Explainer · 2026
Prox vs Smart Cards: What's the Difference?
Proximity and smart cards both open doors, but they work differently. Here's the plain-English version.
Proximity (prox) cards
Prox cards use 125 kHz technology to send a fixed ID number to a reader. They're simple, proven, and inexpensive, great for basic door access.
Smart cards
Smart cards (13.56 MHz, like iCLASS and MIFARE) can store data, support encryption, and do more than open doors, think secure access, cashless payment, and multi-application credentials.
Ready to sort out your card program?
Get printers, supplies, and encoding from people who service them, since 1984.
Which do you need?
If you only need to open doors and already run a prox system, prox cards are economical. If you want higher security or plan to add applications, smart cards are the future-proof choice. We can program either, matched to your system.