Vicon VAX Proximity Cards Explained (and the Farpointe Link)

What Vicon VAX Is and the Farpointe Pyramid Technology Underneath

Vicon Industries — a long-established manufacturer of video surveillance and access control systems — packages its VAX access control platform with credentials sold under the VAX-CRD product designation. What many facilities managers and integrators do not realise is that the credential format is not an in-house Vicon development. The VAX-CRD is an OEM product built on Farpointe Data Pyramid technology, meaning the underlying encoding protocol is the same Farpointe Pyramid scheme used across a broad range of security integrator deployments.

Farpointe Data is a California-based credential manufacturer that has supplied the physical and logical card technology behind several OEM-branded product lines. For the Vicon Industries VAX platform, this means the data structure — field widths, parity positions, bit ordering — follows the Farpointe Pyramid specification rather than a Vicon-proprietary one. That distinction matters enormously when you are trying to identify a replacement source, because the relevant credential family extends well beyond the Vicon product catalogue.

Recognising the Farpointe Pyramid lineage also explains why certain compatible credential suppliers can fulfil VAX-CRD orders. A compatible Farpointe Pyramid card encoded to the correct facility code and card number range will present the same Wiegand data stream to a Vicon VAX reader as a genuine VAX-CRD credential — provided the encoding parameters are matched precisely.

The 26-Bit Default Format and MAXSecure

Standard VAX-CRD deployments use 26-bit Wiegand, the industry-ubiquitous H10301 format: an 8-bit facility code field (values 0–255) and a 16-bit card number field (values 0–65,535), with leading and trailing parity bits. Vicon typically assigns a site-specific facility code at the time of installation, and that code is the critical parameter any compatible credential supplier needs to match. Without the correct facility code, a card will either be rejected outright or admitted only if the reader is misconfigured to ignore the facility code byte — a scenario no responsible access programme should rely on. The complete Wiegand format guide explains the full 26-bit bit-field layout for integrators who need to audit their panel configuration.

MAXSecure is an additional Farpointe-developed feature layered over the base proximity data. It is an anti-tamper mechanism designed to prevent unauthorised field programming of the credential's data page. When MAXSecure is active, the credential carries an encrypted check value alongside the standard Wiegand payload; readers configured to verify this check value will reject credentials that have not been produced with the correct MAXSecure parameters. This is a population-level deterrent applied to the credential production process — it is not a site-specific cryptographic secret in the way that a DESFire AES diversified key is. Facilities that have enabled MAXSecure verification on their readers need to confirm with their integrator whether their replacement credentials require MAXSecure encoding before ordering.

For the majority of VAX deployments in the field, MAXSecure is either not enabled at the reader or the readers are configured to accept standard 26-bit Wiegand without the MAXSecure check. Integrators should verify the reader configuration before assuming MAXSecure is active. If you are unsure of your facility's credential configuration, the card format identification guide covers how to read the data printed or programmed on your existing credentials.

LF VAX-CRD vs HF VAX-CRD-MT (MIFARE)

Vicon offers two distinct credential technologies under the VAX-CRD umbrella. The standard VAX-CRD is a 125 kHz low-frequency (LF) proximity card — the same inductive coupling technology used across the 125 kHz LF proximity card market since the 1990s. It is passive, battery-free, and operates at a read range of roughly 5–10 cm depending on reader gain settings. This is the more common credential in legacy and mid-market VAX installations.

The VAX-CRD-MT is the high-frequency (HF) variant, operating at 13.56 MHz using genuine NXP MIFARE silicon. This product line targets installations that want the added data capacity and optional application-layer security that 13.56 MHz smart credentials provide. Because the VAX-CRD-MT uses a genuine NXP chip rather than a simple LF transponder, the compatibility and sourcing pathway is different from the standard VAX-CRD: it requires matching the MIFARE configuration and any application-level encoding Vicon has applied, not simply reproducing a Wiegand bit stream.

For the purposes of compatible credential sourcing, the LF VAX-CRD and the HF VAX-CRD-MT are treated as separate product lines with separate lead times and technical requirements. Most field replacement requests concern the LF VAX-CRD — the MIFARE variant is less prevalent in installed base, and the encoding requirements are more complex. Both are supported; the ordering process for each is covered in the final section below. The legacy OEM proximity category page gives broader context for similar multi-technology credential families.

Encoding a Compatible Vicon Credential

A compatible LF VAX-CRD credential is produced by encoding a compatible Farpointe Pyramid proximity card blank — specifically a T5577 or equivalent low-frequency programmable transponder — with the Farpointe Pyramid format specification, the site's facility code, and the required card number. The T5577 is the standard programmable blank for this class of credential; it can be written to the correct modulation type, bit rate, and data structure to produce a credential that is electrically and logically indistinguishable from a factory-issued VAX-CRD at the reader level. The compatible vs genuine access cards guide explains in plain terms what "compatible" means in this context and what it does not mean.

The encoding process must match several parameters simultaneously: the carrier frequency modulation (FSK for Pyramid format), the data rate, the field layout (facility code position, card number position, parity algorithm), and — where applicable — the MAXSecure check value. None of these are guesswork: the Farpointe Pyramid specification is a defined and reproducible format. What varies per site is the facility code value and the card number range, both of which must be supplied by the customer or read from a sample credential.

For the HF VAX-CRD-MT, the process requires working with a blank 13.56 MHz MIFARE credential configured to match the Vicon application structure. Because MIFARE credentials can carry application data in addition to the proximity payload, the encoding requirements are more site-specific. Customers ordering the MIFARE variant should provide a sample credential for format analysis, along with any available documentation from their installer regarding the card configuration. The Farpointe Pyramid 39-bit compatible credential is also available for sites using the extended PW-39 format rather than the 26-bit default.

Ordering: Facility Code, Card Range, and a Sample Read

To order a compatible compatible Vicon proximity card replacement, three pieces of information are required: the facility code in use at the site, the card number range you need covered, and confirmation of whether MAXSecure is enabled. The facility code is typically recorded by the installing integrator in the panel configuration, on the original purchase order, or printed on legacy credential stock. If none of those sources are available, a sample credential submitted to us for read-out will establish the facility code definitively.

Card numbers should be specified as a contiguous range where possible — for example, card numbers 1 through 50 — rather than ad-hoc individual numbers. This simplifies batch encoding and quality verification. For ongoing facilities requiring periodic top-ups, we recommend retaining the original range documentation so that future orders can be matched without ambiguity.

The fastest path to a correctly encoded replacement is to send two to three sample credentials from the existing installation. A sample read confirms the facility code, card number pattern, data structure, and MAXSecure configuration in a single step, eliminating the risk of encoding against an incorrect assumption. Use the contact page to initiate a sample submission or to discuss your facility's specific requirements. Integrators managing multiple VAX sites across different facility codes can also browse the full compatible credential catalogue to confirm product availability before submitting a bulk order. Security ID Systems is an independent manufacturer and supplier of compatible access-control credentials and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Vicon Industries or Farpointe Data.