Proximity chips
MIFARE® DESFire® are made by the trusted chip manufacturer NXP Semiconductors, and are the most popular NFC Type 4 chips (chips for secure transactions).
MIFARE DESFire EV3 is the successor of MIFARE DESFire EV2, and offers even more advanced hardware and software implementation on a brand-new IC. MIFARE DESFire EV3 covers all well-known commands and features from the MIFARE DESFire EV2, plus adding some new features like
Transaction Timer and
Transaction MAC.
The technical comparison and compatibility between DESFire versions EV1, EV2, and EV3 are described in detail in the document:
https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/application-note/AN12752.pdf
MIFARE DESFire EV3 chips operate on a frequency of 13.56 MHz and are compatible with the RFID standards ISO/IEC 14443-4A/B and ISO/IEC 7816. They have a 7-byte long chip Unique ID number (UID) and 2, 4, or 8 Kbytes of data (16 and 32 kB will be available soon). MIFARE DESFire EV3 chips use a DES, 2K3DES, 3K3DES, and AES hardware cryptographic engine for secure transactions. The data retention time for these chips is 25 years.
Technical documentation for MIFARE DESFire EV3 and software tools are available here:
https://www.nxp.com/products/rfid-nfc/mifare-hf/mifare-desfire/mifare-desfire-ev3-high-security-ic-for-contactless-smart-city-services:MF3DHx3
MIFARE DESFire EV3 chips are typically used for:
- Secure NFC applications
- Secure Access control and Ticketing
- Public transportation
- Cashless vending
- Micro Payments.
RFID cards with a MIFARE DESFire EV3 chip are plastic cards with a standard credit card dimension (86 x 54 x 0.85 mm). They can be used with desktop or other NFC/RFID readers, NFC mobile phones, tablets, etc. They work within proximity distances of up to 10 cm (usually up to 5 cm).
The cards are bright white, without numeration or other printed elements, and have a top layer whose coating allows subsequent printing on all kinds of card printers (thermo transfer or thermo retransfer printers).
You can purchase white cards from stock, or send us an inquiry for printed cards. Depending on the quantity and deadline, we will help you select the best option for printing.
Options for printing and customizing MIFARE DESFire EV3 cards
Serialization or personalization
If you need white DESFire cards with serial numbers or other variables, we use special thermal printers with monochrome ribbons (usually in black color, white, gold, or silver).
Our services include:
- Numeration or personalization from an Excel table
- Printing different kind of barcodes and QR codes
- Reading and printing the chip ID numbers in various formats
- Chip encoding – writing custom data, change keys.
When reading and printing the chip ID numbers on cards, we take extra care that the reading format is correct for the desired application.
Print with Thermal Retransfer Printers
When ordering small quantities of printed MIFARE DESFire EV3 cards (1–500 pcs), we use high quality thermal retransfer printers which print CMYK colors in the stunning resolution of 600 dpi. The advantage of thermo retransfer printer is that it prints one card at a time and allows us to print even a single card when needed. The disadvantages of thermal retransfer print are high costs of ribbons and slow speed, so it makes it less cost effective for higher quantities.
Offset printing technology for cards
When ordering 500 or more printed MIFARE DESFire EV3 cards, it is better to print the cards with offset printing technology during the manufacturing process. This kind of printing requires special equipment and can be done only by specialized card manufacturers. The artwork of the front and back sides of a card is printed on thin layers during a manufacturing process, and the layers are later thermically laminated into a plastic sheet with its final card thickness, and then die-cut to its final shape.
The typical printed MIFARE DESFire EV3 card contains the following layers:
1. A clear protective layer with special coating for additional thermal print,
2. A layer with front side artwork,
3. A layer with MIFARE DESFire EV3 chip and antenna,
4. A layer with back side artwork, and
5. Another clear protective layer with a special coating for an additional thermal print.
The quality of these layers defines the quality of the print on cards and the lifespan of the RFID chip.
If you need printed cards, please send us an inquiry with the desired card quantity and deadline.
Reading test for MIFARE DESFire EV3 8kB
The reading distance between the card and the reader is affected by many different factors, like the size of the antennas and quality of the chips, the interferences of metal, and electromagnetic signals, etc.
We have tested the MIFARE DESFire EV3 4kB cards with different kinds of readers and measured the reading distances. This is not an official test and it was made to inform you what reading distances you may expect with your application.
Below are the distances we measured with our test:
Technical specification for MIFARE DESFire EV3 cards
Chip manufacturer: NXP Semiconductors
Chip: MIFARE DESFire EV3,
Compatible with: previous versions of chips from MIFARE DESFire family EV2 and EV1.
ISO/IEC standards: 14443-4A/B and ISO/IEC 7816
Memory size: 2, 4, or 8 Kbytes of data (16 and 32 kB will be available soon)
Security: DES, 2K3DES, 3K3DES, and AES hardware cryptographic engine for secure transactions, 7-byte long preprogrammed chip Unique ID number
Operating frequency: 13.56 MHz
Reading distance: up to 10 cm (usually up to 5 cm)
Card dimensions: CR80 (85.60 x 53.98 mm)
Thickness: 0.84 mm
Material: PVC
Printing options: offset print, thermo re-transfer, thermo transfer
Technical documentation for MIFARE DESFire EV3 and software tools are available here:
https://www.nxp.com/products/rfid-nfc/mifare-hf/mifare-desfire/mifare-desfire-ev3-high-security-ic-for-contactless-smart-city-services:MF3DHx3
If you need larger quantities send an email to info@rfidspecialist.eu or call +386 41 884 124 and we will be happy to help you.
If you are an integrator or reseller, we offer special discounts.
MIFARE®, MIFARE CLASSIC®, DESFire®, ICODE® are registered trademarks, owned by NXP B.V. There is no affiliation between NXP B.V. and Mave d.o.o. (rfidspecialist.eu)