US-based RFID card manufacturer Bristol ID has announced a new dual-frequency card with a pair of passive RFID chips that allow it to communicate in two different frequency ranges simultaneously.

The card will be available in three combinations, HF-UHF, HF-LF and UHF-LF, with the HF inlay being compliant with NFC applications.

“A typical scenario for this type of card would be one where a single card is desired to open a parking gate, using UHF technology with a read range in excess of ten feet, and also to open a door to a building, requiring HF technology with a short read range,” Bristol ID president Keith Yeates explained to NFC World.

“We are manufacturing the cards which involves laminating various layers of suitable material such as PVC, these layers consisting of the technology layer, printed layers plus any layers incorporating any security features,” he adds.

“The surface of the cards will typically be thermally printed and therefore the final layer of the card has to be receptive to this.”

The dual-frequency cards can be produced in a variety of forms, including ID badges, hang tags or customised cards and Bristol ID is already targeting the education, government, healthcare, transportation and security markets, Yeates says.

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