What is the difference between a smart card and a sim card?

Hello,

I'm looking for the difference between a smart card and a sim card. Indeed I've found a component to be interfaced with a smart card and I want to know if it also works for SIM card.

Thanks

Jeep

Reply to
Jeep
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A SIM card is a smartcard.

There are lots of different kinds of smartcards, some that are just 'memory', some that are actually 'microcontrollers' embedded into the smartcard, like the mobile SIM cards.

You'll have to be a whole lot more specific about what your trying to do.

Some 'smartcard readers' only operate on curtain memory cards, but most readers that work with the embedded mcu's can read the memory ones too. You should get a compatibility list with your 'device'.

Alex.

Reply to
Quack

In fact I want to use the TDA8029 chip from Philips which is specified as being a smart card reader to read SIM card with a GSM application system. Do you think that it will works ?

Reply to
Jeep

"Jeep" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

SIM= Secure Information Module. Probably just a specific type and format of "smart card" for cell phones.

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Jim Yanik
jyanik
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Reply to
Jim Yanik

Electronically the same thing.

It is just a smart card with most of the plastic removed so it can fit into a mobile phone.

Of course, the software has to act as per the protocol for a SIM.

Note that both items can work on a variety of voltages, and are obliged to work only at the proper voltage. Thus if meant to run at 3V0 it must survive but not respond at 5V. The smart card reader gradually decreases voltage until it get the right one.

Exactly so.

Reply to
Kryten

I'd check what voltage SIM cards use, I am guessing this will be lower than

5V because mobile phone batteries are less than this.

Then check that the TDA8029 can talk to the SIM card at this voltage.

Reply to
Kryten

As Kryten mentioned, a SIM card is electrically the same as a smart card.

You didn't mention what you wanted to do with the SIM card, but there are a few things to be aware of. Not all the information on a SIM card is accessible, and others are not changeable. For instance, the unique key identifying the card cannot be changed, and the network crypto keys cannot be read. And perhaps the most important thing is that you can permanently lock yourself out of your SIM card. I forget the exact details (its been several months since I did GSM SIM card development), but when attempting to gain higher access to the card (like to install applets) you have to enter in a PIN code. If you get this wrong (I think you have about 10 tries), then the card locks down to a point where you have to enter in a master key (I believe it is called the PUC). If you get that wrong 3 times, the card will refuse to function from then on. This is a security measure to prevent brute-force attacks.

For the work I was doing, we were using re-branded USB smartcard readers, so you shouldn't have any problem with the reader.

- Nathan

Reply to
Nathan Hunsperger

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