My use case is an Electronic lock at the front door and small kids. Small kids tend to lose keys. Replacing regular keys is expensive as you need to replace the cylinder locks, so for 1/2 the money of replacing my locks i installed an electronic lock and RFID reader. When an RFID key gets lost, i just remove the number. As for lack of security, regular keys are not much more secure. The added detection and notification of known and unknown RFID keys (with a snapshot of the person in front of the door) makes it practical and secure. As a bonus, i got an electronic lock that detects whether the ‘night lock’ is on. In the Netherlands most homes have such a lock which has two types of locks which activate the ‘day lock’ (dagschoot in Dutch) and ‘night lock’ (nachtschoot). When only the ‘day lock’ is active, the electronic lock works. When the ‘night lock’ is on (same cylinder, just turned further), the electronic lock won’t unlock the door. Also, i can use this detection to ‘arm’ my alarm.
Excellent presentation. As a RFID Engineer and Architect, you have discussed all important elements. There are of course some gaps, but nothing critical. It should be noted, the majority of High performance and secured RFID platforms have excellent security built into design and format. They are not readable by any generic hardware or software interface and require standalone encoder equipment. This doesn't mean that low cost systems are not in use, they are. It is also true, these systems should have better security and protocols. Cost is of course, is the major reason. The next generation of RFID that includes master / slave authentication interrogation is now hitting the market. For example, a biometric algorithm will be available to upload a security scan of the user's fingerprint into a guest RFID card. This becomes the temporary passcode installed into the card and card reader database server. If the card reader detects a different fingerprint (algorithm) other than what was used to configure the card, it will not work. Up to 3,000,000 coordinates can be input and scrambled into a input sequence, which is impossible to decrypt / decode without a supercomputer in less than year.
I assume you are the expert (not clear in your post). I am certainly not an expert as I did not know anything about RFID one week ago ;-) From what I read, for a long time, you get much better cards. But the old ones are still used, especially by Makers. Maybe also because they are easy to understand and use. The next generations will no more be very interesting for a video. No hacking possible :-(
@@AndreasSpiess I have some experience with this technology. :-) My point is that you have done VERY well understanding how the technology works and its use today. Your ATC analogy is a good one. A modern super fast equivalent is smartphones with NFC that combines connectivity, identification, authentication and payload. We may see RFID card / fob readers adapted to interface to NFC devices using a hybrid Secured Element Identifier (SEID) Chipset. However, it currently uses only the lower frequency band in the ISM space. Years ago, I developed a early Android App using NFC that added an additional security layer, by including biometric scan as part of a two step authorization process on the smartphone device, which, once authenticated, allows the NFC Chipset to send an authentication code to an RFID reader. If the phone was lost or stolen, it would not work unless the finger was... The goal was to reduce the number of pass cards a user might be required to have access multiple platforms and systems while maintaining two step security protocol. This is particularly true of loyalty rewards cards when they were first introduced. Now barcodes are used to easily display on any smartphone screen eliminating any demand. We will probably see in most markets, a continuous decline of legacy RFID card readers with updated scanners taking their place except where extreme environmental conditions and long connectivity distances exist. Real-time Encryption using one time transaction codes are becoming highly desirable. Blockchain has been touted as one approach which has significant issues including payload size along with latency issues. RFID still has life and is accepted in low security environments and has potential to be significantly upgraded. For tracking and monitoring applications, it remains an excellent low cost solution. As I have mentioned before, the potential in the agricultural and forestry sector is an interesting opportunity. I know you have asked for some additional information, which I will get you later this week. The problem is that some of the documents are in PDF files only and links are not easily posted.
Excellent video! You are a great maker and without a doubt the best maker educator of them all! The part about the German IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) system reminded me of the quote from one of Churchill's closest aides, Sir Ian Jacob. His view was that the allies won because “our German scientists were better than their German scientists”. :-D
I use HF tags embedded in wristbands for agile payment purposes. There are ways of securing your tags by password protecting them, only for writing tho; for reading is recommended to use some kind of encryption that uses the uid as a part of the decoding parameter, so that the payload is unique per uid, there are ways to fake this as well, but users interact with the scanners via a person, they don't use any scanners directly, except for balance checking, which is a small ESP32 that queries the server for it using the uid and the payload.
