Randy Vanderhoof

True or false: Smart cards are the same as RFID cards. The correct answer is false, although many people use the terms synonymously. Headquartered in Princeton Junction, N.J., the Smart Card Alliance (SCA) is a not-for-profit association working to promote understanding and widespread application of the technology. Randy Vanderhoof, executive director, acknowledged the tendency to categorize contactless smart card technology as RFID causes confusion and complicates efforts to educate the marketplace. “It has become a large market with diverse products and capabilities. There is no singular definition that satisfies all the different technical variations, form factors and uses,” he observed. What’s What RFID uses

As this high-tech product gains popularity, distributors may be able to find a new profit stream. Did you know that smart cards are experiencing a significant surge in popularity within the United States? In past issues, BFL&S has discussed how these cards have gained so much notoriety in Europe, but not so much in the U.S. Because of differences in existing technology, these smarter-than-average products experienced a fairly slow start here in the states. But it seems the tables are turning in favor of smart cards as more companies are willing to invest in the intelligence, security and convenience they provide. In fact,