New Trends and developments in vehicle access control
As old as RFID-based access control generally is, access control for automobiles is also. The present access control industry was born with the introduction of magnetic stripe swipe cards in the early 1980s, followed by contactless RFID badges. Since those early days, vehicle access to estates, sites, and parking lots has been a topic of discussion among manufacturers, integrators, and clients. Microwave technology, which uses 2,45 GHz readers to identify cars and other vehicles outfitted with semi-active or active badges, has, without a doubt, been the most widely utilized vehicle access technology in the past ten years. With a reading range of more than 10 meters, this technology offers a dependable and practical method of controlling vehicular entry.
But it appears that change is coming after ten years without a ground-breaking invention. We are being challenged by new technology to evaluate our strategies for practical and secure vehicle identification. But it might be a good idea to start by looking at the present before we go any further into the future.
Current behaviour
When a security manager or facility manager considers restricting vehicle access to his estate, they will have to choose between the microwave alternative and traditional prox technology. Proximity card and reader manufacturers, particularly those using the 120–125 kHz frequency range, have discovered ways to increase the reading range of the card technology they use. Drivers now have a reasonably straightforward means to display badges at the perimeter, thanks to improvements made to the reader or the tags being used.
The advantage of this approach is that people are granted access to the building using the same prox cards, which limits the requirement for additional funding for vehicle access control when an access control system is already in place. It is only necessary to distribute and manage one sort of card.
However, using prox technology has some drawbacks, the chief among being convenience. How many of us have experienced situations where we were hanging out of our car window, fumbling to place an access control badge appropriately so that an imposing-looking card reader could smugly assess whether or not we had endured enough suffering to be granted admission?
The Driver ID must be removed because it is necessary for building access once the driver exits the car, leaving only the Booster inside, which cannot unlock the barrier or gate by itself.
The unavailable choice
The decision between prox technology and microwave technology is simple. To somewhat exaggerate, the choice is between a high-end solution that involves extra work because semi-active tags need to be integrated and part of the security equation and a low-end, cheaper one. Although most people understand the benefits of more accessible car access, not everyone is in a position to put forth the extra time or money. There is currently nothing that combines adequate quality and helpful value to provide buyers with a different option.
With the advent of UHF in the automatic vehicle identification field, this has changed. The tracking and tracing of packages and goods as they move through the manufacturing and distribution processes has long been done using ultra-high frequency (800-900 MHz). The technology’s support for reading distances of many meters utilizing reasonably priced passive badges is a very nice feature (without batteries). Although it is a little less reliable technology than microwave systems, the associated investment is significantly lower, which makes it a very appealing choice.
Lastly,
Extended Range Driver-based AVI systems are quickly making their way into applications where it’s necessary to establish a driver’s identity without stopping the car. There are various applications, but they include places like military bases, utility companies, corporate and academic campuses, police, fire, and other installations where cars must be assigned to a specific driver, such as company service cars.
