🧠 What HID iCLASS Cards (13.56 MHz) Are

HID iCLASS is a family of high-frequency (13.56 MHz) contactless smart card credentials developed by HID Global for secure access control and identity applications. These cards communicate wirelessly at 13.56 MHz and support mutual authentication, encryption, and secure data storage, making them more secure than older 125 kHz Prox cards.

✔ Contactless read/write 13.56 MHz technology
✔ Secure communication with mutual authentication
✔ Encrypted data transfer
✔ Multiple memory/configuration options
✔ Standard credit-card (PVC) form factor

They are widely used in access control systems, employee IDs, secure facilities, and multi-application environments.

🪪 Frequency & Standards

📡 Operating Frequency: 13.56 MHz — same as many NFC and HF RFID systems.
📜 Follows ISO 15693 and ISO 14443B contactless standards for communication.

This makes iCLASS cards compatible with iCLASS readers and many multi-technology readers that accept HF credentials.

📌 Key Features of HID iCLASS Cards

✅ Contactless (13.56 MHz) access — fast, reliable, secure authentication.
✅ Mutual authentication & encryption — higher security than classic Prox cards. 
✅ Printable PVC surface — you can add logos, names, photos, barcodes, etc.
✅ Programmable — encoded with HID encoders to set ID numbers, formats, and security keys.
✅ Standard CR80 size — fits ID badges and card printers.
✅ Multi-application support — store access credentials plus other secure da