xSIID vs NExT and xLED vs White Bundle?

Hi guys!
New member here. Looking for some advice on what chip to get once that juicy tax return comes in.
So basically my two requirements for the setup must be:
1.) at least 13.56 MHz NFC capable, to share contact info or a link to a phone
2.) Freakin GLOW (because I want it to, damnit, even if it’s childish)

Ideally if I’m going to be dropping any money I’d like to have the capability to expand as my understanding of this programming grows, which is why I’m thinking of getting the White bundle (added scanners and whatnot).

However-- I have an iphone, and I’m a mac person, sadly… depending on how this goes I might switch to android because I’m tired of Apple’s shit but still-- this would defeat the purpose of having the Spark 2 in the white bundle, right? Not even programmable…?

So that narrows it down to the xSIID or the NExT coupled with the xLED, basically. My eventual goal is to be able to unlock the doors at my university, which use some version of HID scanners and what I think are Prox cards, although frustratingly enough (as I’m a locksmith student aide for the school) I have not been able to determine what encryption they use or even the scanner frequency. Not trying to push too hard on that subject and cause scrutiny, as I have full campus access currently.

Lastly, my concern with the xSIID is that the colors I’d be able to afford-- blue and red-- will not be very bright. This kind of defeats the purpose for me as I could just sacrifice storage and get the NExT and xLED for cheaper, but retail space needs to be considered. Does anyone have pics of how bright their blue or red xSIID chips are? I was thinking in between my middle and ring finger or ring and pinkie to save space in the typical thumb-index finger region in case I expand. Also think the skin might be thinner there or something so it could be easier seen, and anatomical positioning of the hand for phone-tapping might be easier, but I’m nervous about hitting those big ol’ veins I see in the medical diagrams I looked at.

This is a whale of a post so any help or guidance is much appreciated.

Thank you!

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Hey mate, sorry I have got some shit to do otherwise I would answer you directly, In the mean time, it sounds like you are in a similar situation to @Steven1727

Have a look at his post in the interim whilst you wait for some more answers

back

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No worries, actually was just scrolling through it! Thanks!

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i have the blue xSIID and it’s very bright! also i definitely recommend it, especially since it’s one injection vs. two.

here it is being scanned in my fully lit, curtains-open room.

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What a coincidence, I read the thread you started a few weeks (months?) back that actually got me interested in the xSIID and confirm that this whole chip thing is a thing I wanted to do! Thanks so much for sharing the pic!

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oh hey that’s awesome!! my very first post here came before the xSIID was even released, and it ended up being exactly what i was looking for.

btw, i see you talking about using the LF for your school’s locks, which i would have used mine for as well (had i gotten the NExT) but there’s no guarantee that the system is completely compatible with the chip :^(

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I’m back…and here we go

Easy,
Get a NExT for the contact info
Blinky you are not the first and won’t be the last to want it for the same reason
You currently have 3 Options with colour choices ontop
xSIID
xLED - HF
xLED - LF
OR
Just get an xSIID but not really, I will explain why below

From reading your post, I think this is a choice, but you still have options

Yeah, I fuckin’ hate apple :skull: :apple:, BUT I think there is an apple app in the works ( Now they are playing better in the NFC world), but I have no idea on the timeframe of this

Not quite correct, ofcourse you can’t change the UID regardless, but to set it up you could borrow an Android to do your setup and then set and forget until the Apple app arrives ( or buy cheap compatible android)

The xSIID is awesome, but I am not into the blinky, or I would have one. Great storage ( half accessible but a fix is coming )
The bonus of the xSIID is the storage and the NFC - NDEF / ISO14443A access possibilities.
I theory you could do what you want with just the xSIID, except the university access.
SO, you could get just an xEM and xSIID BUUUUTTTT I would recommend the NExT over the xEM

This is why the NExT is a good choice for you, There is a Better than average chance, if you are correct about the system, the NExT - (LF xEM) will work for you, if not it will still have some use, and the (HF xNT) you will still use.
I am assuming you are in the USA, A NExT in your order gets you free postage :+1:

