Side-by-Side Comparison
Smart Cards & RFID
RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. HID Prox & iCLASS
Comparing 2 standards across 13 specifications. 13 key differences identified.
Comparing:
RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2
HID Prox & iCLASS
RAIN RFID (ISO/IEC 18000-63 / GS1 EPC Gen2) is an Ultra-High Frequency (UHF, 860–960 MHz) wireless standard utilizing electromagnetic backscatter coupling. Enabling simultaneous inventory reading of hundreds of passive tags per second over distances up to 12 meters, it is the global standard for retail apparel, aviation baggage, and logistics supply chains.
HID Prox and iCLASS are proprietary physical access control credentials developed by HID Global. They encompass legacy 125 kHz unencrypted Prox (such as 26-bit Wiegand H10301), 13.56 MHz read/write iCLASS smart cards, and modern Seos microprocessor cards utilizing AES-128 encryption.
Specification Comparison Table
13 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Operating Frequency Band
|
860–960 MHz (865–868 MHz EU / 902–928 MHz US) | — |
|
Standard Specifications
|
GS1 EPC Gen2 v2 / ISO/IEC 18000-63 | — |
|
Communication Mechanism
|
Passive Modulated Backscatter (Far-field EM) | — |
|
Typical Read Range
|
5 to 12 m (passive tags) | — |
|
Inventory Read Speed
|
Up to 1,000 tags/sec | — |
|
Forward Link Modulation
|
DSB-ASK, SSB-ASK, or PR-ASK (PIE encoding) | — |
|
Return Link Modulation
|
FM0 or Miller Subcarrier (40 to 640 kbps) | — |
|
Memory Banks
|
Reserved (Kill/Access passwords), EPC, TID (Factory ID), User Memory | — |
|
Operating Frequencies
|
— | 125 kHz (Prox) / 13.56 MHz (iCLASS / Seos) |
|
Common Bit Formats
|
— | 26-bit H10301, 37-bit H10302/H10304, Corporate 1000 |
|
Standard Compliance (iCLASS)
|
— | ISO/IEC 15693 and ISO/IEC 14443-A/B |
|
Security Cryptography
|
— | None (Prox), 64-bit DES (Legacy iCLASS), AES-128 (iCLASS SE / Seos) |
|
Reader Interface Protocol
|
— | Wiegand / OSDP (Open Supervised Device Protocol) |
Other Alternatives to Compare
Compare RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. Calypso →
Compare RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. EM4100 & T5577 →
Compare RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. FeliCa →
Compare RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. ISO/IEC 14443 →
Compare RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. ISO/IEC 15693 →
Compare RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. MIFARE →
Compare RAIN RFID / EPC Gen2 vs. NFC Forum Tag Types →