What is card reader, types and how does it work

ProgramingsPoint

12 Oct, 2023

Do You Know What Is a reader, How Does Card Reader Work, How Many Types Of Card readers are There, And What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Card Readers. If You Do Not Know About Card Reader Then You Are On The Right Blog. Through Today's Article, We Are Going To Give You Complete Information About Card Reader.

A Card Reader Is A Hardware Device That Is Used To Read Data Located On A Microchip Card. Different Types Of Card Readers Are Used To Read Different Types Of Cards Like SD Card, Memory Card, Smart Card, Credit Card Etc.

If We Want To Put Songs Or Any Video In Our Memory Card, Then We Put The Memory Card In The Card Reader And Connect It To The Computer And Then We Can Upload Our Favorite File To The Memory Card. Similarly, When Payment Is Made Through a Credit Card Or Debit Card, The Card Is Swiped Through The Magnetic Card Reader.

In Today's Time, Card Readers Are Widely Used, So If You Want To Become Smarter By Increasing Your Knowledge, Then It Is Important For You To Have Knowledge About Card Readers.

What is a Card Reader?

A card Reader Is An Input Device Whose Main Function Is To Access The Data Present In The Microchip. This Is A Small Device In Which You Can Insert A Memory Card Or SD Card. After This, You Have To Connect The Card Reader To Your Computer Through USB, and Then You Can Read And Write The Data Present on that Memory Card. Without A Card Reader, You Cannot Access The Microchip's Data In Your Computer.

The Card Reader Can Be A Standalone Device That Can Be Connected To A Computer Via USB Or It Can Be Integrated Into A Computer, Printer, Or Multi-Function Device. Nowadays, Most Laptops Come With Inbuilt Card Readers.

Memory Card Reader Is Used To Read Smart Card Or Memory Cards Whereas Magnetic Card Reader Is Used To Read Magnetic Stripe Cards Like Debit Card and credit Card.

In Simple Words, A Card Reader Is A Hardware Device That Is Used To Access The Content Of A Memory Card In A Given Format.

History of Card Reader

Card Reader Is Not A New Device, It Has Been In Use For A Long Time. In Earlier Times, Punch Cards Were Used To Store Data. Punch Cards Are Made Of Stiff Paper Which Were Used To Store Digital Data. However, It Is Not Used Today.

Punch Card Was Developed By Joseph Marie Jacquard In The Year 1803.
In 1969, IBM Engineer Forrest Corry Parry Created A Magnetic Stripe Card Reader To Read Credit Cards.
In 1979, Michel Hugon Of Bull CP8 Designed Microprocessor-Based Cards By Combining Processor And Local Memory. He Was The First Person To Create A Computerized Smart Card.
In 1980, Fujio Masuoka, Working At Toshiba, Invented The Flash Memory Card Reader.

How does the card reader work

A Memory Card Reader Is Used To Read And Write The Data On A Memory Card. When The Memory Card Is Inserted Into The Card Reader And Connected To The Computer, The Card Reader Reads The Chip On The Memory Card And Displays The Data Present In It In The Computer.

After Inserting The Memory Card Reader In The Computer, An Icon Of The Card Will Be Shown on your Computer, By double-clicking on Which You Can Access The Data Present In The Memory Card. Through The Card Reader, You Can Also Transfer Data From The Computer To The Memory Card, Or You Can Edit, Delete, Move, Etc.

On The Other Hand, Magnetic Stripe Card Reader Is Used To Read Payment Cards Like Debit Cards And Credit Cards. This Card Reader Gets All The Necessary Information About Your Bank Account By Reading A Black Magnetic Strip On The Back Of The Card, And When You Enter Your 4-digit PIN Code, The Transaction Is Successfully Completed.

Types of Card Readers

There Are Different Types Of Card Readers Available In The Market According To Their Functions. Here We Have Told You About The Three Main Types Of Card Readers, Which Are As Follows.

Smart Card Reader
Memory Card Reader
Access Control Card Reader

Let Us Now Understand About These Four One By One.

1) Smart Card Reader

A Smart Card Reader Is A Device That Is Used To Read Smart Cards, Such As Microprocessor Cards. This Card Is Made Of Plastic Which Has Chips Embedded In It, Which Are Read By The Smart Card Reader. Smart Cards Are Generally Used By Companies Or Organizations For Data Security.

2) Memory Card Reader

A Memory Card Reader Is A Device That Is Used To Access Data On Memory Cards Such As Compact Flash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), Multi Media Cards, Etc. Memory Card Reader Can Read And Write The Data Present In The Memory Card.

3) Access Control Card Reader

Access Control Card Reader Is Used To Read The Given Credential, It Checks It Against The Database Present Inside The Access Control Software. This Type Of Card Reader Is Mainly Used In Business. It Is Safe And Convenient.

An Access Control Card Reader May Be A Magnetic Strip Reader, Barcode Reader, Proximity Card Reader, Or Biometric Card Reader.

Barcode Reader: Barcode Reader Is Used To Read The Barcode Made In The Packet Of Any Item.
Biometric Card Reader: It Is Used To Read Fingerprint, Iris, Face For Identification. Generally, Fingerprints Are Used For Attendance In Offices.
Magnetic Stripe Card Reader: It Is Used To Read Magnetic Stripe Cards Like Debit Card, Credit Card, Transport Ticket Card Etc.
Proximity Card Reader: It Is Used For Door Entry In Big Buildings and companies Etc., It Reads The Card Through an Electromagnetic Field. When The Card Is Read The Card cardholder enters A PIN Code And Has The Correct Credentials And The Door Is Unlocked.

After Reading The Article Till Now, You Must Have Understood Well What A Card Reader Is, Let Us Now Know About The Advantages And Disadvantages Of A Card Reader.

Advantages of Card Reader

There Are Many Benefits Of Card Readers Such As :

You Can Access The Data Present In The Memory Card And Also Edit It.
Data Can Be Transferred Through a Card Reader.
The Reading Speed Of the Card Reader Is Very High Compared To Other Methods. So That The User's Time Is Saved.
Plug And Play Method Makes It More Convenient.
You Can Read Card Data Of Any Given Format Through Different Types Of Card Readers.
There Are Different Types Of Card Readers Available In The Market To Read Different Types Of Cards.
Using The Card Reader Is Quite Easy.
Magnetic Card Readers Make Online Payments More Secure.

Disadvantages of Card Reader

In Comparison To The Advantages Of Card Reader, There Are Very Few Disadvantages Of It, Some Of Its Disadvantages Are As Follows :

If You Physically Remove The Card Reader Without Ejecting It, Your Memory Card May Get Corrupted.
It Is A Small Device Which Is More Likely To Get Lost.

Learn More...

Conclusion

In This Article, We Learned What a Card Reader Is And How It Works. Along With This, We Have Also Provided You Information About The Types Of Card Readers And Their Advantages And Disadvantages. We Sincerely Hope That After Reading This Article You Would Have Understood The Card Reader Well.

If You Still Have Any Questions Related To the Card Reader, Then You Can Ask Us In The Comment Box, and We Will Try To Answer Your Questions As Soon As Possible. And If You Liked This Article And Learned Something From It, Then Share This Information On Social Media To Reach Other People Also.