Don’t be concerned, as I said, I personally don’t have one ( Maybe because I keep advising people to, and to give myself some credibility I just should :thinking: ) But others on here have shown how bright they are
You have seen @adiev
Here is @ElwinRansom Blue
Half Blue
and @Devilclarke s Fist bump green ( kinda where you suggested )
image

That is an option, you would still need to decide on HF or LF ie. Blinky with your phone or blinky when you access university doors

See above, @Devilclarke placement.
Great place to keep Thenar space free plus also a good place to backhand or fist bump things open…

I think I covered most of it, let me / us know if you need clarification on anything

:alien:

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This is awesome, thanks so much!! Given your comments and the assurances of @adiev I will start with the blue xSIID and then whenever I can afford it next/ am back to school (possibly as late as February at this point, darn virus) I’ll get the NExT and maybe some programming tools later.
Rethinking the placement-- since I’m only doing 2 chips with completely different objectives, I’ll probably just do the xSIID in the left hand usual thumb region and then the NExT in the right hand thumb region, as all of the locks are on the right side of the doors. I’m kind of squeamish with the idea of doing “minor surgery” (eye roll) on myself especially when I look at the veins on the back of my hand right now; seems like they’d be really tough to miss and still place it in a place where migration won’t be an issue. I’m assuming a scalpel is necessary to remove and nicking the vein with that would probably cause a bit of bleeding? To minimize chances I’ll probably stick to the thumb-forefinger area :sweat_smile:

This puts a lot of questions to rest, thanks again!!

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Wait… could I program the HF part of the NExT for phone contact sharing or whatever, and then LF for the doors? Or is that not how it works…?

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gonna just answer for @Pilgrimsmaster here–

you can! the LF end can be kinda tricky to program (i haven’t done it myself so this is just from other people on here) and can be done in several ways. you could register the chip itself to your school’s system (if they allow it) or use a device like the Proxmark and change your chip to fit the system (like if you already have a card, you could possibly clone it)

the HF side can be changed at will with a compatible phone, whenever i wanna change my xSIID i can do so with an app like Tagwriter in a matter of minutes.

i’m rambling, sorry. basically yes, the NExT is basically two completely separate chips in one capsule, and are programmed and read in completely different ways. the only time that might conflict would be with a dual-frequency reader, but with a system like your school’s that sounds unlikely to be a thing.

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Perfect!! Maybe if I can get the placement right, I’ll do the NExT and xLED in the same region on one hand, but buy the NExT first and let that heal then do the xLED later once the first chip has set. Or maybe vice versa since the xLED is only $45 shipped and that’s exactly how much money I have left? Idk. Still worried about migration, so I’ll draw some lines on my hand that are the length of each and play with it.

I’m assuming there will be enough storage to do both card access and phone contact HF stuff? They key card cloning for LF is simply a hex key, right?

How I envy those blinkys. My xLED is not nearly as bright as either of those. It also barely lights up.
I am glad I didn’t put it in my hand to take up spaces for other things.

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OR get the bundle with NExT WITH free Shipping…

If you have access to a 3D printer, there are some files here to do just that

There are different opinions on this, some as you suggest, some doing them all in the same sitting ( That is MY preference) one period of healing rather than dragged out, but I also get the logic the other way )

Putting it simply, (Trying to answer in a simple but non-condescending manor)
if we take your NExT for example it has two chips.
HIGH FREQUENCY
13.56MHz HF that uses NFC protocol to talk to and write NDEF records ( your business card details ) which is stored on the onboard memory 888 bytes. The chip has a 7 byte UID which it uses to an enrolled access system. This UID you cannot change.

LOW FREQUENCY
125kHz LF that has and uses a changable UID also changeable modes, EM/HID/Indala etc but doesn’t store data like the HF chip above

You can enroll your LF chip into compatible readers, if you can’t enroll it, you can clone the original card / fob with a suitable reader / writer ( proxmark / blue cloner ).

Does that answer your question?

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yes, perfect, thank you!

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Is the xLED HF out of stock? If so will it be coming back? Not pleased with the read range of my spark2 and was going to stick one of these next to it so the read range would improve a little.