Hardware
Card & RFID Readers — Low-cost credentials for visitors, contractors and fallback
- Supply or supply & install
- All 7 emirates
- Free site survey
Where this technology wins
- Lowest cost per device and per credential
- Instant issue and revocation — no enrolment appointment needed
- Ideal for visitors, contractors and temporary staff
- Works for anyone, with no enrolment failure possible
- Easily combined with a PIN for a second factor
Where it struggles — read this before ordering
- Cards are shareable — buddy punching is trivial without supervision
- Cards are lost, forgotten and cloned; low-frequency 125kHz cards are particularly easy to clone
- Ongoing consumable cost as cards are replaced
- Provides no proof that the cardholder was actually present
Typical deployment: Visitor and contractor passes, a fallback credential for staff who cannot enrol biometrically, and door access in low-risk areas. Not appropriate as the sole method for payroll-critical attendance.
Device types
Specifications
RFID Attendance Terminal
Card-based clock-in for visitors, contractors and fallback use
Specification
- Card capacity
- Typically 10,000+ users
- Card types
- 125kHz EM, 13.56MHz Mifare / DESFire (model dependent)
- Log capacity
- 100,000+ transactions
- Connectivity
- TCP/IP, Wi-Fi, USB
- Second factor
- Optional PIN entry
Best for
- Visitor management
- Contractor passes
- Biometric fallback
- Low-risk door access
Our note
Prefer 13.56MHz Mifare or DESFire over 125kHz EM where security matters — low-frequency cards can be cloned with inexpensive equipment.
Door Access Reader & Controller
Slim reader plus controller for internal doors
Specification
- Reader type
- Card, card + PIN, or biometric (model dependent)
- Controller
- 1, 2 or 4 door variants
- Lock support
- Maglock, electric strike, drop bolt
- Inputs
- Door sensor, exit button, emergency break-glass
- Fire alarm interface
- Fail-safe release on alarm activation
- Backup
- Battery backup, typically several hours
Best for
- Server rooms
- Stores and cash rooms
- Executive floors
- Back-of-house areas
Our note
Escape route doors are specified fail-safe and interfaced to the fire alarm. This is a life safety requirement and is never optional, whatever the security preference.
Common in these industries
- Corporate Offices & Commercial TowersDiscreet attendance and door access for professional environments
- Warehousing & LogisticsGate control and attendance for warehouses and yards
- Hotels & HospitalityAttendance for 24-hour operations and seasonal headcount
- Schools & NurseriesStaff attendance and controlled entry for education settings
Installed across the UAE
- DubaiSurvey within 24 hours, installation typically within 48 hours of approval
- Abu DhabiSurvey within 48 hours in Abu Dhabi city and Mussafah; 2–3 working days for Al Ain and Al Dhafra
- SharjahSurvey within 24–48 hours across all Sharjah industrial areas and free zones
- AjmanSurvey within 48 hours; often combined with a Sharjah route the same day
- Ras Al KhaimahSurvey within 2–3 working days; survey and installation usually combined in one trip
- FujairahSurvey within 3 working days; combined survey-and-install mobilisation standard
Request a quotation for this hardware
Tell us units required, whether you need installation, and your project location. We reply with stock, lead time and a fixed price.
Questions
Card & RFID Readers — FAQ
Why would we buy card readers if biometrics are more secure?
For the people you cannot or should not enrol biometrically — visitors, one-day contractors, the small group whose fingerprints will not read — and as a fallback so a failed enrolment does not become a daily argument at the door. Card readers complement biometrics rather than competing with them.
Which card type should we choose?
13.56MHz Mifare or DESFire where security matters. 125kHz EM cards are cheaper and still widely sold, but they can be cloned with equipment costing very little, which makes them unsuitable for anything you actually want to protect.
Can one card work for both the door and attendance?
Yes, provided the readers share the same credential format and employee database. Designing that in from the start is straightforward; retrofitting it after two systems have been bought separately usually is not.
Need card & rfid installed?
Free site survey, enrolment tested on your actual staff, and one fixed quotation covering hardware, installation, software and training.
Same-day response, on-site survey within 48 hours