Proximity Card

A proximity card or prox card is a “contactless” smart-card, this can be read without inserting it into a reader device, as required by earlier magnetic stripe cards such as credit cards and “contact” type smart cards. The Proximity cards are part of the contactless card technologies.

Held near an electronic reader for a moment they enable the identification of an encoded number. The reader usually produces a beep or other sound to indicate the card has been read.

Proximity card readers from Bluemoon Technology have long served as a popular entry-level option for physical access control. Featuring contactless 125 kHz RFID technology, HID Prox readers are affordable, integrate seamlessly with access control systems, and allow for the use of multiple form factors, including smart cards, fobs and tags.

Most proximity cards are powered by using resonant energy transfer in conjunction with a passive chip that is found inside the proximity card itself, although some are powered using small batteries. Non-powered proximity cards typically have a smaller storage capacity than powered cards.