As long as you are using the tags in a predictable environment we can say it's fairly secure. Anything other than that, you need to use your phone's NFC capabilities. We also collect the wristbands for reuse when the customer is leaving. Trying to be a little greener here and there :)
Alfredo Rivera As I said in my comment above...when it comes to payments, I have the user enter a 4 digit (or more) pin and then scan their tag. This makes it something they know and something they have. That increases the security in the right environments.
Dan Hoover We have made runs of this mode, but given that we are focused in festivals and concerts is a little troublesome. We are now trying scanning and then presenting two colors in the screen of the terminal and having the customer choose their color to confirm the transaction.
Great video! Thanks for covering the details of the different types of RFID. Perhaps in a future video you could test the effectiveness of those special wallets that claim to protect user's cards from bad guys with scanners.
I built a 125kHz/LF RFID card spoofer using an STM32 microcontroller and some other basic components. It works on all devices I have tried it on thus far.
522 is legacy, it only supports iso 14443. You should try 633 or even PN series. They support much nicer tags like iCode and other iso 15693. We are getting as much as 90cm range on 13.56 :)
Hmm, actually we build our own readers. Looks like they are not so popular so Chinese folks didn't really built any. I'll try to look something u for you. There are definitely some evaluation boards on farnell, etc.
What?! 90 cm?! I'll have to check it out if it isn't too expensive! Even the PN532 has a range of maximum 10 cm. Also, 633 what? I've tried RC633 and MFRC633, but neither give relevant results on Google.
Hi Andreas, My job card some years ago has become RFid. As a back up of functionality it maintains the pre-existing magnetic strip (in some locations they still have old skimmers!) With that I can open the entrance door of my workplace, unlock the anti-theft of my service cars (confirming that I am driving, for any legal liability with respect to traffic laws) enable the use of photocopiers / printers and confirm my beginning and end of work. I noticed that those little metal and plastic boxes of the cost of a few euros in the Chinese shops (at 9:00 am of your video, in the middle of the screen is shown a pink model and the previous items, shown opened is bronze) work well as shielding. From the tests I have done, the badge is not read inside the box or even if it is placed on the outside of the box. I can not tell you if it's an LF or an HF, because I did not have a chance to see the reader's antenna. All your videos are interesting and they always teach something! Bye
Thank you for your feedback. Maybe you check now once if you can read it. But pay attention with the magnetic strip and 125 kHz. Maybe it is erased afterward...
Andreas Spiess thanks for your warning, but fortunately the magnetic strip works correctly: the entrance to the building is rfid but the entry and exit stamping is magnetic stripe. the anti-theft-car reader is very small 2-3 cm in height by 8-10 in width ... I do not know if there is an RFid HF coil. bye
My use case is 5 mfrc522 readers connected to a wemos to identify 5 little ships and detect when they are placed in their respective harbours on a map in an escape room.
First time I was in one, I recognized all the parts from maker sites/videos and my own collection and tried to figure out how everything works. Must be a nice project if you have the space.
Let's say it's the never ending story. Well, it's almost ready. I'm now looking into finishing the floor. I haven't made a final decision, but I would like to pour an epoxy floor. After that is finished, I'll bring in the furniture. Smaller details are to be carried out in the next month, but at the same time I'll start using the shed. Here's a picture of the work in progress.... photos.app.goo.gl/udfSVFbrR6uUyUr39
The aircraft transponder codes at the start... The bottom one, 7500, if you ever put that in on an aircraft, you will be met at your landing by law enforcement. It is one of 3 “special” transponder codes: 7700 - Emergency 7600 - Radio Failure And the one displayed, 7500 - Hijacking in progress
09:23 I wouldn't rely on multiple cards as protection against malicious reading - the ICs usually support collision avoidance, if multiple cards are present the reader can choose which one to address. This is for example used in logistics where a packet can have multiple contents with separate tags - passing through the reader will sequentially read all of them. I guess the reader you tried is specifically designed for access control - since in this case multiple tags is a sign for unwanted scans they abort the reading, but thats just a design decision and not a technical limitation.
