How to set up U-PROX SL, SE and BLE readers

Programming takes place from the U-PROX Config mobile application via Bluetooth.

The U-PROX Config app can be downloaded from the PlayMarket or AppStore, or by entering the QR code:

When connecting to the reader, Bluetooth and GPS (geolocation) must be enabled on the smartphone and the necessary permissions for the application must be granted.

If this is the first connection to the reader “from the factory” or the engineer code is unknown, then turn off the reader, twist the white and green wires (D1 and D0) together and they should be “in the air”, turn on the power, connect for configuration, set and save the “engineer code” for subsequent connections through it. Then you can mount the reader.

If you do not do this, you will receive the following notification when you try to connect:

“To access (reader parameters), short the green and white wires and overload the reader”

• (turn it off and apply power).

To connect to the reader, the combined green and white wires should be “hanging in the air” at this point.

Connecting to the reader using the example of “U-PROX SL maxi v2” (by engineer code):

After connecting to the reader, you will see the following window:

• SETUP
• TEMPLATE
• UPDATE FIRMWARE
• TO THE FACTORY SETTINGS

By selecting the “SETTINGS” menu, the following will be available:

The Device section contains:

• Serial number of the reader (GID)
• Current firmware version
• Availability () or absence of the Engineer Code

The Access section contains the following blocks:

The Reader block displays:

The “Reader” field specifies the types of identifiers that the reader will read:

• ASK – 125kHz, amplitude modulation, Em-Marin cards
• FSK – 125kHz, frequency modulation, HID Proxcard2 cards
• Mifare – 13.56MHz, cards such as Mifare Classic/Plus/DESfire/UltraLight/chipped bank cards
• Bluetooth – 2.5 GHz, U-PROX ID mobile identifier, connection and programming of the reader with U-Prox Config
• NFC – 13.56MHz, U-PROX ID mobile identifier, PayPass/PayWave reading (bank card PAN code or virtual bank card PAN code in Google Pay/Apple Pay application) if enabled in Mifare – Pay Card profiles
• TAG – 2.5 GHz (bluetooth), reads active bluetooth tags U-PROX TAG, U-PROX AutoTAG (when Bluetooth is enabled)
• Inner Range – 125kHz, single card format

The “Output interface” block displays:

A list of all output interfaces supported by the reader (this reader firmware);

• Wiegand (different bit rates)
• RS Interface – ITV RS232
• Touch Memory (different bit depths)

The Keyboard mode block displays:

The “Keyboard mode” field specifies the formats of the keyboard operation types:

Character-by-character transmission of code characters (the code of the pressed key is immediately transmitted to the receiving device)

• Wiegand 4 – 4 bits per character
• Wiegand 6 – 6 bits per character
• Wiegand 8 – 8 bits per character

Batch code transfer

• Wiegand 26 – transmitting the dialed 6 characters automatically, if less – then by pressing # ;
• Packet mode – transmission of the dialed packet – by pressing # , if more than 10 characters are dialed, the last 10 characters of the dialed packet will be transmitted.

If the code is typed but not transmitted, it can be reset with the * key to type it again.

If the code is typed, but # is not pressed, then after 5 seconds the typed code will be discarded and the memory buffer will be cleared.

The “Facility code” block displays:

“Facility code” is used for compatibility with older systems.

It works ONLY with the Wiegand 26 format.

Replaces the 3rd byte of the identifier with the number specified in the field – from 00 to FF (for 26-bit identifiers, this is the 1st byte).

Readers with Facility Code FF when connected to U-PROX IP400 will output the code ABCD123456 in the form – 0000FF3456, which in 26-bit representation will be as follows – FF3456.

Block “Encrypt Mobile ID (BLE)”:

If any code is specified in this field, the reader will work with the so-called “encrypted” U-PROX ID mobile identifiers.

U-PROX ID will not respond to regular “permanent/network” mobile identifiers.

This may be required to build closed access networks using U-PROX ID mobile identifiers.

The “Mifare profiles” block displays:

This menu contains 5 profiles that can be used to configure the reading of Mifare Classic/Plus/DESfire personalized identifiers, as well as to enable the PAN-code reading mode of chipped bank cards and PayPass/PayWave (virtual PAN-code of bank cards from Apple Pay and Google Pay) – Pay Card mode.

For Mifare Classic, there are standard personalization settings “SL1 6 bytes” and an additional option “SL1 diversification” (using an ID code and an encryption key according to a specific algorithm for additional protection);

For Mifare Plus, there are standard personalization settings “SL3 16 bytes” and an additional option “SL3 diversification” (using an ID code and an encryption key according to a specific algorithm for additional protection);

The compatibility of Mifare Classic encryptions for older (still WITHOUT BLE) U-PROX mini MF readers and modern SL/SE readers is an additional option “SL1 diversification”.

The personalization (encryption) of Mifare Classic/Plus/DESfire identifiers is a separate, considerable text.

The Advanced settings section contains the following:

The “Code buffer inversion” block:

Enables the general inversion of the code read by the reader. If the normal code (for 5-byte code) is 1b2b3b4b5b, the inverse code will be 5b4b3b2b1b, for 26-bit format – 00001b2b3b, the inverse code will be 00003b2b1b, for 64-bit format – 1b2b3b4b5b6b7b8b, the inverse code will be 8b7b6b5b4b3b2b1b.

The “align card code” block:

For identifiers whose code is less than the set output interface of the reader, the complementary zeros to the bit depth of the output interface will be on the left or right of the code.

For example, the 4-byte identifier code of Mifare Classic and Wiegand 42:

• “On the right edge” (as usual) – will be 001b2b3b4b
• “On the left edge” will be 1b2b3b4b00

FSK Card Format block:

Applies only to reading HID identifiers.

