EM4100 & T5577 vs. MIFARE
Comparing 2 standards across 12 specifications. 12 key differences identified.
EM4100 and T5577 represent the foundational low-frequency (LF, 125 kHz) RFID transponder ecosystem. The EM4100 (EM-Marin) is a factory-programmed, 64-bit read-only identity chip, while the Atmel/Microchip T5577 is a rewritable EEPROM transponder used to emulate and clone various 125 kHz LF protocols.
MIFARE is a proprietary contactless smart card technology developed by Mikron (now NXP Semiconductors) conforming to ISO/IEC 14443 Type A. Spanning MIFARE Classic, Ultralight, Plus, and DESFire EV1/2/3, it is widely cited by NXP and industry sources as the world's most widely deployed contactless smart card platform for transit ticketing and access control.
Specification Comparison Table
12 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Frequency Bands
|
100 to 150 kHz (125 kHz nominal) | 13.56 MHz |
|
EM4100 Memory Structure
|
64 bits (9 header bits, 40 customer/ID bits, 15 parity/stop bits) | — |
|
T5577 Memory Capacity
|
330 bits (10 blocks of 33 bits EEPROM) | — |
|
Modulation Schemes Supported
|
Manchester, Biphase, FSK, PSK | — |
|
Data Rates (Typical)
|
RF/64, RF/32, RF/16 clock divisors | — |
|
Cryptographic Protection
|
None (Plaintext transmission) | — |
|
Standard Compliance
|
— | ISO/IEC 14443-A (Parts 1–4 for DESFire/Plus) |
|
Communication Rate
|
— | 106 to 848 kbps |
|
Typical Read Range
|
— | 2.5 to 10 cm |
|
Primary Variants
|
— | Classic (1K/4K), Ultralight, Plus, DESFire EV1/EV2/EV3 |
|
Security Ciphers
|
— | Crypto-1 (Classic, Broken), AES-128 (Plus/DESFire), 3DES (DESFire EV1) |
|
Common Criteria Certification
|
— | EAL5+ (DESFire EV2/EV3) |