Student ID Cards with RFID Technology

Today, modern educational institutions worldwide contantly search for cutting-edge security systems to protect students and staff against ever-increasing and evolving threats. These systems should not only be reliable and inexpensive, but they should also positively impact productivity on the school campuses.

For these reasons, schools are increasingly adopting the same security technology as leading corporations: smart ID cards. Specifically, a growing number of educational institutions are adopting the use of student ID cards that are based on smart card technology.

Many educational institutions stand to benefit from using student ID cards that incorporate radio frequency identification (RFID). This revolutionary technology has been used for years in other organizations, such as hospitals and airports, where safety and security is of the utmost importance. The benefits of RFID technology account for its growing usage in educational settings.

How Student IDs With RFID Work

Student ID cards with RFID rely on electromagnetic fields to automatically identify a student and track their movements. The chip in the student ID cards has some memory and processing capacity. It draws powers from a nearby RFID reader, which transmits radio signals within a specific range.

RFID systems comprise three components: a transponder, a transceiver and a scanning antenna. Educational institutions that use student IDs with RFID have RFID antennas around the school campus to track the ID cards and determine when students access certain locations, such as the library, cafeteria or school campus in general.

A well-planned grid of cables for power and communication connects all the antennas and RFID readers to a power source. A central computer receives, stores and processes all the data from the RFID readers to which it is connected. This computer is linked to the student information system, which the educational institution can use to manage the data for security and administrative purposes.

MIFARE DESFire EV2 is one of the most commonly used chips in student ID cards. It is Common Criteria EAL5+ security certification, meanings it meets the same security standards for the smart card industry. This smart card chip easily integrates with existing school security technology. It supports several security features, such as the latest encryption and authentication protocols.

Benefits of Student IDs With RFID

RFID is a valuable technological innovation for educational institutions that want to improve campus security, streamline administrative functions and enhance academic performance. Here are some ways in which student ID cards with RFID have proven beneficial.

Improve Access Control and Student Management

RFID-enabled student ID cards improve security by ensuring that only authorized people enter the school. Tight security is as important on college campuses as K-12 educational institutions because college students face threats such as theft, assault and more. RFID technology enables school security departments to know the time and locations students are present on campus.

Track and Manage Student Attendance

Tracking student attendance is essential. RFID-enabled student IDs eliminate the need to manually track student attendance because the technology automates the entire process. Schools that use RFID cards to track attendance have seen a marked decrease in tardiness and an improvement in student accountability.

Ease Access to Meals, Beverages and Snacks

Besides attending class, students engage in several other activities within the school campus; they eat and drink for nourishment and as a way to socialize. Educational institutions can load RFID-enabled students with meal credits, which students can use to get food from the cafeteria or snacks from a vending machine.

Ease Students’ Access to Academic Facilities

Students thrive when they have easy and exclusive access to academic facilities such as libraries and printer/copy rooms. RFID-enabled student IDs can streamline access to these facilities. For example, students can automatically check out books from the library because the student IDs contain all the information required to perform the task.

Form Partnerships with Local Businesses

College and university students engage with the surrounding communities. RFID-enabled student ID cards can facilitate value-adding partnerships between the school campuses and local businesses, such as restaurants and local stores. Students can use their ID cards at these businesses and receive loyalty points and discounts.

Save On Printing Costs

RFID-enabled student ID cards are a cost-effective access control and student management solution because you can print the cards on demand. Educational institutions can save on the cost of materials used to print student passes, temporary ID cards and pre-printed ID cards. RFID-enabled student IDs also save on costs because they’re durable.

Transforming Education Technology With RFID-enabled Student IDs

Modern educational institutions need innovative and cost-effective ways of upgrading security and student management on their school campuses. Student IDs with RFID technology have enabled these educational institutions to improve access control, track student attendance, save on student ID print costs, and provide easier access to academic facilities and campuses services. Contact today to request a consultation.