Keycard lock

A keycard lock is a <a href="/facts/Lock_(security_device)/5xcFqSyy">lock</a> operated by a keycard, a flat, rectangular <a href="/facts/Plastic_card/JaXN9osE">plastic card</a>. The card typically, but not always, has identical dimensions to that of a <a href="/facts/Credit_card/7pKSB5LD">credit card</a>, that is <a href="/facts/ISO%2fIEC_7810/ntfDju79">ID-1 format</a>. The card stores a physical or digital pattern that the door mechanism accepts before disengaging the lock.
There are several common types of keycards in use, including the mechanical holecard, <a href="/facts/Barcode/Mkh4cCTp">barcode</a>, <a href="/facts/Magnetic_stripe_card/1mcYEQoT">magnetic stripe</a>, <a href="/facts/Wiegand_effect/WE2HI4A9">Wiegand</a> wire embedded cards, <a href="/facts/Smart_card/K7b9lowS">smart card</a> (embedded with a read/write electronic <a href="/facts/Integrated_circuit/fjn6vg7C">microchip</a>), <a href="/facts/Radio-frequency_identification/4CnmIV2b">RFID</a>, and <a href="/facts/Near-field_communication/awqd3Ea8">NFC</a> proximity cards.
Keycards are frequently used in <a href="/facts/Hotel/7B30LqSv">hotels</a> as an alternative to mechanical keys.
The first commercial use of key cards was to raise and lower the gate at automated parking lots where users paid a monthly fee.

Keycard lock open-in-new

Keycard lock