RFID access cards and badges are popular in a wide variety of workplaces. Private employers, universities, and government agencies issue RFID badges to their employees for security reasons and for expediency. If you carry one of these badges, consider an RFID-blocking badge holder to shield your identification from electronic theft. Finding a good one is easy, once you know what you need.
How do I know what to look for in a badge holder?
An RFID-blocking badge holder is a good idea if you carry any kind of access card to get into your workplace. But how do you know whether a certain product really protects your identification, and which badge holder is best? One simple way to ensure you get proper protection is to look for products that meet the GSA’s FIPS 201 standards. The GSA, or General Services Administration, is a government agency that provides support to a variety of other federal agencies. Their FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) standards outline requirements for government IDs, such as badges, to maintain the security of government information and property. If your badge holder meets FIPS requirements, it’s safe enough for government employees who have secret security clearances. So you can be confident that it’s adequate for your workplace access card.
What badge holders meet the GSA’s FIPS standards?
All ID Stronghold badge holders are FIPS 201 approved. In fact, no other manufacturer provides more RFID-blocking badge holders to the U.S. government than ID Stronghold.
What other qualities should I look for in an RFID badge holder?
Security is the main concern with RFID-blocking technology, but it’s not the only thing that matters. A good badge holder also ensures that your access card works when you need it, and does so in a way that’s convenient. It’s impractical to take your card out whenever you want to enter your workplace. To solve this problem ID Stronghold created the Classic Badge Holder that features a squeeze-to-read mechanism. This feature allows you to scan your card by opening the holder with a quick pinch, then release, and your ID is protected once again.
A major security quality to look for is to make sure your ID badge holder is blocking the correct frequency of your ID badge. If you are using a 125Khz ID badge, our Blox Prox ID Holders are what you are looking for. But say your ID badge is on the 13.56Mhz frequency, then any one of our badge holders will block your signal.
An open face is another must-have. With some products, your badge/identification is inside or behind a clear plastic covering. This can be problematic in a couple of ways. First, dust and dirt can coat the plastic, obscuring the face of the card. An RFID scanner will still be able to read your badge, but security officers won’t be. If your employer needs to verify your identity with a visual inspection, you’ll have to take the badge out of the holder. An open face prevents this kind of hassle. The second reason to get an open face holder is that some organizations actually don’t permit you to enter their facilities unless they can see your badge directly. That means no plastic cover of any kind between a security officer’s eyes and your identification. It’s similar to state laws that require you to remove your driver’s license so a cashier can look at it directly before selling you alcohol. It might seem silly, but it allows security personnel to closely scrutinize IDs and more easily spot fakes.
You may want to consider a few other features when shopping for an RFID badge holder. The first is material. A strong plastic is best. ID Stronghold badge holders are made of durable polycarbonate. Cheap products use polystyrene, which is thinner and much more brittle. Also, look for a top-loading badge holder vs bottom-loading, this will prevent your ID from falling out whenever you need to open the holder. Finally, a good product has a strong attachment point. Breaking the lanyard away from the badge holder should require a lot of force—more than you’ll put on it during everyday use.
ID Stronghold badge holders have you covered.
Like many of the best products, ID Stronghold badge holders are designed and assembled in the U.S.A. Excellent materials, convenient card access, an open face design, and FIPS approval mean that an ID Stronghold badge holder is a great choice.