Sets the reading mode to “With information bits” or “Without information bits”.

Wiegand pulse duration block:

Sets the settings for the total duration of the read ID code transmission in the Wiegand interface, the list is 50-250 µs, 100 µs by default.

Block “Allow Mifare zero cards”:

Allows the ability to read recorded “blanks” under Mifare Classic identifiers.

The Card reading templates block displays:

This menu contains a list of templates for reading Mifare cards:

U-PROX standard – the standard version of reading Mifare identifiers with U-PROX readers

U-PROX standard reverse – call to the standard variant of reading U-PROX standard

U-PROX direct – direct reading of Mifare identifiers as is

U-PROX reverse all – call to direct variant of reading U-PROX direct

U-PROX reverse 4 – reversible only for 4-byte codes for the U-PROX direct variant

U-PROX reverse 7 – reversible only for 7-byte codes for the U-PROX direct variant

The Indication section contains the following:

The “While waiting” block:

Allows you to configure the basic reader logic for red, green, and sound indication. It is valid only for Wiegand and Touch Memory output interfaces.

Possible options:

• Outside – control is performed via GND of the respective reader’s indication pin;
  • Inversion – the opposite of “Outside”, indication is available as long as there is no GND of the respective reader’s indication pin;
  • Always – regardless of the state of the respective reader’s indication pin, indication is enabled
  • Off – regardless of the state of the respective signal wire of the reader, the indication is switched off

Block “While reading a card”:

Allows you to customize the display when reading the ID. The default setting is the sound when the ID is read.

The “Display duration” block:

Allows you to set the display duration from 20 to 400 ms when reading the ID.

The Mobile ID section contains the following:

Point of Passage Block:

Allows you to configure the reader’s operating modes in the Bluetooth channel for reading mobile identifiers:

• “Door” – basic mode – average reading range of 0.5 m;
• “Proximity Door” – Bluetooth is disabled as a basic feature, switched on by a sensor (magnetic/optical) – reading distance up to 0.2m (20cm);
• “Gate | Barrier” – mode with Bluetooth reading range setting, set manually, reading range 1m – 15m;

The “Features” block:

It becomes active only when the “Gate | Barrier” mode is selected, and has one resolution – whether the “By screen light” option of the U-PROX ID app will work in this mode or not.

The “Work from a distance” block:

It becomes active only when the “Gate | Barrier” mode is selected, and allows you to set the range (empirically, the slider is larger or smaller) for the U-PROX ID or U-PROX TAG / U-PROX Auto TAG application key.

Block “Joint operation of readers”:

Baseline is set – Right.

If the identifier is included in the sensitivity field of several readers, and the specified feature is enabled on all of them, then the readers exchange information about the signal strength, and the one with the stronger signal will read the identifier, which means that the identifier is closer to it.

Refers to the operation of the key in the U-PROX ID or U-PROX TAG / U-PROX Auto TAG application.

The “Template” menu will be available:

Settings templates:

• are compatible only on devices of the same type and of the same generation (v.2.xx or v.30.xx):
• firmware for SL mini V2 versions 30.xx and 2.xx have incompatible templates;
• templates from U-Prox Desktop are not compatible with other readers.

Templates can be transferred between SL mini/mini V2, SL maxi, SL keypad, SL steel versions 2.xx – possible.

Templates can be transferred between SL mini/mini V2, SL maxi/maxi V2, SL keypad/keypad V2, SL steel versions 30.xx – possible. Templates can be transferred between SE mini, SE slim, SE maxi, SE keypad, SE steel versions 30.xx.

The “Save template” menu:

Allows you to save the current reader settings, but this does NOT apply to the encryption key in Mifare profiles.

A template with saved encryption keys in Mifare profiles can ONLY be saved in the same connection session when these encryption keys were entered in the Mifare profile, and the configurator will automatically offer to save this template when saving the configuration to the reader. If you save the settings template in a new connection, the Mifare encryption keys will NOT be read there.

Templates have default names – according to the internal type of the reader and the last 6 characters of its GID number, but the user can set their own name and specify which directory to save to.

On Apple products, and 15 Android products (where they did the same thing as Apple – the file system is not accessible to the application), the file is saved to the application’s internal “storage”.

Restore template menu:

Allows you to restore the reader settings from a previously saved template or a template from another reader and overwrite the current reader settings.

To restore data with Mifare profile encryption keys, there MUST be a template with saved Mifare profile encryption keys that was saved in the same connection session when these Mifare profile encryption keys were added.

Manage templates menu:

It applies to Apple products and 15 Android products (where they did the same as Apple – the file system is not available for the application) – and only their internal “storage” is available, where the templates are located.

Allows actions with template files.

On lower versions of Android, this menu is meaningless. And there (lower versions of Android) you can manage templates from any file manager, as well as save templates to different directories.

Select the “Update firmware” menu:

The user will be prompted to choose whether to update the reader firmware from the cloud or from the local storage on the smartphone.

The first option allows only updating to the current version of the reader firmware, while the second option allows downloading both updated and older firmware versions (from those supported by this reader model).

If you try to load inappropriate firmware into the reader, such actions will be ignored and the user will be informed that such firmware is “unsupported”.

By selecting the “Factory Reset” menu:

You will receive a backup alert:

“Do you want to set the default settings?” – “BACK” and “YES”

And after the affirmative selection, the settings will be returned to the factory settings. The engineer code will also be deleted. And for a new connection, you will need to perform the standard procedure “Setting/Reinstalling the engineer code” (see the description at the beginning of this document).