Keycards, Fobs, or Mobile: Choosing an Access Control Credential

The options

A credential is simply how a person proves they are allowed through a door. The main choices are cards and fobs, PIN codes, mobile phone access, and biometrics. Many systems support more than one at once.

Cards and fobs

• Cheap, familiar, and easy to hand out
• Simple to deactivate if lost
• But they can be shared, lost, or left at home

PIN codes

• Nothing to carry
• Cheap to add
• But codes get shared and rarely changed, which weakens them over time

Mobile access

• The phone people already carry becomes the key
• Hard to forget or lend out casually
• Easy to issue and revoke instantly, no card to collect
• Great for staff, contractors, and temporary access

How to choose

For many businesses, mobile credentials are now the sweet spot: convenient and easy to manage. Cards and fobs remain a solid, low-cost option, especially for visitors. The good news is you do not have to pick just one; a modern system can mix credentials to fit different people and doors.