A Canadian Partner for Proximity Cards and Access Credentials

Avon helps organizations choose the right credential, confirm it works with their access control system, and keep their card program running as it grows.

Most proximity card orders come from organizations that already have readers on their doors. HR is onboarding new staff, security is replacing lost badges, or facilities is opening another floor. The new cards have to work with the readers and software already in place, and two cards that look identical can carry a different technology, card format or facility code. Avon’s specialists work through those details with you, recommend the card or fob that suits how your people move through the building, and stay available after the order arrives. School boards, hospitals, municipal offices, manufacturers and property managers across Canada source their HID, Indala, AWID and CDVI credentials through Avon, with inventory and support based in Concord, Ontario.

Types of Proximity Cards, Key Fobs and Tags

Start with the technology your readers accept, then choose the form your staff will carry.

Product listings for each family sit under proximity cards, with a dedicated section for HID proximity cards.

How Proximity Access Cards Work

Each card carries an ID number, and your access control software decides which doors it opens.

A proximity card access system has three parts: the card, the reader at the door and the software behind it. Proximity access cards work by drawing power from the reader’s radio field, so a standard card has no battery and nothing to wear out at the door.

What’s Inside a Proximity Card

A coil of fine copper wire runs around the edge of the card, connected to a small chip. Classic prox cards, including the HID ISOProx II, run at 125 kHz and are often called low-frequency proximity cards. The chip holds the card’s number, format and facility code. Knowing how an HID proximity card works makes it clear why those details, rather than the brand printed on the card, decide whether it opens your doors.

From Reader to Door Lock

The proximity card reader picks up the number from a few centimetres away and passes it to the door controller, usually as a Wiegand signal. If the card is allowed in at that time, the controller releases the proximity card door lock or electric strike.

Where the Permissions Live

Names, access levels and schedules stay in your access control software, not on the card. A lost card can be switched off from a desk, without rekeying any doors.

Card Formats, Facility Codes and Card Numbers

These three details decide whether a new card opens your doors.

Your door controllers are set up to accept particular formats and facility codes. Matching them is what lets a new batch work alongside the cards your staff already carry, so they are the first things an Avon specialist confirms with you.

Card Format

The format is the layout of the data on the card. The common 26-bit format, listed by HID as H10301, holds a facility code and a card number. Larger organizations often use longer formats, such as 37-bit H10302 or H10304, HID’s Corporate 1000 program, or a format tied to their system, such as Chubb’s G10901.

Facility Code

The facility code, or site code, is shared by a group of cards and helps your system recognize them as yours. In the 26-bit format it runs from 0 to 255. Organizations with several buildings, or with more staff than one code allows, often use more than one.

Card Number and Starting Number

Each proximity card number identifies one credential within its format and facility code. Starting a new batch above the highest number already issued, for example 1201 to 1300, keeps every card unique and enrolment simple.

Reading an HID Part Number

HID part numbers name the card, followed by a code for its options. HID 1386LGGMN, the most common configuration for printable HID and compatible cards, breaks down this way:

• L: programmed (N means non-programmed)
• G G: front and back surfaces, such as white gloss PVC for printing
• M: the printed number matches the encoded number, so it can be typed straight into your software
• N: no slot punch

Do You Need a Proximity Card Programmer?

Not for a standard HID prox system. The cards are programmed to your format, facility code and starting number before they ship, so you don’t need a proximity card programmer or encoder on site. When they arrive, your administrator can program proximity cards into your access control software, recording each number against a cardholder and assigning access levels.

HID Prox 125 kHz Credentials by Part Number

The part number on your HID prox card box or invoice is the quickest way to reorder the same card.

HID Global is a long-standing leader in access credentials, and its part numbers are a useful shorthand when you talk to your installer or to Avon.

Check Your Existing Card Before Reordering

A photo of one card is usually enough to start.

Send us a photo of your current card, front and back, and the label from the original box if you still have it. An Avon specialist will use the part number and printed details to find the matching card and confirm everything with you before your new cards are programmed.

Proximity Card Technical Specifications

Compare frequency, read range, and data across the most common credential types.

Read range is set by the reader and how it’s mounted, so check your reader’s datasheet as well as the card.

Card Size and Thickness

A printable ISO card is made to ISO ID-1 (CR80) size, 85.60 x 53.98 mm, at about 0.8 mm thick according to CDVI’s listed dimensions, close to a standard 30 mil PVC card. A clamshell proximity card is the same width and height at about 1.8 mm, too thick for an ID card printer.

Custom Printed Proximity Cards and Photo ID Badges

One badge for photo ID and door access.

Printed proximity ID cards give security staff a quick visual check and give you fewer cards to issue and replace. An Avon specialist can confirm which cards your ID card printer supports.

