Almost every question we get starts the same way: "how much to copy my fob?" The honest answer is that it depends entirely on what is inside the plastic, and the plastic tells you almost nothing.
Two radio bands, very different prices
Access credentials in the GTA fall into two groups.
Low frequency, 125 kHz. This is the old, dependable technology behind HID Prox, Kantech ioProx, CDVI TAG, ICT LF, AWID, Keri and the unbranded EM4100 fobs. It stores a simple number and transmits it whenever a reader energises it. There is no encryption to speak of. That is why a copy is $20 and takes under five minutes.
High frequency, 13.56 MHz. Newer buildings use MIFARE, DESFire, iCLASS and SEOS credentials. These are proper smart cards with memory, sectors and, in the encrypted variants, AES keys. A MIFARE Classic copy is $35, iCLASS is $39–$45, and DESFire starts at $99 because of the equipment and time involved.
Clues you can check yourself
You cannot see the antenna, but you can narrow it down.
- Shape and size. A thick, rigid teardrop fob with a metal keyring grommet is very often 125 kHz. Thin credit-card-style credentials skew high frequency.
- Printed part numbers. Look for 1326, 1346 or 1386 (HID Prox), P20DYE (Kantech ioProx), or any mention of iCLASS, SEOS, MIFARE or DESFire.
- Building age. Towers built before roughly 2010 are overwhelmingly 125 kHz. Buildings from the last decade lean MIFARE or DESFire.
- The reader itself. A reader that also accepts phone taps is high frequency by definition.
What your phone can and cannot tell you
This surprises people. Your iPhone or Android has an NFC radio, but it only operates at 13.56 MHz. It has no 125 kHz antenna, so it physically cannot detect an HID Prox or ioProx fob — the most common credentials in the city. If an app tells you your prox fob is "not supported", that is why.
For high-frequency fobs a phone can at least confirm the family. For everything else, a photo is the fastest route: send one through our Fob Checker and we will tell you the technology and the price before you travel.
The only definitive answer
A reader. We do it free, it takes seconds, and you get the exact price before any work starts. If it turns out we cannot copy your credential, you pay nothing.