You are right. Some of the modern chips support anti-collision. But the one I used not. If you combine only one which does not support it, your spectrum is "closed" as it always transmits.
Many of the USB RFID readers hit "enter" automatically when connected to a web form/pc. When I want to add a second factor of security to rfid on a web application like a login or a gift card, I have the user enter a pin followed directly by scanning their rfid card. So the 4 digit pin plus the 10 digit rfid uid concatenate together into a 2 factor authentication on one form input.
For security in Mifare I suggest to use Desfire. Also Plus are quite safe - Debit card are Mifare Plus. Cheapest way is to take Mifare classic, use own authentication keys combined with data ciphering (f.e. AES).
One of the oldest prox card system I've worked on, used frequency turned antennas on a PCB board the size of a credit card, based solely on frequency. To have a different access group you needed to add a different crystal. High tech almost all way becomes low tech, it's just a matter of time.
So you probably also have a few grey hairs ;-) It is sometimes astonishing what was achieved in the old days with only a few technical possibilities. E.g. the flight to the moon and back...
Andreas Spiess: fizeau-foucault apparatus is a prime example of that, with just clockwork and mirrors, measure the speed of light! In 1845 with in 5%. Videos like yours and other are showing off the "clockwork an mirrors" of the future. Thank you.
Great video on the basics. I bought a MFRC-522 about a year ago but only got to trying it in the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately it seems to be dead. I was unable to establish communication using several free libraries. Really cheap off ebay but I guess thats the risk. I need to get another so I can do some experiments. In the mean tie I look forward to you second video on the topic.
EM RFID chips (I have bought a lot of these from china) have 40 bits UID. However it is very common for reading equipment to "mask out" only the least significant 32 bits. Our Axema access system (a swedish manufacturer) where I live uses all 40 bits! So, the UID number in the Axema event log is different from the number inscribed on the chinese RFID tag. Very confusing before I understood what was going on!...
great video and just in time a new project I am going to do next is a rfid reader on the back garden gate. I never have my keys with me when I need them and usually have my hands full. would be nice to just have a card hidden on the inside of the fence I could use to open the lock I was looking in to using magnetic locks with a 600Lbs capacity. I have never used some thing like this for external use but I believe it will work and it is a 12v DC system. If any one has used some thing like this and it is a bad Idea please explain why
US passports issued since 2007 all have an RFID chip in the front cover. I purchased sleeves for our passports- but thanks to you I know the sleeve does not work on LF RFID. Do you know what kind of RFID is used in most passports?
I was expecting something much more sophisticated, like RSA or PGP message encoding/signature, so the card would never authenticate itself with the same byte string twice. Amazing these are used as hotel keys.
-1- What about shops who protect there merchandise with RFID. In some shops the alarm seems more sensible than in others and sometimes reacts to library books. - 2-The public transport in The Neterlands use HF RFID cards. They store data on the card but also in there own system to prevent using cloned cards. -3- The alarm in a shop sounded once due to a (big) bundle of RFID card in my wallet. When i splitted up the cards there was no problem... -4- An idea to add a cheap RC5222 reader in the bottom of the Tank to detect the (exact) location of spots where a Tag in placed in the floor? (Perhaps some nail tags can placed in the garden ground for that?)
I do not know how the cards in shops work. I only read that they have one bit which is flipped when you pay. Maybe the scanners are very primitive? Concerning Robo Tank. Good idea!
AFAIR there are Android apps for NFC phones which read everything and can also emulate RFID cards too. For example from most Visa/MC cards you can read data which are not coded like last transaction value and date :) I will buy such RFID kit for MCUs because now they are in more reasonable price than a few years ago.
What's the black-out from 10:55 to 11:00 in the video? Did you originally film something that you decided you didn't want us to see? If you did it just to see if we are awake or would ask questions (than it worked).
Do anyone know Is it possible for nfc tag to cover area of maybe half square meter or so? Maybe emulated card or card with bigger antenna? I don't need distance, I need wide area of reading. Thanks!
