Use supported third-party NFC cards with Kisi

Kisi is excited to announce our newest feature: an integration with third-party NFC cards. Kisi supports selected third-party NFC cards, subject to card-format compatibility. Supported cards must use unique identifier (UID) mode rather than random ID (RID) mode. Check the current compatibility documentation before enrolling existing transit, bank, or access cards. Administrators can enroll a supported card for a user from the Kisi dashboard, at a Kisi Reader, or with the Kisi Android app.

Kisi maintains a mobile-first philosophy, but as a backup to our secure Tap-to-Unlock functionality, we have extended our range of accepted credentials to encompass legacy NFC cards. Kisi users often already have NFC cards for a variety of purposes— be they transit cards, bank cards, building access cards, or even HID fobs for NFC readers. Many organizations have been upgrading their infrastructure and utilizing NFC technology for a variety of purposes, issuing NFC cards to replace old hunks of plastic. Thus, to streamline the Kisi experience for our clients and to avoid more plastic in your wallet, we have enabled users to enroll supported NFC cards they already carry to unlock Kisi-equipped doors.

Additionally, we’ve noticed that many Kisi-equipped companies are geographically dispersed, operating out of multiple locations, and employees have a tendency to travel between them on a frequent basis. If the employee in question doesn’t use the mobile tap-to-unlock feature, it would be a hassle to require them to pick up a new ID card, on top of incurring a needless cost for the company. Thus, it makes sense to allow a traveling employee to enroll a supported NFC card they already carry, or an existing Kisi card, to unlock a new location—especially since many businesses are operating out of different work environments, including coworking spaces. Being fast to collaborate in an easy yet controllable way is key. Enabling supported third-party NFC cards as a backup access credential is one step toward that.

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There may be, understandably, some security concerns that arise. In response to these, Kisi would like to affirm that we will not, and are not able to, read any information from these cards other than their unique identifier (UID). Contactless bank cards, and other cards that carry sensitive information, are encrypted and Kisi readers are unable to read this information. Thus, enrolling your NFC card with Kisi doesn’t change the security of the card itself or the information on it. For your building’s security, keep in mind that UID-based credentials don’t provide the same protection as Kisi’s encrypted credentials, because a card’s UID can be copied more easily than an encrypted credential. For doors that need stronger security, Kisi recommends its own encrypted credentials. Finding the balance between flexibility and security is something a Kisi specialist would love to help you out with. Please feel free to get in touch with us.