Armatura EP20CQ [RNI] Outdoor Card, Mobile and QR Code Reader, IP68

Overview

The Armatura EP20CQ [RNI] is a wall reader for an access control panel. It opens a door with an access card or tag, a phone or a QR code, and because it is sealed to IP68 it suits outdoor gates and entrances as well as indoor doors at offices, apartment buildings and shops. The reader itself does not decide who may enter: it passes the credential to the panel or standalone controller it is wired to. This version is supplied with the [RNI] card module.

Is it right for you?

• Suits doors and gates exposed to rain and dust: the housing is rated IP68 and the reader works from -30 to 70 °C.
• Suits a building that already has, or is getting, an access control panel with Wiegand or OSDP reader ports. It is a reader, not a standalone door controller.
• Suits entrances where visitors arrive with a QR code pass, such as office receptions and residential gates. If you also want PIN entry, the EP20CKQ adds a touch keypad.
• Suits new installations that want OSDP with a secure channel, and also older panels that only accept Wiegand.
• If staff should use a fingerprint as well as a card, the Armatura EP30CF is the fingerprint reader in the same family.

Key features

• Reads 125 kHz and 13.56 MHz cards (ISO 14443 A and B, ISO 15693) at up to 60 mm, so one reader covers both common card families.
• Bluetooth 5.2 mobile credentials at up to 10 m, with the distance configurable on each reader, so a phone can open a gate from a car or only at arm’s length.
• Area-image QR scanner (648 × 488 pixel array) with a 66° horizontal and 50° vertical scan angle, reading QR, PDF417, Data Matrix, MicroPDF417 and Aztec codes as well as common 1D barcodes.
• Wiegand or Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) v2.2 over RS-485 with an up to 128-bit secure channel (SCP), AES128 encryption between reader and controller, and credential data held in an EAL6+ certified crypto chip.
• Magnetic tamper detection with a tamper alarm, so the panel is told if the reader is pulled off the wall.
• RGB LEDs and a buzzer with adjustable intensity, both set from the Armatura Connect app, and firmware updates through the app or the panel.
• Polycarbonate UL94-V0 housing, 89.8 mm wide and 107.8 mm high, mounting on an Asian, European or single-gang box or a flat surface.

What else you need

• An access control panel or standalone controller with a Wiegand or OSDP (RS-485) reader port.
• A 9 to 24 V DC supply giving at least 2.4 W per reader above 0 °C. Below 0 °C the reader needs 8 W and a separate supply.
• Cable from the reader to the panel: an RS-485 pair for OSDP, or Wiegand wiring for older panels.
• Cards or tags at 125 kHz or 13.56 MHz that match the [RNI] card module, or phones with Bluetooth for mobile credentials.
• Only if you use QR codes, you also need a way to issue them, such as a visitor system or software that produces QR passes for the panel.

Installation

An access control installer should fit it. The reader mounts on an Asian, European or single-gang back box, or on a flat surface, and is wired back to the panel over RS-485 (OSDP) or Wiegand. The installer then sets the LED colours and buzzer level in the Armatura Connect app, checks the tamper alarm at the panel and, for Bluetooth, sets the read distance for the door.

Software and licences

The Armatura Connect mobile app configures the LEDs and buzzer and can update the firmware; the panel can also push firmware. Access rights, schedules and user records live in the panel and its management software, not in the reader. No licence is stated for the reader itself.

Before you buy

• The code in the model name, here [RNI], is the card module fitted. It sets which card technologies the reader accepts, so check it against the cards or tags you already use, or tell us your card technology when you order.
• Read distances depend on the environment and the card or phone, so the 60 mm and 10 m figures are maximums, not guarantees.
• For installations that can fall below 0 °C, plan the 8 W supply from the start.
• This model has no keypad. Choose the EP20CKQ if you want PIN entry as well.