Printable Prox Cards

Made for photos, names, and logos: the HID ISOProx II and DuoProx II, CDVI printable ISO cards, and the Linear ISO125-H. Any proximity card printer needs to support the card’s thickness, and Avon can check your model.

Direct-to-Card and Retransfer Printing

Retransfer printers give technology cards a more even, edge-to-edge finish because they print onto film first. Direct-to-card printers print straight onto the card, where the chip can show as slight marks.

Clamshell Cards and Adhesive Labels

Keep your clamshell cards and add a photo. A printed CR79 adhesive card fits on the front of the ProxCard II or CDVI CS25.

Slot Punches and Badge Holders

Order cards with the slot punch already in place to protect the antenna. A proximity card holder, including an HID proximity card holder, keeps the printed photo protected and easy to present.

What Details Do You Need to Order Matching Proximity Cards?

Send these five details and an Avon specialist will match your cards the first time.

Technology and Frequency

HID Prox, Indala, AWID, CDVI, iCLASS, Seos, MIFARE DESFire or UHF, to keep your current readers working.

Card Format

The format name, such as H10301. It tells us how your system reads each card.

Facility Code and Starting Number

Your facility code and next unused number, so every new card is unique and ready to enrol.

Card, Fob, Tag or Wristband

How your staff will carry it, and whether it needs a printed photo.

Printing, Numbering and Slot Punch

Whether you’ll print on the cards, want matching printed and encoded numbers, or need a slot punch.

125 kHz Proximity Cards or 13.56 MHz Smart Cards?

Proximity cards handle general door access. Smart cards add encryption for areas that need more protection.

The main difference is security. A proximity card sends a fixed ID number that can be read and copied. A smart card’s data is encrypted and authenticated by the reader. The differences between RFID cards and proximity cards cover frequency, read range, and encryption in more detail.

When Is It Time to Move Beyond 125 kHz Prox?

When a door protects servers, medication, records or cash, smart cards are worth considering. Other doors can stay on prox if lost cards are switched off promptly and access logs are reviewed.

Upgrading in Stages

Multi-technology readers and cards let you move one area at a time while staff carry a single card. An Avon specialist can check your readers and help plan the order.

Proximity Cards for Offices, Campuses, Hospitals, Parking and Public Buildings

Avon supplies proximity cards to schools, hospitals, government offices, manufacturers, and property managers across Canada.

Corporate & Multi-Site Organizations

Multi-site companies need the same card at every office. Avon keeps your format and number ranges consistent between locations, and printable prox cards let HR issue photo ID and door access on one badge during onboarding.

Schools, Colleges & Universities

Schools and universities issue most of their cards in the weeks before each term. Avon plans number ranges with you ahead of time, supplies cards for student, staff, and residence access, and matches replacements to the cards already in use.

Healthcare Organizations

Hospitals and long-term care facilities need staff ID that is clearly visible and controls access to restricted areas. A printed photo ID proximity card does both, and Avon supplies replacements in the same format so lost badges can be reissued quickly.

Government & Municipal

Government departments order to set specifications. Avon supplies cards in the technology, format and security features your procurement documents call for, and keeps those specifications the same on every reorder. Municipal recreation centres can use prox wristbands for members and staff.

Industrial, Warehouse & Logistics

Warehouse, maintenance and contract staff often carry a proximity key fob or proximity key card on a key ring instead of a badge. Each credential has its own number, so contractor access can be added or removed without changing anyone else’s.

Parking & Vehicle Access Control

Parking garages, fleet yards, and secured lots use long-range proximity tags or UHF windshield tags, so authorized vehicles enter without stopping at a reader. Vehicle credentials are managed in the same access control system as staff cards.

Reordering Prox Cards for an Existing System?

Send us what you have and we’ll help you match it.

A photo of an existing card, the label from the original box or your reader model is usually enough to start. Can’t find a part number? That’s common with cards ordered years ago, and our team will ask the right questions to help you find exactly what you need.

Complete Your Access Card and ID Badge Setup

Proximity cards work best as part of a credential program where printers, software, cards, supplies and support work together. These related categories help keep yours running as it grows.

Why Organizations Choose Avon for Proximity Cards

Avon Security Products has served more than 25,000 organizations across Canada with ID card printers, access cards, software, and supplies.

Canadian Since 2005

Avon has supplied Canadian organizations since 2005, and works as a Canadian proximity card supplier with inventory in Concord, Ontario. Domestically sourced orders arrive without unexpected duties or brokerage.

Compatibility Confirmed Before Programming

An Avon specialist confirms technology, format, and facility code with you before new cards are programmed, so the cards that arrive work with the readers you have.

Support as Your Program Grows

New buildings, new staff and new security requirements change what a card program needs. Avon stays available after the order for reorders, upgrades, and printer support.