Smart Card Reader vs USB Card Reader

While USB card readers are quite common, it seems that everywhere you look you will find a smart card reader. The differences between the two types of card reader can be confusing. Additionally, the various advantages and disadvantages that the two devices provide can be complex. While there is some overlap between the purpose of a smart card reader and a memory card reader, the truth is that they are quite different. What follows should give you a good overview of the various differences between a smart card reader and a USB memory card reader.

Type of Interface

Smart card readers and USB card readers function in very different ways.

A USB card reader plugs into a USB port on a computer. The USB card reader has a space where a memory card can be inserted into it. If a memory card is inserted, the reader can read and write data onto the card. Memory cards, despite their small size, can hold a great deal of information, and because of this they are a great way to transfer data between computers that are not networked. The smallest memory cards are about the size of your fingernail, but they can hold gigabytes of data despite their size. This makes memory cards capable of handling even very large sound and video files easily, making working on a particular file on multiple computers as simple as plugging in your card.

There are many devices that function in a similar way to USB card readers, but instead are simply a storage device that plugs directly into a USB port.

Smart card readers, on the other hand, read a small amount of data from a card that is swiped past them once. Many smart card readers do not While smart card readers are powerful, they do not have the memory capacity that memory cards do. Because of this, smart cards are used in a very different way than memory cards are.

Different Purposes

Because of the different ways that smart card readers and USB card readers function, they are used for very different specialized jobs.

Smart cards are used in a variety of situations, but in general they have one main purpose—to identify a person accurately. Smart cards are very secure, because they are difficult to take apart, and use strong encryption to keep their data safe. Because of this, many security systems, credit cards, electronic locks, and ID cards involve smart card technology to do their jobs.

In contrast, USB cards are used primarily to transfer data between computers. While they can be used for data storage, the fact is that  they are neither a cost effective, time effective, or effort effective way to do this. Secondary hard drives are more convenient and powerful than memory cards. However, secondary hard drives are more difficult to transfer and move than memory cards, which are small enough to be held on a keychain. Because even the fastest internet connections will have trouble transferring the amounts of data that memory cards can, even under the best conditions, memory cards are a great way to transfer data.