The difference between Proxy Card and Magstripe

Einst Urown
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read

Our ID cards have that whole handful of advantages, from managing access, strengthening security, projecting the professionalism and gathering of employee’s data. They allow an organization or a business to make sure itself as an effective one.

But there is this question that often crops up, when dealing with the companies that seem to implement the ID card system, the question of which one to go for…

1. Magstripe cards — or the magnetic stripes are the ubiquitous cards with a magnetic stripe and it’s a black that is near the top. Way back in the year 1969, the US landed one man to the moon, and since they are not quite visually impressive as the moon landing, it was “one giant leap” that is for security reasons. They stayed the industry in the next 40 more years, and they are versatile, inexpensive and will require only a speed swipe through the magstripe reader in verifying someone. Magnetic stripe cards are using magnets to encode data, and will support the wide range of information formats, which made them as the go-to options for banks, hotels and government IDs. Just as the facts formats become flexible, the card is physically flexible too, it means that it is not easy to shatter when kept inside the pocket or even after passing through the reader. The magstripe cards are versatile and the printers for magstripe are also not expensive.

“If you want that simple system to make sure of the security of your small office, then magnetic strips will simply do the tricks!”

2. Proxy cards — or the proximity cards are contactless cards that are tapped for entrance use and considered now as the latest kid on a block. The advantage of proxy cards is that it requires the user to simply hover a card around a reader to grant access. Proximity cards are becoming necessary because it boils down into the time-saving measure. With those places of industry that have high traffic, the time it will spend per access may be quite important, wherein a tap of the contactless card will save time. There are two added benefits to the contactless cards which may not seem clear at first. Since the cards are not making any physical contact with the reader, it is wearing down quite as rapid as the magstripe card might. Furthermore, they are made for the more friendly accessible experience, better for the people with the vision loss and with the other people that have disabilities to whom a magnetic stripe will be hard to use. However, when compared to their relatively high price, it is by no means costly, but it does not cost that much when compared to the magnetic stripe cards. The proximity card is left blank too, which means that they are not personalized with the logo and the photo and that is something that needs to bear in mind when you are weighing your options.

“If you want that quicker, more high tech cards for the high-volume building, then proxy cards must be your choice.

Now the best and the short answer to the queries about which one is the best is that both are wonderfully efficient at giving all the aforementioned advantages and it will only differ a bit in terms of speed, price and the functional capacity.

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