Mifare Cards

MIFARE CARDS – 1K and 4K

MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards.

MIFARE products are embodied in contactless and contact smart cards, smart paper tickets, wearables and phones.

The MIFARE brand name (derived from the term MIKRON FARE Collection and created by the company MIKRON) covers four families of contactless cards:

1. MIFARE Classic

Employs a proprietary protocol compliant to parts 1–3 of ISO/IEC 14443 Type A, with an NXP proprietary security protocol for authentication and ciphering. Subtype: MIFARE Classic EV1 (other subtypes are no longer in use).

2. MIFARE Plus

Drop-in replacement for MIFARE Classic with certified security level (AES-128 based) and is fully backwards compatible with MIFARE Classic. Subtypes MIFARE Plus S, MIFARE Plus X and MIFARE Plus SE.

3. MIFARE Ultralight

Low-cost ICs that are useful for high volume applications such as public transport, loyalty cards and event ticketing. Subtypes: MIFARE Ultralight C, MIFARE Ultralight EV1 and MIFARE Ultralight Nano.

4. MIFARE DESFire

Contactless ICs that comply to parts 3 and 4 of ISO/IEC 14443-4 Type A with a mask-ROM operating system from NXP. The DES in the name refers to the use of a DES, two-key 3DES, three-key 3DES and AES encryption; while Fire is an acronym for Fast, innovative, reliable, and enhanced. Subtypes: MIFARE DESFire EV1, MIFARE DESFire EV2.

There is also the MIFARE SAM AV2 contact smart card. This can be used to handle the encryption in communicating with the contactless cards. The SAM (Secure Access Module) provides the secure storage of cryptographic keys and cryptographic functions.

Features of MIFARE smart cards include :

• Contactless RFID technology

• An embedded IC chip for secure transactions

• ISO/IEC compliance

• Variable memory capacities,

• Versatility for multiple applications

• Quick transactions

• Reloadable value

• Potential biometric integration

• Durability

• Anti-collision protocols

• Mobile integration

• Contact and contactless options

• Secure key storage

• Customization options

• Application across industries such as access control, public transportation, payments, loyalty programs, healthcare, and hotel key cards.