The pivCLASS® solutions portfolio includes a broad selection of contactless, contact and contactless, and biometric readers. These readers are designed to work with the pivCLASS Authentication Module (PAM) to meet the assurance level requirements defined in the NIST Special Publication 800-116 and in the federal government's ICAM E-PACS document. The pivCLASS readers can be deployed in either "Wiegand" mode PAM mode. Wiegand mode is for use without a PAM. While this mode does not provide any strong authentication at the door it does provide a phased deployment capability to support transition to FIPS 201 compliance. Conversion from Wiegand mode to PAM mode can be done in the field by reconfiguring the reader firmware. Up to two pivCLASS readers can connect to a PAM via four-wire RS-485 connections, typically enabling facilities to re-use much of their existing wiring.
