Mifare Cards, Paxton Net2 and integration with other systems

[robk]

We are in the middle of installing a Paxton Net 2 system with Mifare cards to allow integration with other systems (MFDs is our next project).

 

Paxton seems to give a 8 digit card number where the other card reader I have gives a 10 digit code....

 

I am not sure if I have a dodgy card reader (it was off ebay from China...) or if we are likely to run into issues when we want to reuse the cards (I would like to avoid re-enrolling the cards into a second system).

 

Also looking at trying to automate the creation of users etc?

 

Any Paxton users who can comment?

[truebluesteve]

We have a Paxton Net2 system and it works very. I can't remember how many numbers our cards and fobs have off the top of my head though. I'm not quite sure what your concern over this was?

 

Like you I'd like to automate the creation of users and Paxton have made noises about integrating with Biostore and that may have even happened by now. I guess AD integration would be the ideal scenario

[plexer]

To be honest I doubt any other solutions like the pcounter etc... would re-use the paxton db they may do.

 

Ben

[robk]

I am looking at exporting the Paxton user list, and importing into other things. However the Paxton system seems to read a 8 digit code and other readers give a 10 Digit serial number.

 

I was hoping to clarify what Paxton reads from the card? There appears to be a Paxton API which may be useful in automating some form of batch import/export from the Paxton db.

[CyberNerd]

FWIW my understanding is that many systems will use 'any old' RFID code.

I'm pretty sure that Papercut devices on MFD's can be configured to ask a user to authenticate to Active Directory when they detect a card not registered in the database.

[robk]

I am really hoping not to have to enrol each card onto several separate systems. Hence trying to see what I can export/import between platforms.

[CyberNerd]

I am really hoping not to have to enrol each card onto several separate systems. Hence trying to see what I can export/import between platforms.

 

Get the users to do it themselves. Many hands makes light work !

[robk]

Agreed, but we ate talking teachers who would only moan!

[plexer]

Paxton will read the uid of the card however if it stores a truncated number you would have set anu other system up the same.

 

We use pcounter with our Salto mifare cards and they self register on the copier.

 

Ben

[mrbios]

Got exactly the same thing here, paxton net2 and we use uniflow print management with card readers.

 

Most systems read the two hidden digits off the START of the card while net2 does not. This is really annoying becuase uniflow allows me to do code conversion and chop that number down to as many or as few numbers on the card as i wish for it to read, but it can only chop the numbers off the end and not the start. Personally i scan everything into both systems but I have asked them to update uniflow to be able to ignore the first X amount of digits opposed to the end. No idea when or if that will happen though

[MatthewL]

I'm pretty sure that Papercut devices on MFD's can be configured to ask a user to authenticate to Active Directory when they detect a card not registered in the database.

 

That is correct, there is a tick box to enable self association similar to PCounter too.

 

Beaware some card readers will look very similar but will read cards differently, some can be reporgrammed to read the same.

[robk]

So it may be that I need to read the cards with a third party reader to get the full 10 Digit code, then import the truncated code into Paxton rather than the other way round. That's worth checking up on.

[plexer]

Might as well just buy a paxton one £55 http://www.paxton.co.uk/products.asp?strStage=product_page&strFamily=net2&strGroup=group-05043

 

Ben

[robk]

That's what we have, I need to be able to export the card nos out of Paxton, to import into other systems, which will not be always be using Paxton readers.

[plexer]

Copiers normally use a usb card reader so could have a paxton one other systems you will have to test for compatability and or specify paxton compatability.

 

Ben

[dhicks]

We are in the middle of installing a Paxton Net 2 system with Mifare cards to allow integration with other systems (MFDs is our next project).

 

We've had a look at a Paxton door-entry system, and I thought about exactly the same thing - can we re-use the same cards for door entry and MFD access, and can we use people's Oyster cards (we're in central London, pretty much everyone will have one) so people only have to lug around one card. We use Equitrak for print management, which we have set to pick up user's PINs from an attribute set in Active Directory (Extended Attribute 1). I'm vaughly assuming we can do the same for card IDs - simply store that 8 or 10 digit number from a card in Extended Attribute 2 and have Equitrak pick that up as the card ID.

 

Another option for door entry is for us to make our own door entry system. I've tried a proximity card reader with a Raspberry Pi, but you need a powered USB hub to provide enough power for the reader.

[plexer]

http://www.paxton.co.uk/spotlight.asp?strStage=MifareRange You may need to check with paxton as to compatability.

 

Ben

[psydii]

FWIW I have always found the Paxton guys to be extremely helpful and supportive. Try giving them a call (and posting back your findings for the greater good).

[psydii]

FWIW 2: We have three completely separate card systems. If I ever manage to co-ordinate the various members of SLT with responsibility for them, we will probably consolidate down to one card type, and manually load the card serial number into each system. The holy grail of automated integration looks to be a bridge too far. We'll improve efficiency though if we move the card programming role to a single individual (with a deputy) with the three systems loaded onto their desktop. If we try to use AD as the central repository for the card ID, then it will end up being IT who make and issue the cards, and quite frankly my team have better things to be doing than school-admin tasks.

[Sillychilly]

BioStore are able to integrate with Paxton Net 2 and most other application as far as I'm aware, might be worth giving them a call to find out if they can do what you want.

[MatthewL]

Beaware there are several types of Mifare card available and as I have found out this last week most card readers all read them differently. You can reprogram some card readers especially those used for PCounter and Papercut and get them to read the same. You may need to send a card off with with a number programmed in and they should be able to send you a file to upload to the card reader with appropriate software. I have just recoded 8 readers, not up on the ins and outs of it just managed it in the end.

[Big_Ted]

can get a little complicated.

 

first up readers:

no right or wrong - some read hex some decimal by default and with that you also get the number forwards or backwards. Luckily papercut and or the readers can be programmed to change the config if needed.

 

paxton cards:

in my experience they are mainly HiTag2 cards with some being Mifare. They have their own special/magic bit on the card that their own system reads then you will have a unique serial number that other readers (such as those from Rfideas) will read. No need to read the exact same number due to self-registration.