Paxton Net2 and HID iCLASS readers
Yes, it works.
I’ve been using an iCLASS RK40. Specifically the 921NTNNEK0002K. That’s an almost-standard RK40 (921) with no 125kHz prox support (N), maximum 13.56MHz compatibility (T), Wiegand communication (N), pigtail wiring (N), hardware revision E (E), in black (K), supporting the standard v1 keyset – default HID keys including iCLASS and iCLASS SR (0).
The only change to the default 0000 build is that the keypad is in mode 09. It buffers one key and adds the compliment for an 8-bit message without parity – known as Dorado style.
Reader wiring #
These are nice easy readers to wire up with a sticker on the back. Assuming you have a pigtail model, you’ll want wire up as below.
| Pigtail | Terminal | Use | Controller |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | P1-4 +VDC | 12V DC power | Red – 12V dc |
| Orange | P1-2 GRN | Green LED | Green – green LED |
| Green | P2-3 DATA0/DATA | Wiegand D0 | Yellow – Data/D0 |
| White | P2-4 DATA1/CLK | Wiegand D1 | Blue – Clock/D1 |
| Black | P1-3 GND | 0V DC power | Black – 0V out |
If you want to use the built-in buzzer as your local ACU alarm, wire the yellow up to the alarm output on the controller. This doesn’t control the reader beeping on card read – that requires a configuration card from HID – but can be used if the door is forced or held open.
Net2 controllers don’t support reader tamper alarms but you could wire it up to another input using the violet wire.
Net2 configuration #
Assuming your ACU is already set up in Net2 server, the reader is easy to configure.
Custom Wiegand format #
You’ll usually need to create a custom Wiegand format in the Wiegand tab of Net2 server configuration utility.
How you configure the format is dependant on the cards you use. The only way I could configure the cards I’m using (a selection from different batches) is to set the length to 32 bits with a single rule of 24 ‘A’s. It’s not ideal as any 32 bit card with the same serial number as one of my users will be seen as that user, but it’s the best I can do at the moment.
Net2 server will need to restart after making that change. Reopen it and go to the door page. Under the reader 1 or 2 tab you’ll want to set…
Reader type: Wiegand reader
Keypad type: Paxton keypad
Token data format: Custom Wiegand
The keypad #
The default for iCLASS keypad readers is to buffer one key and send as a 4-bit message with no parity (mode 00). Net2 accepts this format.
My readers happened to have been programmed in mode 09 ‘Dorado’. This prepends the compliment to make an 8-bit message, which is less susceptible to errors.
Luckily Net2 supports this along with mode 11 (and mode 20, which seems to be the same) which buffers one key and adds parity to give a 6-bit message. This is Paxton’s recommended format.
If you wanted, you could use one of the 26-bit emulation modes on the reader instead. This would mean entered PINs appear as tokens in Net2. You’d need to reconfigure the custom Wiegand format and would lose the ability require a token and a PIN or code.
The advantage to using one of the supported modes is that the keypad works just as a Paxton keypad would. You can use PINs (assigned per user) and codes (assigned per door) either on their own or in combination with tokens.
Appearance and use #
You‘ll need to enable ‘Display reader LEDs in OEM style’ in Net2 server configuration utility. Otherwise the controller assumes the readers are Paxton models and the green LED will always be lit.
Enabling OEM style means the reader will display the LED colours it’s been programmed to. By default that’s:
- solid red when idle
- flash green on card read
- solid green on door unlock
- red/green flicker for a barred user
PINs and codes can be entered without needing to press #.