HID Card Readers: Signo and iCLASS SE Models, Credentials, Wiring and LED Behavior

Identify

Which HID reader do I have?

Start with the width and the keypad. Narrow Signo readers, 45 mm wide, suit a mullion (the narrow upright of a door frame) or any flat surface; 80 mm wide ones cover a single gang switch box. Each size comes without a keypad (the Signo 20 and 40) or with one (the 20K, 40K and 40T).

The Signo Biometric Reader 25B is a mullion-size fingerprint reader. The older iCLASS SE and multiCLASS SE readers come in four families, from mini-mullion to wallswitch keypad.

This page leaves out other HID readers, including the Signo Express and Signo Décor Reader 30.

For card and fob technologies on any brand, see prox cards vs. smart cards.

Source HID's Signo data sheet, 25B data sheet and 25B user guide, its Reader Platforms comparison chart, its September 2024 iCLASS SE and multiCLASS SE availability notice, and its Signo product pages.

Life cycle

Is an older iCLASS SE reader still sold?

HID's life cycle page lists the Rev E versions of the four iCLASS SE and multiCLASS SE families here as End of Sales Extension: last time buy June 30, 2025, end of life (EOL) Dec 31, 2025. Both dates are before November 10, 2026, and the page still lists that status.

The page's listed exceptions: the "W" option is General Availability, and select models are available while supplies last. It names the Signo 20, 20K, 40 and 40K as the migration path and says all future dates are subject to change.

Source HID's Readers and Encoders Product Support Life Cycle page and its September 2024 notice on iCLASS SE and multiCLASS SE reader availability.

Credentials

What cards, fobs and phones does it read?

The cards and fobs these readers use come in two kinds: 13.56 MHz smart cards such as Seos, iCLASS and MIFARE, and older 125 kHz proximity (prox) cards. HID's Signo data sheet lists the same cards for the Signo 20, 20K, 40, 40K and 40T, and the comparison chart says 125 kHz support is available in all Standard Profile Signo readers.

HID's lists differ on one prox card: the Signo data sheet names AWID, and the Signo product pages name Dorado instead. The table gives both.

For phones, Signo readers are mobile-ready by default, including Apple's Enhanced Contactless Polling (ECP) for credentials in Apple Wallet, and work with HID Mobile Access 3.0.0 and later on phones with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.2 and later.

Source HID's Signo data sheet, Signo installation guide and Signo product pages, the 25B data sheet and product page, and the Reader Platforms comparison chart.

Range and weather

How close does the card need to be, and can it go outdoors?

Signo card readers have a typical read range of 1.6 to 4 in (4 to 10 cm) for single technology cards at both frequencies. HID calls that a statistical mean for ID-1 (standard card size) or clamshell credentials, tested in open air.

Form factor, technology and environmental conditions, including a metallic mounting surface, can degrade read range, and plastic spacers are recommended on metallic surfaces.

For outdoor doors, HID's Signo data sheet lists the same five readers as "UL294 Outdoor and Indoor rated, IP65" (UL 294 is the access control equipment standard; IP65 is a dust and water rating). The older iCLASS SE readers are IP55 on HID's chart, and their guide recommends an IP65 mounting gasket outdoors.

HID's Signo data sheet and installation guide give different operating temperature ranges; the table shows both.

Source HID's Signo data sheet and installation guide, the Reader Platforms comparison chart, the iCLASS SE / multiCLASS SE installation guide, and the 25B data sheet and user guide.

Lights and beeps

Why does it beep or light up?

HID's installation guides describe a beep and a flash as what the reader does at power-up and when tested with a card. The table gives each guide's words.

Lights and sounds can also be configured, through HID Reader Manager or the reader's audio visual and keypad settings. The guides describe no other light or beep patterns. For a reader that isn't responding at all, see apartment key fob not working for the general checks.

Source HID's Signo and iCLASS SE / multiCLASS SE installation guides, the Signo data sheet, and HID's Reader Manager product page.

Connection

What connects it to the access system?

A reader sends each card read to the access control panel. Signo readers use Wiegand, Clock-and-Data or OSDP (Open Supervised Device Protocol) over RS-485 half duplex, with out-of-the-box OSDP support for secure bidirectional communication and "Native OSDP secure channel capability". They connect through an 18 in (0.5 m) pigtail, a short cable tail, or a terminal strip; the 40T is orderable only with the terminal strip. See the glossary entries for Wiegand and OSDP.

For the installer, the Signo guide says wiring the reader incorrectly may permanently damage it.

iCLASS SE and multiCLASS SE readers have Wiegand and Clock & Data built into the base hardware; OSDP needs a hardware module.

The 25B connects by Ethernet (10/100), Wiegand or OSDP over RS485 through a pigtail.

Source HID's Signo data sheet and installation guide, the Reader Platforms comparison chart, and the 25B data sheet.

Power

How is it powered?

The Signo 20 and 40 and their keypad versions run on 12V DC, with a tolerance of +20% / -20% of rated voltage input. The older readers accept 5 or 5.5 VDC up to 16 VDC (12 VDC for RS-485). The table gives each reader's voltage and current.

Standby average is the RMS current draw without a card in the reader's RF field; maximum average is the draw during continuous card reads.

The Signo installation guide and data sheet differ on standby current for the 20K and 40 and on the 20K's maximum; the table shows both.

On the older readers, protocols other than Wiegand or Clock & Data, and credential interfaces over BLE, need an additional hardware module that increases current by 40 mA (BLE is not applicable for 9xxL models).

Both installation guides say to connect only to a Listed Access Control / Burglary power-limited power supply, and that the readers are intended to be used with listed (UL294) control equipment.

Source HID's Signo data sheet and installation guide, the iCLASS SE / multiCLASS SE installation guide, and the 25B data sheet.

Tamper and configuration

What does the tamper switch do, and how is the reader configured?

A tamper switch reports when someone takes the reader off the wall. On Signo readers it is enabled by default and activated when the mounting plate is removed: normally closed, it changes to open circuit between the Tamper 1 and Tamper 2 control lines.

HID's two Signo documents rate that output differently: 0 to 12 VDC at 100 mA in the installation guide, and "Tamper Relay 0-60V DC @ 100mA Max (Dry Contact)" in the data sheet.

The security statements are HID's own. The Signo data sheet lists "EAL5+ Certified Secure Element Hardware" (EAL is short for evaluation assurance level), "Multi-Layered security to ensure data authenticity and privacy" and "Trusted secure authentication using the SIO data model". HID's 2020 comparison chart prints the Signo rating as EAL 5+ with "evaluation pending", and the iCLASS SE / multiCLASS SE rating as EAL 5+.

HID Reader Manager manages Signo and iCLASS SE readers in the field from a mobile device via Bluetooth: firmware, HID Elite and mobile keys, credential technologies, LED colors and Intelligent Power Management. It works with Signo readers, Bluetooth capable iCLASS SE and multiCLASS SE readers and iCLASS SE Express readers, not the 25B, which uses HID Biometric Manager.

Source HID's Signo installation guide and data sheet, the Reader Platforms comparison chart, and HID's Reader Manager product page.

FAQ

HID card reader questions

Service for HID readers in the Bay Area

Elwin Security installs, repairs and supports HID card readers as part of card reader and key fob access control for commercial and multifamily properties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Calls are answered 8:00 AM-8:00 PM daily at (408) 539-0535.