PIN vs NFC, iButton and BLE for Fleet Driver ID
Updated: 3 hours ago
We supply driver identification keypads to fleet and telematics projects worldwide, and the question we get asked most is which method to use: a PIN keypad, RFID card, iButton fob or Bluetooth tag. This guide answers it with our actual part numbers, specifications and prices — not generic advice.
The short answer
For most UK fleets a PIN keypad is the best starting point, because there is no card or fob to lose, forget or hand to a colleague. Below is which of our six models fits which situation.
Best overall — EC-19521. 10-digit PIN, 1-Wire, 55 × 44 × 23 mm. The default choice for van and car fleets.
Best for tight cabs — TC-261048. 5-digit PIN, 1-Wire, 28 × 48 × 13 mm. The smallest unit we make.
Best weatherproof — DC-51145. 10-digit PIN, IP65, 73 × 46 × 17 mm. For exposed cab positions.
Best rugged — STL-1307. 14-digit PIN, IP68 resin filled, 122 × 50 × 21 mm. Trucks, plant, external mounting, pressure washing.
Best if you want cards too — GC-2673. 14-digit PIN plus a 13.56 MHz NFC reader, IP68. Emulates a DS1990A iButton, so the tracker treats an NFC tap exactly like a fob.
Best wireless — NN-21382. Bluetooth 4.0, 14-digit PIN, 10 m range. No data cable, which makes driver ID possible on trackers with no 1-Wire pin such as the Teltonika FMB920.
Compare our six models
EC-19521 — 1-Wire · up to 10 digits (0–9 then *) · 8–36 V DC · <5 mA · 55 × 44 × 23 mm · −20 to 70 °C · 150 cm cable · Teltonika, Ruptela, Queclink, Digital Matter
DC-51145 — 1-Wire · up to 10 digits · IP65 · 8–36 V DC · <5 mA · 73 × 46 × 17 mm · −20 to 70 °C · 150 cm cable
TC-261048 — 1-Wire · up to 5 digits (1–5 then *) · 8–36 V DC · <5 mA · 28 × 48 × 13 mm · −20 to 70 °C · 150 cm cable
STL-1307 — 1-Wire · up to 14 digits (0–9 then #) · IP68 resin filled · 8–36 V DC · <5 mA · 122 × 50 × 21 mm · −20 to 70 °C
GC-2673 — 1-Wire + NFC 13.56 MHz (ISO/IEC 14443 A/B) · up to 14 digits (then #) · IP68 · 6–32 V DC · read distance up to 5 cm · 122 × 50 mm
NN-21382 — Bluetooth 4.0 · up to 14 digits · 8–36 V DC · <5 mA · 10 m range · reverse-polarity protected
All wired models take power from the vehicle supply rather than the tracker's 1-Wire power pin. That matters: it means they also work on units that have no 1-Wire power pin, such as the Teltonika FMB920 and FMC920.
PIN keypad vs RFID vs iButton vs BLE
PIN keypad. The driver types a code. Nothing to issue, nothing to lose, nothing to lend. Adding or removing a driver is a list change, not a physical hand-over. Best for high-turnover teams, agency drivers and pool vehicles.
RFID card or fob. Fast and familiar — the same gesture as a building access card. But cards get left at home, shared between drivers, and reissued at your cost. Good where drivers already carry a company card.
iButton. A rugged contact key touched to a reader. Cheap and almost indestructible, but it is another item on a keyring, and a driver who forgets it cannot work. Common on older installs.
BLE. Wireless, no cable run to the tracker. The practical reason to choose it is not convenience — it is that some trackers have no 1-Wire pin at all, and BLE is the only way to add driver ID to them.
Read the full breakdown in our iButton vs RFID vs PIN comparison.
Which trackers do they work with?
Any tracker with a 1-Wire (Dallas) data pin: Teltonika FMB and FMC models that have a 1-Wire pin, for example the FMB130, FMB140, FMC130, FMC230 and FMC650, Queclink GV-series hardwired trackers such as the GV620MG, plus Ruptela and Digital Matter units with a 1-Wire input. Trackers with no 1-Wire pin, such as the Teltonika FMB920, use the NN-21382 Bluetooth keypad instead.