Maybe with a special antenna design. And maybe you also have to amplify the signal of the transmitter to provide enough energy to the chip in the card.
Yikes. I did not realize it was a year old video. If it was the attempt with the yaggi antenna then I have seen it. A newbie here and really enjoy your content. Great production
And I learned to fly in Florida. And we discovered that my transponder did not work when I wanted to land in Palm Springs with a nearly empty tank. I never forget that.
In open land, LoRa might be another possibility. I know of a guy who can predict when cows can become pregnant by checking their movement and send it via LoRa. I do not know if it is directly sent to the bull ;-)
Both standards - 125/13.56 offer cards with programowanie CSN. On MF we can change sector code to protect our code. Mifare have also 7byte CSN length (MF od a part of ISO 13.56 standard)
I saw that the Mifare can have 7 byte UID. But all the cards I purchased were only 4 bytes. Where did you get the 7 byte ones? In the next video I will clone both types of cards.
@@AndreasSpiess eg UL, DesFire or Plus. Some new classic have 7 bytes too. Probably hour UL card have 7bytes, but configuration od reader returns only 4? Another question - MF have strong coding of transmision. I You like, we can talk more about RFID - please priv message or email
I did not want to go more in the details of RFID since these cards are not commonly used by Makers and I do not want to become a specialist. I wanted to concentrate on the ones still widely used and the basic understanding.
i once mounted a large antenna behind the door, it was only powerfull an read only in the corner of the antenna. maybe something for a next video? -- see here, to see more antennas and the large one. interesstingly they build it with ribbon cable for hardisks... www.rss-systems.de/shop/rfid-systeme/rfid-systeme-125khz/antennen-lf/ulr190-u-long-range-190x85cm.php
Mr spiess, i want to ask about secure access module (SAM) card. Can you explain all process when we're using e-money card to buy something and what the connection between our e-money card and SAM card provide by Bank. Thankyou before 👍
Hi Andreas, Interestig story about RFID's. Did you ever tested the long range RFID's used in sport timing systems? |They have a reach upon to 8m. These systems are quite expensive. Would you think it is possible to build such a system with budged equipment. Would it be able to just ad a strong antenna to a basic system for a better reach? I need to determin/recogise persons on 8 meters distance. Do you have any experiance about this subject? Innod is a long range RFID tag. Regards. Johan van D.
They use UHF tags and quite strong transmitters. I have UHF tags and a reader here to experiment and will cover it in a video. But I do not have an (expensive) high power device.
I had a use case to scan cards passing the reader at speed. I tried to find information about which frequency (LF or HF or even UHF) that’s best for reading speed. I also wonder if different readers can read tags faster or slower? Could you help out in this? Maybe you can compare readers on read speed as well as range? Love you channel!
I don’t know if you’ll reply but I’m looking to copy a Dormakaba rfid key. This particular key has to insert into the lock and turn to unlock the bolt. Let me know if you have any advice
Your squawk example of 7500 is a poor one. It has a special meaning, and that meeting is hijacked. It's a squawk code you would never enter, in fact we're trained never to go through 7000 series as they are special and instead go up from the bottom.
You say transmitter (sounds like HV) and I meant an industrial induction heater (more current) for metal parts/heat treatment. Would you say, it only works ("kill") with higher voltages, and not with big current? Would (theoretically) a induction charger (5W) be able to kill, the card, or are the frequencies legally attributed for these chargers.
Dear Andreas, thanks for the nice channel. How did you connect the 7304D2 reader? Also interested to learn how to connect the Buzzer en Led control. Can you also write on a Mifare card with this Wiegand (7304D2) Reader? I'm now using the MFRC-522 reader/writer and looking at your channel I would like to change to the more professional reader. Thanks.
1. Wiegand readers have two data lines (D0 and D1) 2. The buzzer and the LED was controlled by the reader itself 3. You cannot write cards with this device (at least I do not know how)
I would like to build a RFID system in my daily backpack for knowing that I didn't miss anything at home. I would stick one RFID card to every Item I don't want to miss. In the morning holding my backpack against the RFID reader and it should tell me if I missed something. Problem is the needed range of ~ 30cm. Is there a solution for my range problem?
