Why is my reader not acknowledging my card swipe?

If you swiped an access control card/fob and the reader did not beep or flash the LED there are a few things to look at.

  • First, verify the reader is receiving power. There should be a solid LED indicator on the reader letting you know it has power.
  • If this is a new installation, you have verified the power, and the reader does not beep or flash the LED when swiping your card/fob then it is most likely that the reader and card formats do not match properly.  
    • If this is the case you will need to check the documentation for the reader and verify what formats are compatible.  Then compare those to the formats on the card.  Many times the format is printed on a label for the box they came in.