To identify people who are permitted
access to the secured area, some sort of mechanism is needed
to differentiate them. While there is a world of options available,
by far the two most common are the card reader and keypad.
The keypad is the least costly, requires no other expense
(such as cards) but is the easiest to breach. It is very valuable
as a supplemental device to verify ownership of a card, but
on its own, it is too easy to circumvent and has no way of
verifying that the person entering is the person who owns
the pass code. A card reader, either magnetic stripe or proximity,
is the most common and a more secure method for entry. Magnetic
stripe cards are the least expensive but must be slid through
a card reader, which causes some mechanical wear and tear
both on the card and the reader. While proximity cards do
not have the mechanical element and are considered more durable,
they can cost much more than magnetic stripe cards. |