This means that you have to be able to read over distance and the tags need to have a "collision detection" mechanism. AFAIK this is only possible with UHF tags.
Too long. Because I had to learn everything about RFID and also a little about the Proxmark3. The production itself takes about 10 hours for a 15 minutes video
Before I watched your video I had ordered the "Bad" RFID reader from AliExpress. My electronics knowledge is poor and I've struggled to get it working with an Arduino using 13.56MHz. (The buzzer is also continually on, whether it is connected to the Arduino or not). Do I need to wire any pullup/pulldown resistors to get this working properly? I've tried a number of libraries, but not the one you have referenced above. Any advice, or a wiring diagram would be much appreciated. I will order the "Good" one from above and see if I can get that working. Thanks for all the great videos.
Question: Can a UHF reader, read a tag inside a metal surface? Porbably not... What about HF? I would be interested in some comparison between them. Great video though, thanks !
I bought mfrc522 and it work will but sudenly it stop and i change it the new one work well after 1 day it the new one stopped and some time read tags and some time stop my conection is very good and i make sure of them i mesure frequincy of the medule it is 13.65 mhz When it stop give me 50hz or low freq Can you help me with that please
Hi! Why the LF Tag EM4100 has a 4 Bytes UID (4:45)? Reviewing the datasheet of the EM4100, I noticed that it has a 64 bits of Read Only, so, it wouldn't be 8 Bytes? Thanks!
Does RDM6300 support 134 kHz band. If not, are you aware of any reader that does? (Would be useful for reading animal microchips (134.2 kHz )) and build the perfect cat door!
hmm. Ok, I couldn't find a reasonably cheap reader module on AliExpress for 134.2 KHz. To build something like this would be super cool - www.surepetcare.com/en-gb/pet-doors/microchip-cat-flap-connect
The chip is usually injected into the skin near the left shoulder. I guess any stationary scanner would have to have some range. Or the animal has to be trained to rub against it until the device beeps. Different solution would be a down-powered BLE fob in the collar.
I have the AlieExpress reader and keyfobs installed on the doorbell system of the main access door of a commercial building. This is not very safe, but the door is secured by a shutter at night anyway. I'm planning on using the same thing on the toilets because tenants and their visitors often make a very big mess there. I'll give every tenant their own key to the toilet that they can share with their visitors. I suspect that then their visitors will be more careful because people are more responsible when they're not anonymous.
Dear sir, I am not super smart, But i am willing to learn and solve my problem, My problem is, my car key, which has an rfid, I have lost it somewhere in the house, is there a way to find it with some project?
@@AndreasSpiess yeah, thanks for the response, figured that out, there's chip in my second car key, ATA5702, which sends out a continuous signal, and I guess, at a certain distance, my car recognizes it, Now, all I need to build is a way to detect a rf frequency if that's nearby. The frequency I could figure out with my alternate key... Any suggestions on this sir, any comment would be a great value...
hi! Great Vid! I have a question for you! I have a keytag for my apartment and I want to clone it so i have a spare one. I bought the RC522 module for the arduino. The module works fine and reads lots of different cards and tags, but it does not read the keytag for my apartment. The key tag is a standard blue roundish tag with a 10 digit idnumber written on it (first two 0). Why do you think the RC522 cant read the tag, and what do you recomend i should do? Thanks :)
Does anyone know of a tutorial for the EM4305 standard running at 134.2KHz? Or a pin layout for an FDX-B EM4305 board? Could I use the same Arduino code as for the EM4100?
Is there a reason you didn't talk about the 900mhz RFID? It is by far the best RFID standard expect for the higher price. There are readers on alixepress $85 tho
Hi Andreas. Could you maybe provide wiring to ESP8266 and maybe a sample sketch for the dual frequency module you recommend here? That would be awesome! 🤓
Andreas Spiess Yes, thanks. I was a bit confused with the LED and buzzer pins. The device is not widely used nor documented but I found this info which looks helpful at smartpoker dot jimdo.