Driver Identification Options and the Wiegand Interface

Our devices support a variety of Driver ID options to provide driver behaviour monitoring, access control, and logbooking solutions. The Dart2, G62, and G120 support driver ID.

	iButton® or 1-Wire®	DM RFID Reader (125kHz EM4001 tags)	Wiegand Interface for 3rd party readers	RS232 Interface for 3rd Party Readers
Dart2	Yes	Yes	No	No
G62	Yes	No	No	No
G120	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

What is the Wiegand Interface?

The Wiegand Interface is a wiring standard found on card readers and access control systems. It has become somewhat of a de facto standard for such systems.

Wiegand initially caught on in the 1980s due to its ability to support far longer cable runs than other standards at the time. Wiegand swipe cards also do not contain microchips and cannot be magnetically erased, making them durable.

Newer standards have since developed, and you do not see many Wiegand cards in use any more. However, while the actual swipe card may use a different protocol, many readers have a Wiegand output which is used to send the data to other devices or control systems.

iButton® or 1-Wire®

Manufactured by Dallas Semiconductor, an iButton® is a microchip housed in a round stainless steel button (it looks a bit like a coin cell battery). iButton® and their readers require physical contact to function, but they are cheap, rugged, and effective.

Digital Matter stock and supply iButton® tags and iButton® readers.

DM RFID Reader

We also manufacture an RFID reader, compatible with the Dart2 and G120, which reads 125kHz EM4001 cards. This makes for a convenient out of box solution.

Wiegand Interface

As discussed, the Wiegand interface is common in access control systems. The G120 will support this interface. Most card readers that output Wiegand should work immediately with the G120 for plug-and-play operation.

RS232

The G120 also has an RS232 interface. RS232 is a serial interface used for the transmission of data. Any readers that output RS232 can be potentially integrated with the G120, however firmware work needs to be undertaken. This provides another driver ID option.

Typically if a certain type of card is required to be read, a Wiegand reader can be sourced which is the preferred option due to its plug and play nature.

What does this mean in practice?

Many companies utilize swipe cards for their employees to grant them access to buildings, vehicles, or equipment. A large site may have hundreds of employees with swipe cards already issued.

When rolling out tracking devices into their vehicles such as the G120, Driver ID is often desired. While our RFID reader is a simple and effective solution in terms of installation and setup – it requires the company to issue and maintain another RFID Fob – which can be quite a task.

To simplify the solution, a suitable reader that reads the swipe cards and has a Wiegand interface can be sourced, and this will work with the G120, meaning the current cards can still be used!

 

So How do I Work Out What Reader to Get?

1. Find out the format of the access cards – the reader must read these.

2. ​Search for readers that read this type of card, and check their datasheet to see whether they have a Wiegand output.

3. Select one that is reliable and a suitable price.

4. Connect this reader to the G120 and test with your cards!