AWID Formats Explained: 26-bit, 34-bit & 50-bit RBH

AWID and Where Its Cards Appear

AWID Systems built its reputation supplying 125 kHz proximity readers and controllers to the mid-market access-control segment throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The brand became embedded in a wide range of installations — apartment lobbies, commercial offices, parking structures, and gated communities — and its readers remain in active service long after the original card stock has run out. AWID's technology and product lines have since been absorbed into broader conglomerates, but the installed base of readers is enormous and still requires credential supply.

The practical consequence for facility managers is that AWID proximity credentials belong to the broader legacy OEM proximity family: readers are durable, replacement hardware is often unnecessary, but sourcing compatible cards and fobs through normal distribution channels can be surprisingly difficult. Security ID Systems stocks the full AWID format range specifically to fill that gap, supplying compatible AWID proximity cards encoded to your existing facility code and card number range.

The AWID Format Family: 26-bit, 34-bit, and 50-bit RBH

All AWID proximity formats transmit over the standard 125 kHz carrier and use Wiegand-protocol signalling to the reader — the same physical interface used by dozens of other prox brands. What distinguishes AWID formats is the total bit count and the way those bits are partitioned into facility code, card number, and parity fields. Readers are programmed to accept a specific bit-length; presenting a card encoded in a different length will produce a read failure even if the card number would otherwise be valid. Our guide to identifying your access card format walks through how to confirm which variant your site uses.

The 26-bit layout is the industry-standard H10301 Wiegand format and the most widely deployed of the three. It carries an 8-bit facility code (0–255) and a 16-bit card number (0–65535), with one leading and one trailing parity bit. Many AWID installations — particularly older ones — use this standard layout, which means compatible cards ordered in AWID 26-bit configuration will also interoperate with other 26-bit readers on the same Wiegand bus if the access controller is set to read all 26-bit traffic.

The 34-bit AWID format extends the card-number range substantially. Its facility code field grows to 16 bits (0–65535) and its card number field to 16 bits as well, giving far more addressable credentials before a site runs into number conflicts. This format is common in larger multi-tenant deployments where the 26-bit range proved insufficient. AWID 34-bit compatible cards must be encoded with the exact facility code and card number sequence already in your access controller's database, since the controller is expecting that wider data structure. Our complete Wiegand format guide covers the full mathematics of facility code, card-number ranges, and parity for both 26-bit and 34-bit layouts.

The 50-bit RBH format is the most capable of the three. Originally developed by RBH Access Technologies — whose readers were frequently paired with AWID panels — it expands the addressable space dramatically, supporting much larger card-number ranges and reducing the risk of facility-code collisions across multi-site enterprise deployments. If your readers or panels carry RBH branding alongside AWID, you are almost certainly operating on this format. AWID 50-bit RBH compatible cards and the closely related RBH Integra 50-bit compatible proximity card are both available for this installed base.

AWID in Gate Operators and HOA Installations

One of the largest concentrations of AWID-format readers outside the commercial office sector is in residential gate and community access control. Linear and Nortek access products — widely deployed at gated communities, HOA-managed complexes, and parking structures — used AWID-derived 26-bit and 34-bit prox technology as the credential layer for their vehicle-gate and pedestrian-entry systems. This pairing means that residents requesting replacement fobs or cards for a Linear-branded gate are frequently holding an AWID-format credential without knowing it. The Linear/Nortek AWID compatible proximity card is a direct drop-in for these installations.

Gate and HOA replacements are a high-turnover scenario: cards are lost, fobs fall off keyrings, and residents move in and out on cycles that make bulk standing stock attractive for property managers. Our gated community and HOA gate fob replacement service is designed specifically for this use case, letting managers keep a small on-site supply of pre-encoded credentials rather than waiting on individual reorder cycles. Encoding is matched to the existing facility code so new credentials activate on enrollment without any reader reprogramming.

Encoding a Compatible AWID Card

All three AWID LF formats — 26-bit, 34-bit, and 50-bit RBH — are reproduced on T5577 or EM4305 writable substrates. These chips are the standard programmable blanks for the 125 kHz proximity credential market; once the correct bit layout, facility code, and card number sequence are written, the card transmits an RF signal that a reader cannot distinguish from a factory-issued original. Our T5577 explainer covers the technical specifics of how writable LF blanks work and why chip choice matters for longevity and read reliability.

The critical inputs for any AWID order are: the format variant (26, 34, or 50-bit RBH), the facility code currently programmed into your readers or access controller, and the card number range you wish to assign. If you do not have the facility code to hand, our technical team can often determine it from a sample card or from the access controller's configuration export. Mismatching the facility code is the most common cause of a compatible card failing at the reader, so we verify this detail before encoding any order.

Ordering Compatible AWID Credentials

Security ID Systems holds ready-encoded stock in the most common AWID configurations and can produce custom-encoded runs for less common facility code and number combinations within standard lead times. Single cards for lost-card replacements, small batches for new-resident onboarding, and larger bulk orders for property managers or integrators are all handled the same way — specify the format, provide the facility code, and define the card number range. AWID 34-bit proximity cards and AWID 50-bit proximity cards in clamshell, adhesive, or key-fob form factors are available; contact our team for a quote or to confirm your format before ordering.

For facilities where the credential format is uncertain, our format identification guide provides a step-by-step approach using reader model numbers, controller documentation, and physical card markings to narrow down the variant. Alternatively, browse the full AWID credential range to cross-reference your hardware against known compatible configurations. Some AWID-era installations also used Wiegand bit-format credentials from adjacent brands such as Securitas/Stanley compatible cards and Camden CV-CSH compatible cards, both of which share the same Wiegand physical layer.

Security ID Systems is an independent manufacturer and supplier of compatible access-control credentials and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by AWID, Anviz, HID Global, Linear, Nortek, or RBH Access Technologies.