ACR122U vs ACR1552U — NFC Reader Comparison

The ACR122U and ACR1552U are both 13.56 MHz USB NFC readers from ACS that support ISO 14443 Type A/B, MIFARE and FeliCa cards over PC/SC. The main practical difference is standards coverage and performance: the ACR1552U additionally supports ISO/IEC 15693 vicinity cards and more NFC Forum tag types, reads at up to 848 kbps versus the ACR122U's 424 kbps, and has roughly 40% longer read range (up to 7 cm versus up to 50 mm). ACS has designated the ACR122U as end-of-life and it is no longer recommended for new deployments; the ACR1552U is its actively supported successor and the recommended choice for any new project. If you're still running ACR122U units in the field, they remain usable, but plan new purchases and rollouts around the ACR1552U.

One practical note for buyers: because the ACR122U is end-of-life, unofficial and counterfeit units have appeared in the market under the ACR122U name. Counterfeit readers can be inconsistent in performance and compatibility, and carry no manufacturer warranty or support. Buy from an authorized supplier like BSD InfoTech to get a genuine ACS reader with proper support.

The ACR122U is a PC-linked contactless smart card reader/writer built on 13.56 MHz RFID technology, compliant with ISO/IEC 18092 (NFC), PC/SC and CCID. It supports Mifare, ISO 14443 A/B and FeliCa cards and is widely used for access control, e-payment and e-ticketing.

The ACR1552U is a newer USB NFC reader from ACS that extends the same core capability with ISO/IEC 15693 vicinity-card support, a longer read range, higher read/write speed, and three NFC operating modes.

• The ACR1552U supports ISO/IEC 15693 vicinity cards; the ACR122U does not.
• The ACR1552U reads/writes at up to 848 kbps versus the ACR122U's 424 kbps.
• The ACR1552U has a longer read range (up to 7 cm vs. up to 50 mm).
• The ACR1552U supports keyboard-emulation NFC mode in addition to reader/writer and card-emulation modes.
• Both use PC/SC and CT-API, but ship with separate, reader-specific SDKs.

The ACR122U is end-of-life, so we don't recommend it for new purchases. It's still a reasonable choice only if you're maintaining or extending an existing ACR122U deployment and need to match hardware already in the field, or you have software built specifically against the ACR122U SDK and utilities that hasn't yet been ported. For anything new, use the ACR1552U instead.

Choose the ACR1552U for new deployments that need ISO 15693 vicinity-card support, a longer read range, higher throughput, or where you want the latest reader in the ACS lineup for a multi-year rollout.

Both readers support Windows, Linux, macOS/Mac and Android through PC/SC, so most PC/SC-based applications should work with either reader with minimal change. Card-type-specific logic (e.g., code that assumes only ISO 14443/MIFARE/FeliCa) will need updating to take advantage of the ACR1552U's added ISO 15693 support.

The ACR122U SDK ships with sample code in Java, Delphi, Visual Basic, Visual C++ and C#. The ACR1552U SDK is built around the CT-API library on top of PC/SC. Contact BSD InfoTech for ACR1552U SDK access and integration support.

For a brand-new rollout with no existing ACR122U installed base, the ACR1552U's broader standards support gives more headroom for future card types. For rollouts extending an existing ACR122U fleet, matching the existing reader keeps hardware and software consistent across sites.

Since the ACR122U is end-of-life, new deployments and expansions should standardize on the ACR1552U rather than sourcing more ACR122U units. If you're replacing ACR122U readers already in the field, verify that your existing application's card-handling logic and any ACR122U-specific utility calls are re-tested against the ACR1552U before a full swap, and stock a few units for parallel testing before a site-wide rollout. Contact BSD InfoTech for a migration plan and genuine ACR1552U supply.

BSD InfoTech supplies both the ACR122U and ACR1552U across India, including bulk and dealer orders. Use the enquiry form below, or on either product page, and specify quantity and which reader you need.