMP 31-bit / 33-bit custom formats — and how to get compatible DMP cards.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Gallagher / Cardax Cards Explained: Cardax IV & MIFARE Tiers
Gallagher (formerly Cardax) credentials decoded — the Cardax IV 125 kHz region-code format and the MIFARE/DESFire tiers — and how compatible Gallagher cards are supplied.
Read articleSecurity tiers
HID iCLASS, iCLASS SE & Seos: What Can Be Replaced
An honest, tier-by-tier guide to HID iCLASS, iCLASS SE and Seos: which legacy cards have a compatible path, and why SE and Seos are supplied as blanks your system enrols.
Read articleIdentification
How to Read the Numbers on Your Access Card or Fob
How to read the part number, facility code and card number printed on your access card or fob — what each marking means and how to use it to order a compatible card.
Read articleResidential
How to Replace a Lost Gate or HOA Fob
A step-by-step guide to replacing a lost gate or HOA fob — DoorKing, Linear, AWID and common 26-bit credentials — including what to send for a compatible copy.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Indala Format Numbers Explained: FlexSecur, 26/27/29-bit & Optus
Indala proximity formats decoded — FlexSecur scrambled facility codes, ASC 27-bit, 29-bit, Optus 34-bit and DSX 33-bit — and how compatible Indala cards are encoded.
Read articleANZ enterprise
Inner Range SIFER & Integriti / Concept Cards Explained
Inner Range credentials decoded — the SIFER DESFire EV3 secure card, the 56-bit LF format and Integriti / Concept prox — and the compatible path for each tier.
Read articleEU enterprise
Jablotron RFID Cards & the Alarm-Access Crossover
Jablotron RFID cards decoded — the 64-bit BiPhase format used by Czech alarm-and-access systems — and how a compatible Jablotron card is produced.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Kantech ioProx Cards Explained: XSF, KSF & 32-bit Formats
What a Kantech ioProx card really is — XSF, KSF and 32-bit Sensor formats decoded — and how to get a compatible replacement that reads on your existing readers.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Kastle Systems Key Fobs & Cards: Why They're Hard to Replace
Why Kastle Systems fobs are so hard to replace through the building, what the 32-bit Kastle format is, and how a compatible Kastle credential is produced.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Keri Systems Cards Explained: K-format, MS / Megastar & NXT
Keri Systems credentials decoded — the proprietary K-format / MS (Megastar) prox and the newer NXT MIFARE line — plus how to get a compatible Keri card replacement.
Read articleSecurity tiers
LEGIC Prime vs LEGIC Advant: What's Copyable
LEGIC Prime vs Advant decoded — the older obscurity-based 13.56 MHz format versus the modern AES generation — and which LEGIC cards have a compatible path.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Lenel Cards Explained: 26-bit, 37-bit & the Lenel 42-bit Format
Lenel / LenelS2 OnGuard credentials decoded — standard 26-bit, 37-bit and the proprietary Lenel 42-bit (L11601) format — and how to get compatible Lenel cards.
Read articleEnterprise
Nedap Cards Explained: Magna, NeXS, TRANSIT & uPASS
Nedap AEOS credentials decoded — the 128-bit Magna/NeXS prox, TRANSIT long-range and uPASS UHF — and how compatible Nedap cards and tags are supplied.
Read articleEU intercom
Noralsy Compatible Badges Explained (French Apartment Entry)
Noralsy apartment-entry badges decoded — the French residential RFID format, why buildings overcharge for spares, and how a compatible Noralsy badge is produced.
Read articleUK/EU tokens
PAC & Stanley 8x32 Fobs Explained
PAC / Stanley fobs decoded — the 8-digit hex NRZ format used across UK access control (now Comelit-PAC) — and how a compatible PAC fob is produced.
Read articleUK/EU tokens
Paxton Net2 & Switch2 Tokens Explained (Hitag2)
Paxton Net2 and Switch2 tokens decoded — the Hitag2 password-protected format used across UK access control — and the compatible path for Paxton fobs.
Read articleSecurity tiers
SimonsVoss & Active-Transponder Locks: What Can't Be Copied
Why some credentials — like the SimonsVoss System 3060 active transponder — can't be reproduced as a passive card, and what the compatible options actually are.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Software House CCOTZ 37-bit Explained (C•CURE / iSTAR)
The Software House CCOTZ 37-bit credential decoded — the proprietary C•CURE / iSTAR format — and how a compatible CCOTZ card is encoded to your facility code.
Read articleANZ enterprise
Tecom & Challenger Smart Cards Explained (GE/Aritech ANZ)
Tecom / Challenger credentials decoded — the 27-bit prox and the Hitag-based smart card used in Australia/NZ — and which Tecom cards have a compatible path.
Read articleEU intercom
Urmet 1125/50 Tokens & Intercom Fobs Explained
Urmet 1125/50 intercom tokens decoded — the Italian Sinthesi / 2Voice residential format — and how a compatible Urmet token or fob is produced for apartment entry.
Read articleFormat deep dive
Vicon VAX Proximity Cards Explained (and the Farpointe Link)
Vicon VAX proximity cards decoded — the Farpointe Pyramid credential underneath, the 26-bit default and MAXSecure — and how to get a compatible Vicon replacement.
Read articleBuyer's guide
Why Your OEM Charges $10–$30 a Card (and Compatibles Cost a Fraction)
Why OEM access cards cost $10–$30 each, what a compatible credential actually costs to make, and how to cut your card spend without changing readers.
Read articleRequest a quote
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