HF Dual ISO e-Passport Reader from ACG Tests Well

Tests were carried out by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) involving 11 different reader supplier companies in the RFID industry, offering hardware solutions for e-Passport projects. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducted the initiative to determine which readers were most interoperable with the different integrated circuits currently being utilized and contending to be used in e-Passport applications. The full ISO 14443 A and B compatibility combined with the high data transfer rate and the extensively tested, flexible firmware has enabled ACG’s HF Dual ISO Reader to demonstrate outstanding results. ACG’s HF Dual ISO RFID Reader was rated the number one performer of the eleven tested as it was able to read the greatest number of integrated circuits. Interoperable with 96% of the components in the contest (24 out of 25), ACG’s e-Passport reader read more integrated circuits than any other reader. In terms of data transfer speed the ACG HF Dual ISO reader was one of the fastest units in the test field. The 11 readers examined during the contest read data from 25 different ICs from six different chip-suppliers examining performance with at least 15 different operating systems (OS) and applet combinations. The HF Dual ISO Reader is available in three versions: an OEM module for customers who mainly want to design their own reader and antenna-board and only require a basic RFID reader-engine, a short range plug&play board with USB interface for customers who wish to quickly integrate the reader into their own packaging without the need to develop an antenna, and a ready-to-use housed short range desktop reader with USB interface. The three form factors are designed to allow different levels of integration into the overall RFID system of the client at the lowest possible cost. In order to minimize the time to market and to reduce integration cost for its customers, ACG has installed a professional antenna design-in team. This team helps customers on customized antenna designs for optical passport scanners in order to achieve the best performance levels in class.