{
  "url": "https://proudtek.com/blog/nfc-door-locks-rfid-cards/",
  "sourceUrl": "https://proudtek.com/blog/nfc-door-locks-rfid-cards/",
  "title": "How NFC Door Locks Work with RFID Cards",
  "description": "A technical guide to NFC-based door-lock systems — and how to tell a genuinely secure lock from one running on hope. Covers lock architectures,...",
  "kind": "article",
  "imageUrl": "https://proudtek.com/landing-images/nfc-door-locks-rfid-cards-hero.jpg",
  "imageAlt": "Wall-mounted RFID/NFC access-control card reader beside a building door.",
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      "alt": "Wall-mounted RFID/NFC access-control card reader beside a building door."
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    {
      "name": "How NFC Door Locks Work with RFID Cards",
      "url": "https://proudtek.com/blog/nfc-door-locks-rfid-cards/"
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  "summary": [
    "A technical guide to NFC-based door-lock systems — and how to tell a genuinely secure lock from one running on hope."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Can NFC door locks work without internet connectivity?",
      "answer": "Yes. Offline NFC locks are specifically designed for environments without network connectivity at the door. All authorization data is encoded on the card and validated locally by the lock. This architecture is standard in hotels, cruise ships and remote facilities."
    },
    {
      "question": "What RFID chip should I specify for high-security door locks?",
      "answer": "MIFARE DESFire EV2 or EV3 with AES-128 mutual authentication and diversified keys. Avoid MIFARE Classic (known vulnerabilities) and 125 kHz proximity cards (no authentication). For the highest security, consider Java Card-based credentials with PKI certificate authentication."
    },
    {
      "question": "How long do batteries last in NFC door locks?",
      "answer": "Offline NFC locks running on 4 AA batteries typically last 2–4 years or 30 000–50 000 openings. Online locks with Wi-Fi or BLE radios consume more power and last 6–18 months. Low-battery indicators warn maintenance staff 2–4 weeks before replacement is needed."
    },
    {
      "question": "Should new lock deployments support Apple Home Key, Google Wallet and Aliro?",
      "answer": "Yes — at minimum a clear roadmap. Apple Home Key (iOS 15+) and Google Wallet keys are now common in hospitality (Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt) and increasingly in residential and office. Apple's iOS 18.1 NFC and Secure Element opening expanded which credential providers can issue Wallet-grade keys on iPhone, broadening compatibility. The Connectivity Standards Alliance released Aliro 1.0 on 26 February 2026 as a cross-vendor mobile credential standard for offices, universities, hospitality, single-family and multi-family homes. Locks specified in 2026 without an Aliro / Apple Home Key / Google Wallet roadmap will be replaced inside 3-5 years; physical RFID cards will remain the fallback but mobile must work for premium guest and employee experience."
    },
    {
      "question": "What's the right way to handle credential revocation across offline and online locks?",
      "answer": "For online locks, revoke at the central server and the next attempted swipe is denied immediately. For offline locks, two patterns work: (1) blacklist propagation — staff cards or maintenance-tablet BLE pushes blacklist updates as part of routine property walks, typical refresh 12-48 hours; (2) sequence counter invalidation — re-issuing a higher-sequence card to the same room automatically invalidates the previous card on the next presentation, the standard hospitality flow for guests changing rooms or staying past initial check-out. For mobile credentials (Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Aliro), revocation is server-pushed to the user's device at next network sync, typically near-real-time. Best practice for high-security deployments: combine all three — online server, offline blacklist propagation and per-card sequence counters — so no single failure mode leaves a revoked credential active."
    }
  ],
  "procurementFields": [],
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  "articleGuidanceFields": [
    {
      "label": "Best for",
      "value": "How NFC Door Locks Work with RFID Cards supports RFID and NFC evaluation, comparison, and sourcing decisions."
    },
    {
      "label": "Compare first",
      "value": "Compare How NFC Door Locks Work with RFID Cards against reader compatibility, chip family, material, and deployment environment."
    },
    {
      "label": "What to confirm",
      "value": "Confirm target application, compatibility requirements, customization needs, quantity, and sample expectations before quoting How NFC Door Locks Work with RFID Cards."
    }
  ],
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  "machineJsonUrl": "https://proudtek.com/machine/blog/nfc-door-locks-rfid-cards.json",
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  "author": {
    "name": "Nancy Wu",
    "title": "NFC Product Specialist",
    "expertise": [
      "NFC business cards",
      "Google Review NFC cards",
      "NFC tag programming",
      "Digital product authentication"
    ]
  },
  "publisher": "Proud Tek Co., Limited",
  "datePublished": "2026-03-16T01:42:30.697Z",
  "dateModified": "2026-06-06T13:24:50Z",
  "reviewedBy": "Proud Tek Editorial Team",
  "lastReviewedDate": "2026-06-06T13:24:50Z",
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    "ISO 9001:2015",
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