Low-frequency credentials
Specialty & legacy prox credentials
Programmed-to-order 125 kHz credentials for the specialty and legacy systems most card vendors turn away: Continental Access, DSX, Honeywell/Northern, IEI/Linear, Kastle, Paradox, Rosslare, Secura Key, Vicon, Identiv/Hirsch, AMAG Symmetry, Casi-Rusco and ProdataKey formats. If your panel still works, we keep it supplied with credentials.
Available as a compatible-by-specification credential after we verify your reader and facility format.
What are specialty and legacy prox credentials?
Specialty and legacy prox credentials are 125 kHz cards and fobs for access systems whose original vendor has moved on, been acquired, or only sells through dealers — Continental Access, DSX, Honeywell/Northern, IEI/Linear, Kastle, Paradox, Rosslare, Secura Key, Vicon, Identiv/Hirsch, AMAG, Casi-Rusco and ProdataKey among them. American Key Cards programs compatible credentials to these formats from your facility code and card range, keeping working panels supplied without a rip-and-replace.
Overview
About Specialty prox
A working access panel does not care how old it is — but the credential supply chain around it often collapses first. Brands get acquired, dealer programs close, and one day the building manager of a perfectly functional Casi-Rusco or Northern Computers installation is told the only path forward is replacing the whole system. Usually that is not true. The panel needs credentials in the format it already reads, and that format is documented.
This line covers the specialty and legacy 125 kHz formats we program to order: Continental Access, DSX, Honeywell/Northern N10002, IEI/Linear 26-bit, Kastle, Paradox, Rosslare, Secura Key Radio Key, Vicon VAX, Identiv/Hirsch, AMAG Symmetry S10401, Casi-Rusco C10106 and ProdataKey. Send a working sample card or your reader model; we confirm the exact bit format, facility code and range before anything is encoded.
Technical details
Specialty & legacy prox credentials specifications
- Frequency
- 125 kHz (selected systems also run 13.56 MHz lines — verified per order)
- Technology
- Passive RFID proximity, programmed to your facility code and number range
- Systems covered
- Continental Access, DSX, Honeywell/Northern N10002, IEI/Linear, Kastle, Paradox, Rosslare, Secura Key, Vicon VAX, Identiv/Hirsch, AMAG Symmetry S10401, Casi-Rusco C10106, ProdataKey
- Verification
- Format confirmed from a working sample card, reader model or panel documentation before encoding
- Card dimensions
- CR80 ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 — 85.6 × 54 mm
- Printing
- ISO body runs through dye-sub direct-to-card printers
- Encoding
- Matched to the bit format, facility code and card range your panel expects
Available configuration
Choose the form factor after the technology
Where it fits
Common Specialty prox applications
Buildings on discontinued systems
Replacement and expansion credentials for panels whose OEM no longer sells direct or has sunset the product line.
Property managers between dealers
Credential supply while a service contract lapses or a dealer relationship changes — no dealer account required here.
Integrators servicing mixed estates
One source for the odd formats that show up across a portfolio of acquired or inherited buildings.
Planned migrations
Keep the old system credentialed while a phased upgrade to smart cards rolls out door by door.
Before you order
How to order Specialty prox correctly
- Verification comes first
These formats look alike and read nothing alike. We confirm from a working sample, reader model or panel documentation before encoding — that step is not skippable.
- Dual-frequency system lines
DSX and Identiv/Hirsch estates can mix 125 kHz and 13.56 MHz populations. We quote the smart-card side case by case after verifying what your readers actually scan.
- Secured formats are different
Encrypted credential platforms — Keri NXT, Indala ASP FlexSecur, Brivo and Verkada managed credentials — cannot be reproduced by any third party. Where the operator can issue new credentials, we can supply compatible blank stock instead.
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
Specialty prox FAQ
My system brand is not in the list — can you still help?
Usually. The list covers formats we program routinely, but the verification process is the same for anything low-frequency: send a working card or the reader model and we identify whether it is an open format we can supply. If it is encrypted, we will tell you plainly instead of guessing.
What do you need from me to get the format right?
Any one of: a working sample card we can analyze, the reader model number, or the panel documentation showing the bit format and facility code. With the facility code and your desired number range confirmed, cards arrive ready to enroll.
Why will the original vendor not sell me cards?
Most of these brands sell only through authorized dealer channels, and several product lines have changed hands through acquisitions — Northern Computers into Honeywell, Casi-Rusco into UTC, IEI into Nortek. The dealer requirement outlived the product support. Compatible-by-specification supply exists exactly for this situation.
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.
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