An Introduction to Smart Cards
While smart cards will eventually be replaced by a newer form of technology, for now they are an increasingly common part of everyone’s life. In most places, they have become ubiquitous due to their usage in a wide range of applications. Whereas smart cards might look just like any other plastic card with a magnetic stripe on the rear, they are in fact completely different, and their applications and advantages are far reaching. As a consumer, it is important to have a greater understanding of smart cards and their benefits so that you can be able to make an informed decision when doing things like selecting credit cards. If you know next to nothing about smart cards, then this is the article for you.
What are Smart Cards?
A smart card can be defined as an integrated circuit card with memory that is capable of making decisions. Smart cards are pocket-sized, and they come with an embedded integrated circuit. They are made of plastic. However, as people continue to look for environmentally friendly ways to build things, they are looking to new materials. For example, there is a Japanese company that manufactures their smart cards from reusable from paper! Smart cards can be used in various ways including by providing important information such as personal identification, data storage, authentication, and application processing. The information on smart cards is read via a reader with direct physical contact or with a remote contactless radio frequency.
The explosive usage of smart cards is due to various benefits, with security topping the list. The embedded microprocessor that comes with smart cards offers them the ability to store large amount of data, interact intelligently with a smart card reader, and carry out their on-card function such as encryption and mutual authentication.
photo/ screenshot from YouTube
Smart Card Technology
Smart cards fall into two categories; contact smart cards and contactless smart cards. Contact smart cards have a small contact area that is comprised of several gold-plated pads. It is these pads that provide the needed electrical connectivity when the smart card is inserted into a reader, and the reader acts as a medium of communication between the smart card and a host, which is usually a computer.
The second category of smart cards is contactless smart cards. This group pushes the envelope of technology further because these cards do not require any physical contact in order to relay the information they have. These types of cards communicate with a reader via RF induction technology. Contactless smart cards only require proximity to an antenna to transmit information. It is worth mentioning that both the contact and the contactless smart cards do not have an internal source of power. These cards rely on the smart card reader as the source of power.
One type of contactless smart card would be the mifare desfire card, which is one of the most popular options available.
Apart from contact and contactless smart cards, there are also two other types of cards: hybrid cards and dual-interface cards. The hybrid is a flag smart cards because it contain two chips; one with a contact interface and the other with a contactless interface. On the other hand, the dual-interface has a single chip that houses both the contact and the contactless interface. Unlike the hybrid, the dual-interface has the ability to access the same chip using either a countless or a contactless interface. This functionality offers this kind of smart cards a high level of security.
Benefits of Using Smart Cards
Even though smart cards just work well as credit cards, they are safer and secure. They come with several unrivalled advantages that include the following.
Secure
The technology behind smart cards is simple yet it has revolutionized the payment card industry thanks to its increased level of card security. Smart cards employ the use of encryption and authentication technology to ensure that they have impregnable security
Flexibility
The intelligent technology that comes with smart cards offers them flexibility second to none. In fact, a single smart card can be used as an ID, credit card, and a repository of personal information such as medical history or telephone numbers.
Portability
As mentioned earlier, smart cards are pocket-sized. This means that they can easily be carried from one place to another. Their portability is advantageous, especially in the banking industry as it gives users the freedom to carry large sums of money around without feeling anxious about the money being stolen. Their portability coupled with increased data storage capacity makes them an excellent travelling companion.
Possible Disadvantages of Using Smart Cards
Anything that has its pros must also have some cons, and smart cards are no exception. For one, smart cards are easily lost, but we believe it’s safe to say that their advantages outweigh their disadvantages.
Guest Author: Tom Johnson
