Are you missing out on the advantages of OSDP over Wiegand?

Are you missing out on the advantages of OSDP over Wiegand?

In an era where physical security is evolving rapidly, it’s surprising how many organizations still rely on the outdated Wiegand protocol.

Let’s break it down:
❌ Wiegand: The Legacy Limitation
Unencrypted: Vulnerable to credential sniffing and spoofing.
One-Way Communication: No ability for the reader to talk back to the controller.
Limited Scalability: Fixed wiring lengths and device limitations.
No Supervision: A cut wire or tampered device can go unnoticed.

✅ OSDP: The Modern Standard
Bi-Directional Communication: Enables encrypted data exchange, reader status monitoring, and remote configuration.
Strong AES-128 Encryption: Critical in today’s cybersecurity-aware world.
Multi-Drop Capable: Multiple readers can be daisy-chained to a single panel, reducing wiring costs.
Tamper Detection & Supervision: Get alerts for device interference or failure in real time.

Why This Matters for Mercury-Based Systems
If you’re using Mercury panels within platforms like LenelS2 OnGuard or Genetec Security Center, you already have the backbone that supports OSDP, you just need to enable and adopt it. Merc’s open architecture makes it easy to switch from Wiegand to OSDP-compatible readers, improving your security posture significantly.
This is a high-impact, low-cost upgrade for integrators and end users alike.

So Why Are So Many Stuck on Wiegand?
Lack of awareness
Legacy infrastructure inertia
Misconceptions about upgrade complexity
But the truth is: Enabling OSDP is often just a firmware update and wiring adjustment away. Stop locking your front door while the window is wide open.

Disclaimer – This post has only been shared for an educational and knowledge-sharing purpose related to Technologies. Information was obtained from the source above source. All rights and credits are reserved for the respective owner(s).

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Source: LinkedIn

Credits: Mr. Stanley Mwanzia Mutiso