Since the CSN should be unique, this means all ISO14443A/B or ISO15693 cards, eventhough not directly supported by the Dell software, will still work with the embedded reader through the use of the Card Serial Number. The TPM interface is standardized, while CV is not? Also, when authenticating to the chip (updates/modifications etc), the TPM only supports passwords, while CV supports smartcards and fingerprints as well.Īnyway, through HID Global I found a document called “ Dell E-Family PBA Enrollment Application Notes AN0124” which lists the compatible card technologies for this reader:įrom this table we can see that the embedded contactless reader “natively” supports HID iClass cards (in software/hardware), it does NOT support 125kHz proximity cards, and the rest of the cards (MIFARE and generic ISO14443A/B or ISO15693) are supported by means of reading the CSN/UID only. The biggest differences seems to be that CV is enabled by default, but TPM must be manually activated in BIOS (according to the requirements by the Trusted Computing Group).
On a side note: Many of the same features available in the TPM is also available in the Credentials Vault. It also integrates many of the authentication applications available today, such as one-time-password (OTP), fingerprint readers, smart cards, and contactless readers, into silicon, where they all can be centrally managed and utilized as part of multi-factor authentication policies”. “The Broadcom BCM5880 secure applications processor combines platform identification, personal identification and data protection in a single chip and includes an integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 device, as well as the credential “vault” capability. This chipset also contains a secuity processor, contacted smartcard support, fingerprint reader support, TPM v1.2, and a so-called “credentials vault” (CV). There is no separate entry in “Device Manager” for “Contactless Smartcard reader”. The chipset is Broadcom BCM5880, and is listed under Device Manager as “Broadcom Unified Security Hub CV w/fingerprint sensor”. (I’m the type of guy who can’t have a gadget in my house without knowing what’s inside, who made it, and how can I use it in strange ways to do cool things.) This reader is located under the right palm rest, and is also available on select Latitude E-series. All this is cool, but, where is the documentation? What cards does it support? Can I access the reader from my own programs? Unfortunately Dell seems to have very little information available on their web pages, so I had to start digging myself. One of it’s cool standard features is the embedded contactless smartcard reader. I recently bought a Dell Precision M6400 Covet.
#Dell smart card reader how to#
Updated (): How to enable PC/SC support for this reader.