Migration credentials
Dual-technology migration cards
One physical credential carrying low-frequency proximity and high-frequency smart-card technologies for planned reader migrations. The exact inlay must be selected against the installed reader mix and future credential strategy.
The inlay and encoding depend on the installed reader, the surface or environment, and your use case.
What is a dual-technology access card?
A dual-technology access card carries two credentials in one CR80 body: a 125 kHz proximity inlay for legacy readers and a 13.56 MHz smart-card chip — MIFARE Classic or DESFire — for new ones, the standard tool for phased reader migrations and mixed building estates. American Key Cards specifies both layers against your installed and target reader models before quoting, with the legacy side programmed to your existing facility code and range.
Overview
About Dual-tech cards
Every access-control migration has an awkward middle: some doors read the old technology, some read the new, and every employee needs to get through both. The dual-technology card solves the middle — one body carrying a 125 kHz proximity inlay and a 13.56 MHz smart-card chip, so a single credential works on legacy readers today and on the AES-secured readers you are rolling out floor by floor.
It is also the answer for permanently mixed estates: a corporate tenant with DESFire suite doors inside a base building that still runs HID Prox at the lobby turnstiles. Both technology layers must be specified against the actual reader models on each side — which is why this product carries a verification-required status rather than a shopping-cart button.
Technical details
Dual-technology migration cards specifications
- Frequencies
- 125 kHz + 13.56 MHz in one card body
- Typical pairings
- Legacy prox (HID-class) + MIFARE Classic or DESFire
- Card dimensions
- CR80 ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 — 85.6 × 54 mm, 30 mil / 0.76 mm
- Printing
- Dye-sub direct-to-card printable
- Use case
- Phased reader or controller migration — one badge works on both generations
- Selection
- Both RF layers must match the installed and target readers
- Ordering route
- Reader model and migration plan required
Available configuration
Choose the form factor after the technology
Where it fits
Common Dual-tech cards applications
Phased reader migrations
Issue dual cards once, upgrade readers building-by-building, and never run a two-badge period that confuses everyone.
Tenant + base-building mismatches
One badge for the landlord’s legacy turnstiles and the tenant’s modern suite readers.
Mergers & multi-site standardization
A common credential across acquired facilities running different reader generations while consolidation proceeds.
High-security islands
Sites keeping prox for general doors while data centers and labs move to DESFire — one card covers both zones.
Before you order
How to order Dual-tech cards correctly
- Specify both layers precisely
The 125 kHz side needs your exact legacy format and facility code; the 13.56 MHz side needs the chip your new platform expects. Half-right dual cards are expensive single-technology cards.
- Sequence the migration
Decide which system is authoritative during transition and how card numbers map between old and new software. We have watched this step get skipped; do not.
- Printing and durability
Dual-inlay bodies are standard CR80 and print normally — one card can carry photo ID, legacy access and future access simultaneously.
Compatibility reference
Find your exact reader format
Choose the matching format before ordering. These pages list the relevant reader families, OEM references and credential requirements.
Questions we actually get
Dual-tech cards FAQ
Do both technologies interfere with each other?
No — 125 kHz and 13.56 MHz coexist in one body by design, each read by its own reader type. The card simply answers whichever question a reader asks.
Can you match our existing prox format on the legacy side?
Yes, that is the point: the LF layer is programmed to your current facility code and range so installed readers see a normal legacy card, while the HF layer serves the new platform.
What smart-card options go on the 13.56 side?
MIFARE Classic for compatibility-driven cases, DESFire EV3 for new secure deployments — matched to what your target readers and software actually support.
Is dual-tech cheaper than reissuing cards twice?
Almost always, once you count the second issuance project’s admin, photography and distribution time — not just card cost. It also removes the failure mode of employees carrying the wrong badge to the wrong door.
Need help identifying the technology?
Send a photo of the credential and the reader model. We'll identify the format before we quote a compatible product.
Lifetime parts & workmanship guarantee on every card