On Teltonika hardware the driver ID arrives as AVL I/O element 78. Note that the value is byte-reversed relative to the PIN entered: 123456 arrives as 0140E2010000009E, where 01 is the family ID, 9E the CRC, and 40E201000000 reversed in two-digit pairs gives the PIN. This catches out most first-time installers.
Tested by Teltonika and Ruptela
Our keypads have been independently tested and validated by Teltonika Telematics UAB on the FMC650, and by Ruptela on the Trace5-LTM. Both reports confirm correct 1-Wire driver ID operation with the EC-19521, TC-261048 and DC-51145. We are also a listed hardware listed in the Wialon hardware catalogue.
Download the reports: Teltonika Telematics test report (PDF) · Ruptela test report (PDF).
Why buy from the manufacturer
We design and supply these keypads for fleet and telematics projects worldwide. Buying direct means factory pricing with no middlemen, OEM and white-label options for resellers and telematics providers, and technical support from the people who actually built the product.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a special tracker for driver ID?
No. Our keypads connect to standard Teltonika, Queclink, Ruptela and Digital Matter trackers over the 1-Wire interface, or over Bluetooth where there is no 1-Wire pin.
Can I mix methods across my fleet?
Yes. You can run PIN keypads on some vehicles and RFID or iButton on others, all reporting into the same platform.
How many drivers can I have?
Up to 4,000 on Teltonika FMB1xx models running firmware 03.27.xx or later, and 1,000 on the FM64 series with CSV import.
Can the keypad immobilise the vehicle?
Yes, with a tracker that supports immobilisation. Note that if the authorised ID list is left empty, any ID will disable the immobiliser — populate it before the vehicle enters service.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. We supply worldwide from UK-based stock.
Are driver ID keypads a legal requirement for UK fleets?
Not for most fleets — but insurers increasingly expect them, and for operations under Working Time Directive obligations or running tachograph vehicles, driver authentication is standard practice. The practical reason most fleets fit one is simpler: if there is an incident, a driver ID record proves who was at the wheel.
Harsh environments and international fleets
If your vehicles work in dust, heat, pressure-washed cabs or open plant, pick a sealed unit from the table above: the resin-filled IP68 STL-1307 for external and rugged mounting, or the GC-2673 IP68 keypad with NFC reader if you want a card or tag option alongside PIN entry. Backlit keys matter more than they sound — a driver fumbling for an unlit keypad on a 3 a.m. shift will simply stop using it.
Running fleets outside the UK, or through patchy coverage? The keypad itself needs no mobile network — it talks to the tracker over 1-Wire, RS232 or Bluetooth LE, and it is the tracker that transmits. Pair it with a tracker that has LTE plus 2G fallback, such as the Teltonika FMC130, which buffers driver ID and journey records through coverage blackspots and forwards them once a signal returns. We ship worldwide from UK stock, pre-configured and tested before dispatch — browse the full driver identification keypad range or ask us to match keypads to your tracker models before you order.
Talk to us
Tell us your tracker models and vehicle types and we will tell you exactly which keypad fits before you order. Browse the full driver identification keypad range or read more about driver identification for fleet management.
Related Hardware
Related hardware from UK stock: iButton readers, RFID readers and NFC readers.
Complete Driver Identification Kits Guide
This article is part of our driver identification content hub. For the full buying framework, hardware comparison and deployment checklist, read the complete Driver Identification Kits guide.
Useful next steps for fleet buyers
For a broader buying path, connect this comparison to the Driver Identification Kits guide and then check the live driver identification keypad page for the current hardware options.
For setup and rollout details, continue with the GPS Driver ID setup guide; for African fleets, use the Driver Identification for African fleets guide.
Product pages for keypad buyers
If the goal is to choose the best Driver ID keypad rather than just understand the technology, use the main Driver Identification Keypad commercial page as the starting point.
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