ICT Protege
Unified access-and-intrusion control with an AES-secured smart credential — a facility guide to ICT's Protege platform and where standard open prox still fits.
Can you buy third-party ICT Protege cards?
ICT's Protege GX and WX platforms unify access and intrusion control; the secured credential is an AES-protected 13.56 MHz tSec smart card provisioned through ICT, so it's ordered through ICT or an integrator. Where ICT readers run in 125 kHz mode, they accept standard open EM-class and 26-bit proximity, which American Key Cards supplies.
- 13.56 MHz / 125 kHz
- Frequency
- Unified access + intrusion control — AES-secured 13.56 MHz tSec smart credential, with standard 125 kHz prox support
- Technology
- 3
- Bit formats
- 2+
- OEM part nos.
- Brand channel
- Order from
ICT's Protege platform is known for unifying access control and intrusion detection in one system, and its credential lineup spans a secured smart card and standard open proximity. This page explains the platform operationally, what the tSec secured credential is, and where standard open prox fits — the side we supply. We don't sell the secured credential; we do supply the open prox ICT readers accept.
What Protege is
ICT's Protege GX (enterprise) and WX (smaller sites) platforms are notable for doing access control and intrusion/alarm management in one integrated system — one controller family, one interface, one credential population arming panels and opening doors. That integration is the platform's calling card and why it's popular across commercial, government, and critical-infrastructure sites, particularly in Australasian markets and increasingly worldwide.
For credentials, Protege supports both a secured 13.56 MHz smart card and standard open 125 kHz proximity, which lets it retrofit onto existing prox estates while offering a secure upgrade path.
The tSec secured credential
ICT's tSec secured credential is an AES-protected 13.56 MHz smart card carrying a secured application that ICT provisions. Like other properly implemented secured smart credentials, it's clone-resistant and tied to ICT's provisioning, so it's ordered through ICT or an authorized integrator rather than sourced from a card vendor.
This is the credential to standardize on for new, security-conscious deployments — and it's the one an outside supplier genuinely cannot reproduce. We name it here to explain the platform, not to imply we can provide it.
The open-prox side we supply
ICT's tSec Combo readers are dual-frequency, and ICT also makes 125 kHz-only readers, all of which accept standard open proximity — EM-class credentials and 26-bit Wiegand. Those are standard, supply-able formats, and they're common on Protege sites that migrated from an older prox system or that keep general-access doors on open prox.
That open-prox stock is our lane: interim credentials during a migration to tSec, or ongoing supply for prox-mode doors. Send us a photo of a credential and reader and we'll confirm whether it's the tSec secured card (ICT's channel) or open prox (ours), then supply what you need.
ICT Protege specifications
- System brand
- Integrated Control Technology Ltd.
- Technology
- Unified access + intrusion control — AES-secured 13.56 MHz tSec smart credential, with standard 125 kHz proximity support
- Frequency
- 13.56 MHz / 125 kHz
- Credential platform
- ICT's tSec secured 13.56 MHz smart credential uses an AES-secured application provisioned by ICT; ICT tSec Combo readers also read standard open 125 kHz proximity (EM-class and 26-bit Wiegand)
- Bit formats
- ICT tSec AES-secured 13.56 MHz smart credential, Standard open 26-bit Wiegand H10301 (125 kHz mode), EM-class 125 kHz proximity (multi-format readers)
- OEM part numbers
- PRT-CRD-DES / tSec card (secured, ordered through ICT), PRT-CRD-H / PRT-FOB-H / G-Prox II (open-prox bodies)
Specifications reviewed August 2026
How to order ICT Protege credentials
ICT's tSec secured smart credential is provisioned through ICT with a secured application, so it's ordered through ICT or an authorized integrator. Where ICT readers run in 125 kHz mode, they accept standard open EM-class and 26-bit proximity, which American Key Cards supplies.
ICT Protege readers in 125 kHz mode accept standard open EM-class and 26-bit Wiegand proximity — that open-format stock we supply (see our standard 125 kHz proximity and EM-format cards). The AES-secured tSec smart credential is provisioned through ICT.
Editorial reference page. American Key Cards is an independent credential supplier and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ICT (Integrated Control Technology). We do not sell ICT (Integrated Control Technology)'s secured credentials (we supply only the open, standard-format proximity credentials described above); brand and product names appear only to identify the technology discussed, and all trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.
Readers in this ecosystem
Related formats
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Gallagher / Cardax
Enterprise access with per-site AES key diversification — a facility guide to Gallagher's credential ecosystem, the Cardax heritage, and where standard open prox still fits.
How it worksHID Prox H10301 (Standard 26-Bit)
The most widely deployed proximity format in North America: 26-bit Wiegand — an 8-bit facility code plus 16-bit card number — on the 125 kHz HID Prox platform, live on millions of doors.
View compatible cardsEM4100 (64-bit Read-Only)
The world's baseline 125 kHz credential: EM4100's 64-bit read-only ID, transmitted in Manchester-encoded ASK, is what most simple prox systems, time clocks, and gym doors actually run on.
View compatible cardsICT Protege — FAQ
Can American Key Cards supply credentials for ICT Protege systems?
For the open-prox side, yes — ICT readers in 125 kHz mode accept standard open EM-class and 26-bit Wiegand proximity, which we supply. The AES-secured tSec smart credential is provisioned through ICT and comes from ICT or an integrator.
Does ICT Protege only accept ICT-branded cards?
No — its readers accept standard open 125 kHz proximity (EM-class and 26-bit Wiegand) alongside the secured tSec credential, which is why Protege retrofits onto existing prox buildings. The open-format stock is what we provide.
What's the difference between ICT's secured credential and a standard prox card?
The tSec credential is an AES-protected 13.56 MHz smart card provisioned by ICT and clone-resistant; a standard prox card is an open 125 kHz format any conforming reader accepts. We supply the open prox; the secured tSec credential comes from ICT.
How do I identify which credential my Protege site uses?
Your ICT integrator can tell you, or send us photos of a working credential and the reader. We'll identify tSec secured versus open prox and supply the open-format stock if that's what your readers accept.