Access control transponder card MIFARE Ultralight®

Summary
MIFARE Ultralight® and NTag213 are 13.56 MHz high-frequency RFID ICs compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 A and NFC Forum Type 2. Developed by NXP for low-cost, high-volume identification, these contactless cards support anticollision and can be read/written by standard RFID readers and NFC smartphones. Presentation text commonly cites an operating distance up to 6 cm while technical specifications may indicate up to 10 cm.

Main uses

• Public transport tickets (single-ride, multi-ride, tourist passes)
• Event badges (stadiums, exhibitions, theme parks)
• Identification badges and low-capacity loyalty cards
• Closed-loop electronic purse systems for festivals, campsites and events

Compatibility and integration
Compatible with NFC Forum Type 2 and readable/writable by NFC-enabled smartphones; integrates with existing MIFARE infrastructures. NTag213 is often used as an evolution offering improved speed and security for electronic transactions.

Chip structure and memory
The IC includes a unique 7-byte UID. EEPROM capacity is 512 bits organized in 16 pages of 4 bytes: 32-bit OTP area (one-time programmable) and 384 bits available for user data. Read/write operations use standard ISO/IEC 14443 A commands.

Cloning and end of life
No widespread clone is reported; the Ultralight family is being phased out in many applications and replaced by NTag213 variants.

Blank or printed card
The card can be supplied blank or pre-printed with logos, photos and visual ID elements for user recognition and branding.

Technical specifications

• RFID standard: ISO/IEC 14443 A 1-3
• NFC: NFC Forum Tag Type 2
• Operating distance: presentation up to 6 cm; specification up to 10 cm
• Operating frequency: 13.56 MHz
• RF data rate: 106 kbit/s
• Anticollision: MIFARE anticollision
• UID: unique 7-byte identifier
• Locking: page-level programmable read-only
• Endurance: up to 100,000 write cycles
• Security: supports MIFARE SAM AV2 methods
• Data integrity: CRC-16, parity, bit encoding